I wrote this chapter on a whim. So there's like a tiny time jump, so it's the afternoon after Snow and Evie leaves.

Chapter 12: Malevola

" Are you sure I look okay?", Evie asked.

" You look fine, Eve" Mal said reassuringly.

They were waiting out in Auradon's town square, waiting for Snow and Nova to come back for their walk.

It was Snow's idea for a lunch in town, after the eventful night they had. And Evie had suggested inviting Jay and Carlos. That part itself had made Mal excited. Since Nova had appeared, heck, ever since cotillion, she hadn't spent as much time with Jay and Carlos as she had in the Isle. Her life had just become... busy.

" Hopefully those two are on their way here and not being distracted by video games", Mal said exasperated.

Evie smiled," Have faith Mal. Carlos will at least pay attention to the time while playing. And he can pull himself and Jay in line. I'm sure they'll be here soon", she said.

Mal smiled, sighing wistfully," Yeah", she said.

" And to think, in just three days I'd finally get to meet that mysterious twin brother of yours", Evie teased.

" Har Har", Mal laughed sarcastically," Hadie is not mysterious. He practically wears his heart on his sleave... for certain people", she said.

" I'm just excited for you", Evie said smiling," You get your brother, Jay will see Jade and Carlos will see Diego, Jace and Harry again. You'll be reunited with your close families again", she said wistfully," While I'm not sure about mine".

Mal smiled sadly," To be fair, most of my memories with Hadie are from when we were little, before our parents split. I don't know him so well anymore", she said before frowning," Didn't you ask your mom about your dad yet?".

Evie shook her head," No no... I'm too... afraid. I'm afraid to ask her", she said.

" Why?"

" I don't know. Expectations? I've always had a vision of my dad but... I'm not sure. I've long learned things that you dream up will never be on the same level of real life", Evie said sighing," I just don't want to be disappointed".

" You will always end up being disappointed, E. It's a part of general life", Mal said as she relaxed on the bench.

Evie bit her lip, looking extremely unsure of herself.

" How about this? Later, the four of us head to the Isle and visit your mum. You ask your questions and find out about your dad and we'll go on from there", Mal suggested.

" You think she'll answer?", Evie asked.

" We won't know until we ask", Mal said.

" Won't know until we ask what?"

Mal and Evie jumped in surprise as a voice emerged from behind them. They scowled as they saw Jay fall back in laughter at their fright.

" Jay! You scared us", Mal exclaimed.

" Sorry girls. Couldn't resist. Now answer my question", Jay said as he sat in between them on the bench.

" We're heading to the Isle later. Wanna come?", Mal asked.

" Sure. I needed to visit my old man anyway", Jay said," Why the visit though?".

" Evie's gonna ask her mom about her father", Mal said.

" You don't know him?", Jay said confused.

" No. Did you ever meet your mom?", Evie asked.

" ...My mom lives with us- or with my pops I mean", Jay said awkwardly.

" Wait, really?!", Evie said standing up," How come I've never seen her?".

Jay shrugged," She hasn't left the house for a few years on her own", he said.

" There's also the factor that you've never been to Jay's house too", Mal mentioned," If you had, you would've met his mom".

" Oh... is she nice?", Evie asked.

Jay grinned," You wouldn't believe someone like her would marry my father", he said.

" You never talk about your mom?", Evie said.

Which was true. But up until now Jay never had much reason to bring up his mother or father.

" Never had a reason to. It might have made me homesick", Jay said.

The girls nodded, understanding Jay's reason for avoiding the topic. Mal didn't usually bring up Hades either. Occasionally when people asked, she'd give a short answer. But most of the time, she tried not to think about him.

Evie frowned as she noticed something extremely off," Jay... where's Carlos?", she asked.

" I thought he was with you guys", Jay replied.

" He texted us and said he was with you", Mal said crossing her arms," We should call him".

" Way ahead of you", Evie said as she typed away on her cellphone," It's ringing...".

" Hello?"

" Carlos! Where are you?!", Mal exclaimed.

" In Auradon", Carlos replied.

" Don't be a smartass, pup, it ain't gonna work out", Jay warned.

" Look I'm nearly at the place. Why don't you head on over there and I'll sit with you guys the moment I get there", Carlos said reassuringly.

" You didn't answer our question 'Los", Jay said.

They could hear Carlos sigh through the speaker," I'm with someone really important. And no, you can't ask who. I want it to be a surprise", he explained.

Mal sighed," Alright, we'll meet you there. Can't wait to meet your guest, Pup", she said before Evie ended the call.

Blue eyes scanned the map laid out on the table, practically glaring at the calligraphic bold print of United States of Auradon, like it was hoping the map would just burn with his intense stare.

He rubbed his hand over his face in exhaustion, the light tan skin practically glowing against the lamplight.

(He felt his anger grow again as his mind flashed back to what happened more than twenty years ago. Had he had a choice, he would have never wanted to involve himself in that war)

" You know, glaring at the map won't send the country to burst into flames, brother", a cheeky voice said from the doorway.

The man turned around to find another man leaning against the doorway in a relaxed fashion. He had a small grin on his face and a plate of food and a glass of drink in his hands.

" Mrs Beakley mentioned you skipped breakfast this morning", the other man said as he set the food down on the table and sat in the adjacent chair.

" Thanks", the man murmured quietly.

" Now what are you doing down here all by your lonesome self, baby brother", the other man asked.

They were nearly identical. Jet black hair, button noses, azure blue eyes. You'd think they were twins. But in actual fact, the other man was a couple of years older and had a much paler complexion compared to his baby brother's tanned one.

" Nothing... just needed a moment to myself", the man said quietly.

The other man tilted his head his head in a concerned fashion," This is about me heading to Auradon, is it?", he said.

The man bristled at the mention of the kingdom. His brother smiled reassuringly at him.

" I'll only be gone for two days", the other man said reassuringly.

" I know...", the man groaned.

" And I'll have my remote on me all the time", he said reassuringly," There won't be any villains there anyway. No adventure or fun, just a royal business trip".

" Ozzie, I don't give two craps about the villains, you know that. It's those royals I'm worried about", the man said getting up and drawing the curtains open. The sky was clear and blue, but for a moment, the man's mind flashed back to when dark tentacles would shoot out of the dark skies and attack him. He shivered for a short second," They'll hound you for information about me like they did with Julius and the De Vil family".

Ozzie snorted," True but I have something Julius, may his soul rest, doesn't have and that is pure, unadulterated rage", he growled.

The man smiled," And Uncle Ub thought I would be the temperamental one", he said chuckling.

" Well to be fair, you CAN have a temper when someone pushes their luck", Ozzie said teasingly," Like Mortimer with Minnie".

" Oh Dad, don't remind me. Poor Mort won't look me in the eye anymore and Min's still laughing about that whole ordeal", the man said embarrassed but laughed along with his older brother.

" Just... be careful, okay. I don't trust a lot of those rulers. Especially Beast", the man said after the laughter died down.

" Yeah yeah. Stop worrying. That's my job. Worry anymore and I might have to send you to stay a week in Warnerstock with Bugs and his brothers to loosen up", Ozzie said teasingly before smiling," But really, I'll be fine. And if you're worried about work, Ortensia and Scrooge will be helping you".

The man sighed," Okay. I'll try to stop for a bit", he said," Just be careful. I don't I could run Wasteland permanently".

" I will"

" And Oswald?"

" Yes, baby brother"

" ...I love you..."

Oswald smiled softly at his baby brother, who he once resented for being their father's favourite but now he couldn't imagine life without him.

" I love you too, Mickey"

Nova gazed about at the pastel interior of the cafe they were currently inside of. Snow had insisted they take the kids here, on the account that this cafe served the best cakes in Auradon.

Now the cafe wouldn't have bothered Nova in the slightest had it not been for one small little detail.

The cafe was situated in Auroria Valley.

Nova could see the discomfort on Mal's face and how realisation slapped Snow across the face. The queen apologized profusely and Mal accepted it humbly before asking if they had something that included strawberry.

But Mal wasn't the only one uncomfortable. Nova herself had felt her wings tingle in unease at being so close to the Rose family. Not many people were aware of her relation to Maleficent but Nova continued to be on edge for the time. So to keep herself occupied, Nova had taken to getting to know her niece's best friends.

" I never gave fashion or science much thought 'til I got to Auradon", Evie said," It was all about snagging a prince with a huge castle".

" Your mom didn't encourage it", Nova said with a raised brow.

" Well... she didn't discourage it either", Evie said picking at her skirt," She was more into helping me get a rich husband who could provide me a comfortable life".

" Did she teach you how to murder him afterwards?", Jay asked teasingly.

Evie scoffed," 'Course not! ...That's where she herself comes in", she said.

Nova chuckling," Pulling a Constance Hatchaway, I see", she said.

Jay and Evie looked at her confused," What's a Constance Hatchaway?", Evie asked.

" You don't know the story?", Nova said surprised.

The Isle teens shook their heads.

" Constance Hatchaway. She was known publicly as the Black Widow Bride, murdering her husbands the first night of their honeymoon with a hatchet. With their deaths, she took their fortune and fled to new states and countries every marriage to find herself a new victim/husband", Nova explained.

" Woah", Evie said quietly.

" That is gold-digging on a whole new level. I'm impressed and a little disturbed", Jay said eyes wide.

" What happened to her?", Evie asked.

" She was killed roughly 80 years ago. Her very last husband was secretly a pirate and he didn't go down without a fight. She got killed with her own hatchet and he later took his own life", Nova explained ending the story.

" Damn... karma strikes again", Jay laughed.

" Karma slapped her in the face, that's for sure", Nova snorted," She despises sea shanties now".

Jay and Evie ignored how Nova spoke of Constance in a present tense, as if the bride was still around.

Mal stood in line while Snow had went back to Nova and the others. Her green eyes gazed over the menu as she decided what order for herself. She had already gotten everyone else's order, she only had herself to worry about at the current morning.

Then she felt a chill travel up her spine as she felt someone's glare fall on her.

Audrey

" What are you doing here?!", the spoilt princess herself said.

Mal steeled her nerves, she didn't want to set more plants on fire," This is a public place, Audrey, anyone is allowed here", she drawled boredly.

Mal saw out of the corner of her eye Nova approaching them, a look of concern and murder on her face.

" Everything okay here, girls?", Nova asked politely.

Audrey sneered at the sight of Nova. The princess hadn't even cared that this was Blue Fairy she was facing. All she saw was a relative of a villain who attacked her family..

" Don't pull your face like that, Audrey, it's very unprecedented for a 'princess'", Nova said sternly," You'd think that brat of a mother of yours would have at least taught you manners".

" Excuse me, but what did you say about me"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, or she in this case. Princess Aurora strolled in, a look of hate clear on her face. By now, Evie, Jay and Snow had come over to diffuse the situation.

" Aurora, please don't", Snow pleaded," We're just trying to have a relaxing day".

" Snow, don't involve yourself. This is between me and the witch's daughter", Aurora said her eyes firmly on Mal.

Mal flinched and Nova growled. No one was going to demean her sister nor her niece in her presence.

" Careful with your words, Aurora, I don't follow Auradon's Laws", Nova sneered.

" That's Princess Aurora to you"

" You are no princess to me, mortal", Nova said bringing her wand out.

" Oh shit, the wands out. Shits about to get real", Jay whispered.

" Okay ladies, cool down. We don't want to cause panic in this fine establishment", Snow said calmly.

Mal never been more grateful for Snow White's presence.

" Too late for that, Snow. The cricket-snogger already did damage", Aurora hissed.

" THAT'S IT", Nova roared.

Mal's eyes widened as Nova's wand sparked dangerously. She was even more surprised by the genuine look of terror on Audrey's face.

" ENOUGH!",

The cafe came to a standstill and fortunately, Nova had calmed quickly as soon as she heard the voice, not quite but enough for the wand to die down.

Mal, Evie and Jay had looked curiously at the newcomer. It was a short, old woman dressed in red and black, whose dark complexion was littered in wrinkles. She held her staff firmly as she stared the two undisturbed women down. But what truly stumped the teens was the woman's hair. It was black and white.

She was a De Vil.

" Ma, what's going on?"

Confirmation of their theory came in the form of their beloved friend Carlos de Vil, who was followed in by a heavily pregnant woman in pigtails.

" Carlos!", Evie yelled.

Carlos noticed his friends and looked at them with concern," What happened?", he asked.

" A lot", Mal sighed.

The old woman glared at Aurora with enough sharpness to make people nearby, including Mal, Evie and Jay flinch.

" Princess Aurora, I see your etiquette hasn't improved since moving back in with your parents", the old woman sneered," I doubt your father would be amused if he finds out his daughter is causing a scene with someone who's held in high regards in the magi society and a princess of Fantasia".

" Who are you?", Audrey asked.

" My name is Madeline 'Malevola' De Vil. I am the mother of Eloise Bella Donna De Vil, publicly known to you heathens as Cruella De Vil. And a grandmother to this fine young man known as Carlos Oscar De Vil", Malevola said curtly," I'm also your grandfather's attorney so I'd watch your mouth if I were you, child, unless you'd like to be written out of his will".

Mal took a little satisfaction in seeing Audrey flinch the way she did. But many things still baffled Mal about Malevola's words. Why would Stefan hire the mother of a villain to handle his legalities? Why didn't Carlos tell them of his family since it seems clear he knew about them for a while?

" Why would my father listen to you?", Aurora asked.

" Because if I'm being honest with you, I know more about him than his own wife does", Malevola stated," Stefan trusts me to handle all his legal things along with his secrets. If there's anyone who Stefan trusts more than himself, it's me".

Aurora glared at the old woman vehemently. However, Audrey looked more unsettled than ever.

" Now Aurora, I think it would be in your best interests that you and your daughter leave these kids be. Unless you want your father, who unlike that devil mother of yours doesn't mind having the Isle children here in Auradon, to hear the news of you cursing at a minor and causing a scene with someone from Magic Royalty", Malevola said firmly.

" You're bluffing"

Malevola pulled out her phone and showed her, as clear as day, Aurora's father personal number," I don't bluff, Briar Rose, I make promises", she growled.

Aurora fumed angrily before letting out an annoyed huff," Come Audrey, we're leaving", she said.

" But mom!"

" Now Audrey!", Aurora yelled

Audrey visibly flinched at the tone of her mother's voice, clearly not used to her mother yelling at her. Mal watched pitifully as the pink princess scurried after her mother. It reminded her of something...

Malevola clicked her tongue," That woman... too much like that bratty mother of hers", she muttered before turning to the VKs," Well, what are you gawking for? I'm an old woman, my knees aren't what they used to be. Can we get to our seats please?".

" I... I still need to put our orders", Mal mumbled, still struck speechless.

They all sat down comfortably after Mal brought them their treats from the counter. The VKs (minus Carlos) were still a little unsettled by the entire thing while the adults chatted as if they were old friends. But that didn't mean the friends weren't going to try.

" I'm sorry but we didn't catch your name earlier, miss", Evie said as the young lady turned to look at Evie.

" Oops! Silly me. I thought Carlos already told ya. My is Ivanna De Vil, but I mostly go by Ivy", the lady said happily.

" She's my cousin. Her dad's my mom's oldest brother", Carlos explained.

" I'm also the head of De Vil Fashion and 5-time beauty pageant winner", Ivy bragged.

" You've been in beauty pageants", Evie said in awe.

" When I was a kid, yes. But I stopped around 10, when Auntie Ellie got arrested for stealing the Dalmatians", Ivy explained," Besides it can get difficult trying to match colours with my hair".

" Dude, I feel you", Mal said twirling a lock of her hair," I can't wear certain colours because Evie would get a fit because it doesn't match with my hair".

" Hair problems", Jay coughed in his fist.

" So 'Los, when did you meet your family?", Mal asked," You never told us anything".

Carlos chuckled nervously," I met them back in March, two months ago. I met my dad too...", he said.

" You met your dad", Evie said softly," Why didn't you tell us?".

Carlos shrugged," I didn't know when would be a good time to mention him. You guys had a lot going on and I had so many questions for him and everyone... but at least I finally got to it", he said grinning.

" Does Jane know?", Mal asked as Snow's phone rang.

" I... haven't told her anything yet. I'm just trying to secure a few things", Carlos said nervously.

" What?", Mal asked.

" He's busy securing his trust fund and inheritance. He wants to impress his girlie with his new fortune", Ivy said grinning lazily.

" Ivy!", Carlos whined.

" Wait. Inheritance? Fortune? You're leaving something out here, Pup", Jay said looking deeply at his best friend.

Carlos opened his mouth to answer butthe sound of a phone clattering onto the ground brought everyone's attention to a paler-than-usual Snow White, whose face was one of disbelief.

" Snow...", Evie said worriedly as Nova tried to talk her friend out of her shock before the princess felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

She brought her phone out and gasped at the message, hand covering her mouth as she paled.

" E?", Mal said concerned as she stared at the message on the screen in shock," ... We need to head to the Isle right now", she said firmly.

" What happened?", Carlos asked.

" The Evil Queen was murdered", Mal replied.

End of Chapter 12

This chapter was a struggle and a half. But I promise the next chapter won't be as cluttered.Next chapter would be fully Audrey centric. With the appearance of Stefan. But unlike other Descendants stories, where they use Angelina Jolie's Maleficent's Stefan, I'm using my own characterised version of Stefan that leans more on Sleeping Beauty's Stefan's demeanor.As for Mickey and Oswald, you'll learn more about them later ;)