Hey Descendants!
So many of you have told us your suffering from midterms and finals. First, thank you so much for spending your scarce free time reading our story. Second, we hope you're all taking Carr of yourselves. Third, good luck. You're awesome and you've got this!
And now, part two of Deez's letter.
Lots of Love,
-Dark-
Ben shuts the door and leans against it. He was grateful Lumiere refrained from commenting on his red eyes when he'd been caught in the kitchen. He was appreciative of the offered handkerchief while the man took over the tea to give him a moment to compose himself.
Deez had Pain and Panic that helped raise her.
He had Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, and several other loyal servants who were more like family.
Once the tea had been made, he hugged Lumiere. It had been automatic. He hugged him while letting himself truly appreciate everything the man did and had done for him.
When he found out his mother was in her library, he decided to help make tea and sandwiches for her. The woman who, no matter what, always made sure he knew how much he was loved.
He always knew he was lucky. Never doubted it, when it came to his family. But after reading the first part of Deez's letter, he found himself looking at his blessings a little more closely. And he felt he needed to let them know he loved and appreciated them.
He looks down at the large mug of tea and wrapped sandwich in his hands before he walks over to his desk.
This letter was intense and was taking him more time than he usually needed, to read. Probably because of all the breaks he was taking to work through his thoughts and emotions. He takes a large sip of the hot tea, letting the heat seep into his hands as he holds it in front of him.
Camomile tea. Just what he needed.
And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
After a few more sips he sets the mug aside, takes a deep, grounding breath before he picks the letter up again.
My visits to the shop, my time with Gil, Harry, and Uma, ended the moment I dropped a plate and burned the floor. Ursula's wrath is terrifying, and fast. So fast. One moment I was struggling to clean up the mess, and the next I was being held underwater. I woke up with my father, coughing up salty water and talking about a strange dream I had. I was so scared and so out of it I clung to him, and he let me. It was strange, and the first time I ever questioned my father's motives. But that was it. A passing question.
My father explained that I'd died. Bluntly. Coldly.
Ben closes his eyes as his heart skips a beat while an icy chill runs down his spine.
If a demi-god had been killed what the hell had the rest of them been put through at the hands of the villains?
How the hell had any of them survived their childhoods? He shakes his head.
Willpower? Definitely. Tenacity? Absolutely. Spite? Probably in a few cases.
It hurt his head as much as it hurt his heart. He knew from her previous letters Deez had a special place in her heart for Uma. There was always something about the letters he'd received from her that put the Captain a step above the rest. He couldn't imagine how hard it was, for either of them, to experience that storm.
I. Died. I was less than. Because I let myself get killed. Let an adult hold me under the floor, in the freezing black salty water until I was gone.
That was one of the worst nights of my life. I wanted to run back to tell Uma I was okay, wanted to lie to her, anything to keep her from blaming herself. Which even at the time, even as young as I was, I knew that was exactly what she was going to do. What she did. But that night my father refused to let me go back out. I wasn't able to go anywhere for a couple of weeks.
I was stuck with the disappointment radiating from my angry father. He berated me, told me I was too weak to be his daughter. And I believed every word he said.
How could I let anyone kill me like that? I would ask myself that question for hours as I sat alone in the very back of my crypt. I screamed. I cried. I waited. I repeated it all over again.
He wanted to scream and cry for her.
What type of parent said that to their child after they nearly died? What type of monster did that? He growls, the sound feral and full of unshed pain at the injustice.
What type of cruel place was the isle to grow up on?
What type of parent was disappointed in their child for being too weak to face a fully grown adult?
What type of ruler was okay with his people being treated like that? Certainly not one he wanted to be.
I now owed him my life twice over, and I was too weak to do the one thing he was asking of me. He had me guessing the very point of my own existence. Guessing my own value. I'd only been in school for a few years and I was second-guessing everything because I was too weak to keep myself alive.
The hardest part was that no one came looking for me. I grew to believe my father when he said no one else cared about me. Not like him and the imps did. I believed everything he said. Everything he implied.
Once I was allowed to leave again, I found myself wandering down to the beach alone. I'd sit and stare at the waves, wondering if it would be better if I wasn't alive. I'd stare at them for days before Pain and Panic would come looking for me. It became my cycle. For weeks. I was afraid to face my friends.
It still happens off and on, my strange fascination with water.
I've never told anyone what I was really thinking when staring at the water, though I suspect on some level T knows.
I let them assume it was because of my fear, which is part of the truth. I mean, I still have a deep fear of water going over my head. Which is so at odds with my love of the rain. It makes me feel safe, like I can be around people with no fear of hurting them.
I think its funny how something as simple as a form can change feelings so easily.
His heart stops in his chest.
She was suicidal? His H? His Deez?
The girl that spent over half her life trying to save her friends, wanted nothing more than to end her own?
The thought was abhorrent to him, making the tea in his stomach turn.
He was never letting the core four read this letter. He wasn't sure what this knowledge would do to them when it was ripping him up so horrifically.
Then, to lead it into something so poetically beautiful and profound… It spoke volumes of how used to those feelings she was and it made his entire body ache.
It was years before I saw Uma again. And the separation hurt. Like constantly touching the god bands, except I never healed. I got to see Harry a few times, he definitely warmed up to me during the separation, though I can't explain why. Gil would bring me messages from Uma when he could, and would spend time on the beach with me. Sitting in silence as we watched the waves. Sometimes talking to me about his thoughts. I started going to the beach more once I realized how much I liked the way he saw things.
But our visits were few and far between. They both hated the temple, or more accurately, they hated that I lived with dead things.
Actually, they still do. Pretty much everyone does but T. Not that I stay in the crypt anymore. Or even at the temple. That's just, ironically, where I am right now.
Why was she back at the temple? Why was she with her monster of a father if she didn't have to be? What made her run back to him? What had happened that the temple was where she felt safe?
Because from what he'd read he could tell that's what she'd done. Run from something. That's what had inspired this letter, wasn't it? Her running from something?
But what?
The fireside chat?
That didn't make sense. But that was the only detail he had to work with.
I'm not sure what temple this was before my father took it over, but it was not very well maintained. All the crypts are hard to read, so I ended up making stories to go with the faded names. All kinds of stories are written on the walls of tunnels under the temple. Things Pain and Panic used to tell me, some of my father's stories, even some of my friend's stories. I think I've even recorded a few things from Yensid down there. T's probably the only one that's ever read them, he loved exploring the tunnels. And since he learned to read so much later than everyone else, I think he's read everything he could get his eyes on. Gil's the same. There's just something about not having the ability to do something that makes people go full tilt once it's available I guess...
I really hate thinking about this time in my life. It took years to shift my ideals. I did eventually start going to school again. Thankfully with Master Yensid's help I never fell far behind.
Mal's gang never said anything about my absence, and though Master Yensid asked, I couldn't bring myself to tell him either. What was I supposed to say?
For a while, that was my life. School with Mal, Jay, Carlos, Evie, and others that would talk to me. Time with Master Yensid, who have I mentioned is my favorite teacher? In fact, he's the only teacher whose class I still attend. Because if I haven't I need to.
Yensid is the best thing that ever happened to those of us born on the isle. I know you and he didn't see eye to eye on something, and that he left on not the best terms, but I hope you and he can one day come to terms over whatever your fight was about. And staying angry over something in the past is kind of dumb. You were obviously friends or at least friendly once. I hope it can be repaired. He's the best adult I know. And you seem like a good adult too.
He takes a deep breath as he exhales. Right back to where he could handle things again, as if she was subconsciously pacing her reader through the worst bits of it.
It was odd. His reactions. It wasn't like he didn't know she was still fine. The experiences she was referring too had to have happened years ago… But he couldn't help how invested he was in this girl's well being. She was so much of his motivation. His muse. It was so hard to think of her in such dire straits. Straits he had no familiarity with.
Their lives had just been so different. So painfully different.
His thoughts drift to Mal and his other friends. How much rougher had their lives been than his? Were they worse than Deez's? Better? He didn't want to think about it. The imagination was always so much worse than reality. He knew that.
Yensid. She'd mentioned him before. And he vaguely remembered the old wizard. He was going to have to show his father this letter. Give him a chance to read it before his mother beat him over the head with it.
It was strange to see her trying, in the midst of her own painful recallings, to help his father out. To see her concern over a potentially torn friendship. Like she had to reach out on behalf of a man who certainly didn't need her help, but that didn't matter. She had to try.
Writing a letter… Where was I?
School. The core four. A walk to the beach, or the edge of the docks, where I'd sit and stare until it was so dark I nearly glowed in it. Then back home to start again.
Thinking back over it, I actually think that's when T started stalking me. The thought shouldn't make me smile, but it does. At the time I just thought it was just my vulnerability to the ocean that made me feel so exposed, but now that I know better? That was definitely eyes I felt the weight of most nights.
It was during these years that I had the least amount of control over my abilities. And I ended up hurting a lot of people that surprised me or cornered me. And worse.
I killed.
Worse still, I killed accidentally. So easily. Without so much as a thought. It was more a reaction.
My reaction was to hurt and kill. I'm a monster.
I was convinced all over again that I was a villain. That I would never, and could never be anything more than a tool for death and destruction. I lost my temper a lot. I cried a lot. But I couldn't talk to anyone. I was afraid to. Afraid to get close. Afraid to lose my temper. Afraid to snuff out the magic of the people I wanted the world for.
He stares at the wall across from him. Or maybe he wouldn't let his dad read this letter.
He couldn't even begin to imagine having that type of weight hanging over his head. To accidentally kill someone.
His eyes narrowed. He could see Hercules and Megara's twins doing something like that though. Assuming they didn't have the training they did. He remembered the restrictive cuffs they had to wear when they were growing up to prevent accidents.
He nods. Yeah, he could picture the twins losing it over something as simple as being startled and accidentally doing some real damage.
Would his father be able to see it the same way? He certainly hoped so.
My father guessed a few times. And he laughed. Told me that if someone was stupid enough to get that close to me, then death was too good for them. We're on the isle, he'd say, if you think anyone is doing anything but what they want, you're delusional.
It was probably the closest thing to pride he's ever felt for me if I'm being honest. And that hurt too. Because I wanted it. Just not the cost.
I felt like a failure at every turn. Nothing I did was right. I was too monstrous to be good. Too good to be a monster. I was in between in every way conceivable. Not a mortal, not a god. Not good, not evil. And no matter what direction I went, not enough. Never enough.
It's not a fun place to be. It's not a fun place to visit.
And back to that drop.
He'd been down on himself before, was familiar with the feelings of inadequacy, but never like this. Never on that level.
It hurt just to read, let alone think about it happening to another human being.
He closes his eyes as he leans back in his chair. He usually wasn't one to break the rules but he partook on an occasion. He was a prince not a saint after all. And a real drink wasn't sounding too bad right now.
This was the third time he'd caught himself crying. How couldn't he, when one of his idols were tearing themselves apart so unfairly?
The thought of a parent only feeling pride for something so… So inhuman made him place a hand on his stomach as it revolted against the tea and sandwiches.
He needed to get these kids over here. He needed to hug them.
Oh god. How was he supposed to look at Mal and the others after this and not hug them? He grimaces. He was just as bad as his mother.
He places the paper back down and pulls out his phone to send David a text, asking him if it would be possible to move his session next week too as soon as possible.
I did eventually see Uma again. Ursula gave her time off so she could get ready for a race Captain Hook was hosting, with his prized ship as the reward. I was so happy, getting to see them all again. And we all ignored the past and just sat together, it was nice.
No one can hug like Uma, Harry, and Gil can. Like all the cold disappears with every rib creak. I could see the guilt in Uma's eyes though, and not fixing it hurt worse than any kind of pain I've ever felt.
Things kind of worked themselves out from there and it was nearly back to perfect. Mal and the Core during the week, and Uma and her boys during the weekend. And other friends I'd made in between. It was a great lull period, which of course meant it couldn't last for long.
Ben sighs in relief.
That's right the Sea Three were all huggers, and Mal and the others were sure that's who Deez was with right now.
Good.
That's where she needed to be. Away from her father, and with people who he knew cared about her as much as she cared about them.
I'm still not sure what the catalyst was, but I have a guess or three. Mostly by the names of Maleficent, Atilla, and Cora.
There was a day when I found myself at the old well on the edge of town, surrounded by the two gangs I cared about. For a moment, though I was certainly suspicious, I had this brief, and albeit naive hope that they were going to put aside their differences.
And then they issued a demand, that I had to join one of them and stop hanging out with the others. It was like they'd stabbed me with a sword smithed by a god.
And let's just say I did not react well to that. I don't think I have a high pain tolerance like Gil, Jay and T do, at least not in that capacity.
Add to that Mal and Uma arguing, shouting at and over each other, calling for me to say something, only to talk over me as well. It was an explosive combination.
Which, let me take some time out here, to say how stupid this whole separate gangs thing is. They really could be friends if they put aside their past hurts and pride. I know Jay and Harry talk, though I also know why it has to be a secret. And Gil and Carlos have developed a great friendship since then too. And Evie, she'd love having more people to make outfits for, and they'd all treat her like the princess she is. You should see the fits she throws over Mal not letting her make T outfits.
Wow, I really do want to write about anything but myself. Sorry. But I've realized that this letter is going to remain unedited. If I don't send this first draft, I won't send it at all. I'm certain I'd edit the whole thing out. I'm so sorry. It's so unprofessional, but it's the best I can do.
Where was I? Explosive combination, right? I refuse to go back up and read this.
He snorts derisively. No wonder Deez never wrote about herself. If it was this painful to read, he couldn't imagine how hard it was to write. And no wonder it was so raw. She had left it unedited.
He couldn't blame her for her exasperation either. It must've been frustrating as an outsider looking in to see how much more your friends could benefit by banding together rather than ripping each other apart. Again, his heart went out to her. He could understand not being able to get people to see what they could be, what they could have. It was never a good feeling.
I lost it at the well, lost all control of my flames. All the anger and hurt I'd ever felt, all the crushing loneliness, the feelings of only being wanted for my power, my abilities- It came back in a rush. My father was right. No one wanted me for me. They just didn't want the other gang to have me. It hurt. And I lost myself in it. I drowned all over again, except this time I wasn't the one in danger of being killed. And that, unfortunately, was how I met T.
T, the shadowed savior of the isle. He'd been watching from somewhere, and he saw me losing it. Saw me going nuclear as they used to call it. And his solution, though simple, was probably the stupidest thing anyone has ever done.
He rushed me and we both tumbled into the well. Like full-on fury fire and he rushed me, point-blank without thought.
To save our friends. To save me from myself. Later when we talked, like much later since he avoided me for over a month after that, he said that to me. Told me that he knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I'd done anything to them.
And he was as right then as he is now. I don't know what I would do if I'd ever seriously hurt one of them like that. I owe him so much.
So very much.
Because I still don't know how he survived that tumble into the well. Not only was he death gripping an inferno on the way down, but then he survived being partially steamed and boiled as I hit the water.
Oh thank god. He lets out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
He'd thought for certain this was going to be another drop. But as he reads the lines again he smiles.
Reckless and ballsy were the two words that came up the most when describing T. After reading this he could see why.
He wasn't sure what he would have done if something had happened that day. If Mal and the others, Uma and her crew had been taken out by Deez's fire. Couldn't imagine what that would have done to his favorite writer.
Would he have even known? Or would there simply have been the last letter and then, nothing?
The thought of losing Mal before ever meeting her made his chest restrict with something unpleasant he'd never felt before as he clutches his hand over his heart. Over something so stupid too. It hurt. A lot.
He's always called it luck. Though which kind depends on his mood that day, but that's for another letter entirely.
I myself always thought of it as a miracle.
And somehow, after all that, T ended up having to save me again. Even though I evaporated most of the water, the rolling boil still went over my head. I panicked. I'm pretty sure I fainted. I sank to the bottom.
T had to drag me up, and put me on his shoulders to keep my head above water, to keep me from drowning again. How? Again. I still have no idea. Though since meeting T I've found that things just work out for him. He gets really annoyed by it, but I feel like he's more calculating and perceptive than he gives himself credit for. Or at least part of him is.
It was a weird first meeting. I don't even know if we actually spoke.
I was so caught up in what I'd almost done. I barely felt the water. I vaguely remember a snake. And T telling me to stop kicking and screaming or we'd both die.
I could have killed everyone I cared about. It still makes me want to run and cry, like a darkness lodged deep in my heart that makes me want to scream. I felt like the worst kind of monster.
They got me out, but all I really remember about the climb was whispers in my ears, shaky arms holding me tightly, and being passed back and forth between Gil and Harry. I know Gil followed me home, but I refused to talk to him. I couldn't even look at him. I was so mad at the situation. Mad at myself. I was ashamed. I was angry. I was hurt. I was scared.
Luck? And what did she mean by what kind depended on the day? So far, T apparently only had the best kind of luck, from everything he knew about him.
He deserved a medal for that feat of bravery. Who did something like that? Why? How? How did you even override that kind of self-preservation?
Ah. He chuckles. The face Mal made whenever she brought T up suddenly made more sense as he strings together several missing pieces at once.
Deez wasn't wrong. What a way to meet someone. What had the others thought?
His eyes flit back to the first page. Perhaps the definition of safety wasn't as universal as he thought.
How were either of them still alive? Hell, how were any of them still alive?
It was a month before I left my catacombs. It took Gil coming out of his comfort zone and into my crypt to really get me to break that cycle. To understand why I was so tormented. He literally pulled me out and carried me to the beach. Out of everyone, it was Gil who managed to help me see that I didn't have to pick a side. And he so vehemently defended me against myself. He took some of the sting away, some of my hatred for myself. It's weird how hard it can be to continue hating yourself when someone like Gil doesn't want you to.
Oh thank god. Someone had taken the time to tell her how foolish she was being. Had gone out and pulled back into the light He could hug Gil.
I've always loved my conversations with Gil. You might not like who his father is, because I know you two have a history, but Gil really is the sweetest boy I know. Stern when he has to be, but his smile can light up even the darkest night on the isle.
Anyway, he helped me to realize I didn't have to choose. And it did make me feel better to know that he was willing to put aside his fears to rush in when he thought I was in trouble.
So, I tried again. I went back to school, and I hung out with my friends. I even made up with Mal, artist to artist. She still has the little dragon I made out of glass.
That's right, she didn't have to choose!
Good for Gil. He was secretly always one of his favorites to read about. Now he knew why. Because Gil was the main support for his little ghostwriter. It didn't matter to him who his father was, though he could imagine, it might matter to his father. He and his mother had never specifically spoken about Gil, but he couldn't imagine her holding a grudge against him over what his father did.
He smiles, curious if Mal still had the dragon.
And then T finally came back around, and we had our second meeting, or more accurately our first real one. It wasn't nearly as awkward as you'd think it would be.
I still remember his first words, "It's dangerous to chill at places like this alone you know." I didn't even recognize him at first. How could I when we'd barely met the first time. And yeah, I get that it could've been taken as threatening, but there was more reprimand in his tone, concern in his eyes than there was a threat.
He was fun, deep, full of mystery and intrigue. I was addicted. I think we all were when it came to T. It didn't take us long to become friends after that. It was strange. Like meeting someone who finally got me.
We hadn't even spoken for an hour and I could just tell we understood each other on a level that no one seemed able to reach. Not for a lack of trying of course but… It's still hard to describe.
Neither of us wanted to be in a gang for our own reasons, but despite that, we managed to juggle relationships with people that were. We enjoyed our freedom and our secrets equally and for the first time, I didn't feel the need to explain myself. And the games! We both loved playing games with each other.
I'm pretty sure the rest of our friends actually hated it, hated us becoming friends, because of the things we would get into.
But for me, It was the only good thing to come from the well. T might never have talked to me otherwise... And I'm pretty sure I'm right. If there's one thing T hates, it's people knowing anything about him. And as I said somewhere else in this, I'm skilled at seeing connections.
For all the good it's done me, done him. But anyways- After the well, he kind of gave up. He was even the one to come and find me when no one else could after explaining the sea three were driving him up a wall with their worry.
It was odd at first. Becoming friends with someone so quickly. It felt more like finding a friend that you hadn't seen in ages rather than making a new friend.
Ben smiles as he lets out a relieved exhale.
He was certainly adding his name to the addicted pile. Every time he found out something new about T it just seemed to garner several new threads to string together. Even in Auradon, it was hard to find someone so- He wasn't sure how to describe it. Just different. Interesting. Like a 3-D puzzle.
And Deez, she was just so sweet, and pragmatic in everything she did. Even at her darkest moments she still managed to find something beautiful and profound.
He'd never wanted to meet two people, more in his life.
Well that wasn't true. But he already had her and her gang.
Still, Deez and T just sounded like his type of people. So did Gil for that matter.
He looks around the walls of his stone library and lets out a growl of annoyance. Honestly, he just wanted the whole damn set here, away from anything else on the isle that might try to take them from him.
We learned a lot about the isle by playing a twist on hide and seek. It gave me real reasons to get alone time, and I appreciated it. Things definitely started getting better once T came into my life. I felt like I went back to being an optimist again. Truly optimistic, not just acting like one. And I have him to thank for that, I think. No one appreciates the small things in life quite like T did.
After that T started learning things about me that I never told anyone. And wasn't afraid to venture into the crypts to find or hang out with me.
Life was pretty good. I got to see and talk with both gangs, got to venture all over the isle with T, who pushed me in ways I've never been pushed before. Especially when it came to my ability to control my fire.
I know weird right? This odd kid with no special abilities so to speak, teaching me, a demi-god, to control their abilities. But it's true. No one else would have dared to do the things he would do. Like push me to the point I flamed up. Like calling themselves worms until I blew. Like he trusted me to reign it in. He was always so fearless when it came to my flames. No one else would have dared. Had never dared. Not even Harry, and he's nearly just as reckless as T. Or Jay and Gil and they were even more protective.
They tried, and I appreciate everyone who did. But I'm not an idiot. Fire hurts. Fire scars. T just didn't seem to care. Or like I said, trusted that I'd save him from his idiotic self. Either way though, if it wasn't for him I don't think I'd have the discipline with my fire that I now have.
So T had played a major role in helping her learn to control her fire? That was very odd. He'd never heard of a human helping a god or a demi-god like that. How fascinating.
He never would have guessed how integral T was to both gangs from the way he'd just pop in and out of each of the other letters.
Everything about this letter was fascinating like Deez was tying together all her former letters. Forcing a new perspective on the people he'd come to care for due to her diligence.
He'd have to do his best to get the Sea Three, Deez, Dizzy, and T over here in the next recruitment round. He had a feeling that with the six of them and Mal's gang it would be a VK powerhouse and they'd be able to make waves in this movement.
And now that he knew what gang Deez and T belonged to, and who their parents were, it would be a lot easier to bring them over, even if he still didn't know T's real name.
Life was good again. It had some ups and downs. But nothing overly good or bad.
I ended up visiting Uma's ship. She won the race by the way. Though I already wrote you a letter about that. Just in case you didn't get it, that's the ship she has. Captain Hook's Jolly Roger.
But how I got there… T pushed a little too hard, my flames got a little too big. I got emotional in front of T and Mal and her gang. I don't think any of us were ready for that. And that on its own was a bad enough day. And it should have ended there.
I wish it had ended there.
But I stormed off. Left T in shock or something. All I know is he didn't follow right away. And that was the day I met Atilla. So, I'm not even sure if I would have wanted him to follow immediately.
Atilla was- is intimidating. He's handsome enough, but that just makes him more dangerous.
In the past, I've done everything I can to show you the goodness inside groups of kids stuck here. But Atilla? I've never felt so cold looking into someone's eyes. And as good as I've gotten with my connect the dots and understanding motivations, I wasn't prepared for him. I couldn't figure out if he was lying, really believed everything he was saying, or if what he said was true.
But, he did get in my head. He called me out, like he was the one who could see into people's hearts, on feeling like I didn't belong anywhere. It connected on a level I wasn't ready for.
Never enough one way or the other. Not a monster or a good person. Nothing. I didn't belong anywhere.
It echoed in my head like flies.
He brings up his fist to chew on his thumbnail, a habit he thought he'd long since broken.
Where was Gil? Was he going to show up again? He'd never been so on the edge of his seat so often during one of her letters. Who was going to pull her out of her thoughts this time? Were all of her friends aware of how easily she could believe herself a monster? Were they all aware of how little she felt she belonged?
It was odd how reading this letter felt so much like watching a thriller. Rooting for the heroine who was blindly running through the woods.
He jumps when a trumpet blares a fanfare next to him.
He shakes his head, as he picks up his phone sighing in relief when he sees its David, offering him a session later that afternoon.
Thank god. He wasn't sure how he was going to react to the gang after reading this. He needed to be able to talk to someone about it though.
He shoots back confirmation and thanks before he returns to the letter.
So of course T showed up then. Because why wouldn't T show up with the isle's best known vk swordsman? He's a trained soldier. Trained by the best of an entire army that ended up here.
And T ignored him blatantly and thoroughly. And instead chose to continue to yell and berate me, as if nothing had interrupted our earlier argument.
That didn't last long though. Atilla does not like to be slighted.
I only later, after getting away at T's urgent insistence, found out he was injured in the fight. Atilla has a reputation for being ruthless. Honestly, T's lucky it was only his leg.
There's that word again. T is pretty much synonymous with luck.
I'm still waiting for the fall out from that particular meeting.
Ben holds his breath. T. Fought Atilla? How badly had he been injured?
His eyes darted to the one tablet sitting by itself on a shelf. Deez had written about him, but none of it had been very…flattering, to say the least.
He lets out a sigh.
Luck? He'd never even met T and the kid was starting to make him have heart palpitations.
Oh. Jay's reactions were starting to make sense too.
But that's why I was on the beach. And T's why Gil was looking for me. Long story short, actually this is already a long letter, so I think I'm going to start giving you long stories short and save a few for another time.
Gil carried me to the ship because he was tired of me not understanding how much I meant to him, Uma and Harry.
And I did come to understand after that. He wasn't wrong. So yeah, life was getting really good. I couldn't get to the ship on my own, I still can't, but I did get to stay with the Sea three. I got to see Uma more often. Which was cool.
Ben sighs in relief. Of course Gil rescued her. He could only imagine that the boy had gone running once T showed up to ask. Maybe it was harder for the others to see, but T and Gil both seemed to have an understanding of how Deez worked.
T even came up with the idea to start up a swordsmithing group. We named it book club ironically, because it was T, Gil, Carlos and myself hanging out, and we're the only ones that actually enjoy reading. Or at least the only ones to own up to it.
Book Club. It was totally taboo. Gil and Carlos hanging out like that- But honestly, the moments spent with the book club are probably my favorite. There are never any expectations, just experimentation. Albeit T did disappear for two weeks coming up with the idea… That was probably the worst part of the whole thing. Everyone asking me and expecting me to know where he'd gone and disappeared too.
Like hello, I'm the hider here. I'd never trust T to sit long enough to try to seek him. Duh. That didn't stop the pressure. Story for another day.
Back to Book Club. Learning to control my flames by being a forge, instead of risking a friend, was a wonderful feeling. And my talks with Gil and Harry helped me figure out more about my emotions than I would have been able to figure out on my own. Because T is so not an emotions person. Like at all.
Life really was feeling, almost perfect, even with the threats we faced from the isle and others, at least we had each other.
Ben doesn't know whether the laughter is out of relief or just due to her deliveries, but either way he was grateful for the distraction.
Seriously, this letter was like a theme park ride.
He was surprised to see the feeling almost perfectly written, but it warmed his heart like nothing else could as he reread the line several times, knowing from the pattern the next bit was about to take a colossal turn.
And then it all came crashing down. And this is the big reason I'm writing to you like this. The original villains, or ovs as we call them, have started to interfere with our lives on a level that I am worried about.
Called it. He grimaces, wishing he'd been wrong.
Maleficent forced me to joins Mal's gang, or she'd reinstate Evie's banishment. It hurt to lose my family, Uma's gang, just when I was about to join them. Like, I'd already told them I wanted to. I just wanted to work more on my control. My discipline.
Please do not take this to mean that Mal's gang is bad. It's so not.
Fearing Maleficent's eyes were everywhere was bad. Fearing that at any moment Evie would be ripped away was bad. But not Mal, despite what she might have wanted people to think about her.
Even now, months later mind you, she does her best to make things easier on me. She still has to maintain a reputation, and I understand that. But she tries, and that means the world to me. She even lets me play hide and seek with T, which I know she hates- Or might be jealous of. It's sometimes hard to tell with her.
His lips twitch into the barest hint of a smile as he reread the last paragraph. His little fairy did have green eyes for a reason.
The rest of it, however, was concerning. It was bad enough that Hades and Ursula teamed together against one girl, demi-god or not, but to hear that the mistress of evil herself also took to tormenting children troubled him.
Was this the real reason why none of his friends ever talked about their lives back on the isle? Because they didn't want to destroy the illusion that they'd had somewhat, relatively, normal childhoods?
Part of him was touched by their concern, but the other part was outraged on their behalves.
He was going to have so much to unpack with David tonight.
It took me a while to figure out my place here, but I have. It was a mess, I was a mess, and it took a while. But I stopped trying to be someone I wasn't.
I have good people to help me remember who I am. My gang all worked to help me out, all in their own way.
And T really delivered by setting up impossible meetings with my family.
So, even though we're not supposed to show emotions. Even though it was hard for everyone. All the people I care about, cared enough about me to help me when I was so lost.
So lost, I'm ashamed to admit that I even lost my passion for writing to you… That was hard. And I think it was what scared everyone the most. Even Mal.
Another bitter-sweet smile eventually tugs at his lips, matching his aching heart.
Growing up on the isle was a proverbial nightmare from every aspect, but somehow, they managed to overcome and still care about each other despite all of it.
It was incredible to him. Incredible that in spite of all the adversity that these kids, so many kids, especially Deez, and god only knows who else, had retained their humanity after growing up with such a lack of it.
There are other examples of strangeness with the ovs. But I don't know how to thread the connections, yet. I just, I feel like something weird is happening on the isle, and like always we vks can only hope we weather whatever the storm is.
I realize this letter got a little out of hand and wandered off topic on whims, but I hope I did a good job of introducing myself and delving into my story. And okay, kinda T's too. Again I'll ask for forgiveness later.
I think you know me better than most of the isle now, at least know more of my secrets, and how I thought and felt about a lot of things. What I struggle with. What I've done.
I'm not just a villain kid though. I'm a person with thoughts and feelings. Good days and bad. And I'm sorry I didn't trust these letters with myself sooner. It wasn't fair to you. To my friends. Or myself.
I know you're the King of all the kingdoms in Auradon, and I can only imagine how hard that job is, but I'm begging you to please consider the kids of your enemies the next time you have an opportunity to change something. Most of us just want away from our parents, or away from the evil that stains this isle.
He couldn't fight the foreboding feeling creep over him as he read over the first paragraph again. Examples of strangeness? He'd have to take more care to pay attention to his friends' phrasing in the future if she thought what she wrote about was strange and not completely and utterly horrific when it came to the villains' interactions in just one of their lives.
And personally, he was relieved she'd gone off on so many whims when it came down to it. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to handle this particular letter, without getting physically sick, if she hadn't included so many little stories throughout the mess that was this letter.
And as for him knowing more secrets than anyone else did… He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel honored by her trust in him. In the crown. That despite years of silence on their end. She'd never lost faith in it. It spoke so highly of her. Of her friends. After all birds of a feather flock together, right?
And no, she certainly wasn't just a vk. He looks around at the stacks of tablets surrounding him again in awe. She was so much more than just a villain's kid.
They all were.
From where he was sitting they were all just kids that had no choice but to persevere through horrendous conditions and didn't get the credit they deserve for staying so miraculously optimistic and, dare he say, pure despite living through the things they couldn't control. And it humbled him to be a part of this new narrative for both their future and Auradon's.
There is a darkness here that doesn't let us shine like we could, if we were given the chance.
We just want a chance to find the goodness you know can be in all of us. Please, help us find it.
Thank you for your time, your Majesty,
Though I must admit I've found myself thinking recently that you might be Prince Benjamin. Yensid agrees with me, he said the timing of the announcement gave it enough credence to ponder.
Either way, thank you for taking the time, and having the patience, to read this. I know it's not my usual writing. And again, I'm sorry about that.
-Deez, Daughter of Hades-
When his eyes land on his name they widen to the size of saucers and he drops the paper as if it burned him.
Holy mother of beasts. She knew. He jumps out of his chair as he lets out a roar of triumph. On some level, she knew. She knew he was the one reading her letters.
Deep af am I right?
This is probably one of the longest chapters we've written, and for good reason. There was so much for Ben to unpack, and for Deez to share. She was so fucking raw in this letter.
When we were writing it originally we just pictured her crying the whole time because wow, just getting that kind of shit off your chest must have hurt to recall, but at the same time felt great.
Did anyone else catch Ben's feels? Or am I stroking my ego for no reason?
Both Ben and Deez are definitely dot connectors, are we doing a good job of portraying that? Or would you guys have liked more? Please don't hesitate to let us know.
Isn't Ben fricken adorable for being so protective of 'his' Deez? Is it easy to get his possessiveness? She was pretty much, in an odd way, his first friend. They haven't even met yet and there's already relationship dynamics between the two.
And what about his thoughts on T? He's certainly getting a much clearer picture of our favorite pain in the ass and starting to understand Mal's exasperation with him. The heart palpitation comment was probably my favorite line in all of this, it makes me laugh every time.
I know it's a shitty place to be, to feel like a monster. I never felt like I belonged anywhere when I was a teenager, and gods know I wasn't the only one. So did Deez's thoughts of death and self-loathing resonate with anyone else? Do you get why Ben didn't want to share the letter with the core four after that particular bit? He is only like 15 in this. It's fucking hard even as an adult to make calls like that.
And Ben finding out that Deez knew it was him reading the letters? Did that make anyone else smile? I'd forgotten we'd written that part and I loved how we ended this chapter, did you guys?
By the way, we did write the letter back when she 'wrote' it in WWTM, did it feel more authentic?
So again, did we meet your expectations? Exceed them? Or fall short of them?
Let us know
In the comments below
Much love and appreciation,
-Twisted-