Chapter Eleven
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs. Everything else is owned by either Disney or the Greek Myths.
Hope you all are doing well in this crazy year-for any new readers, I'm located in the States and if you haven't seen the news it's been a rather tremulous couple of weeks as we come back from the holidays.
Okay, that's enough depressing talk. I saw in the reviews that a couple of you wanted to see review responses like over in Crossing the Water. I'll do a trial run here and if you guys like it, let me know in the reviews and I'll keep it up!
danifan3000: Agreed, though I don't really see Leah surviving long enough to really experience what the food is like. Knowing her, she'd either wind up stabbed or eaten by a hyena or Scar or Shere Khan.
Marcus Emrys: Don't apologize, I had a good chuckle over that! I think everyone has had that reaction once or twice when it comes to Leah.
OceanBlueSeaEyes: Despite never seeing HIMYM, I understood that reference :D Sadly though, I've got 45 chapters planned for this fic so story's gotta story.
twilightgirl587: Well you know there's already a small hole in the barrier from Carlos' device that he built to try to get better channels on television to watch...so if Hades and Leah were to be alone and no witnesses...
AmethystDragon14: Oh yay! Indeed, Happy New Year to you too! Trust me, it was quite enjoyable to write and this just meant that I didn't have to put Audrey through what she went through over in Into the Depths.
Sorceress of Magic: Yay indeed but sadly Mal's probably gonna feel that way for a while until she talks to someone.
lilyflower101: She shouldn't right? But years of dealing with Maleficent allow for slivers of self doubt to wiggle their way in.
61394: Yes she is there's no doubt about that. They're not all ignoring it, just the stupid ones who for some reason think blood outweighs anything else.
Guest: Oh something tells me she won't! :D
TR Lara Croft: I saw all your reviews, thank you so much! Oh no, Mal didn't want Leah protected on the Isle. The only thing Mal didn't like was the fact that her home was being used as a punishment. While that's what it is, Mal and the other VKs didn't exactly do anything to earn their spots there but be born.
Technobabble1: Oh I'm so glad! Yeah some of the Auradon folks sure are stupid aren't they? Don't worry, those conversations and chapters with Evie's dad are coming. I just had to get Leah's plot points out of the way first.
AvatarUzumaki: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! Yeah Mal should talk to someone but sixteen years of growing up on the Isle isn't going to disappear in a month or two of living in Auradon. Be nice if it did though.
Hope you all enjoy the chapter and the little Isle interlude! Special thanks to AmethystDragon14 for helping with parts of it!
While life seemed to be looking up in Auradon, with Leah being sent from its shores, life seemed to stay the same over on the Isle of the Lost. The days were still cloudy, the food still rotten. While that might have been better than the alternative of things getting worse, it was still rather unpleasant.
Particularly for one Isle resident. Fred Frollo, or Freddy as he was mockingly called by Mal and her crew despite being three years older than Mal, stalked around the floor of his hideout. It wasn't much, just a dilapidated church his father had tried to form but found that no one was attending. Such an activity had become a daily past time of his, so much so that his underlings had taken to clearing out of their haven to give him his privacy.
"How dare that little witch," he growled, strands of his jet black hair falling into his eyes as his hands balled into fists. "First she dares to show her face around the Isle after fleeing in disgrace to Boreadon and then taunts me by attending that coronation in Beastie Jr's. carriage?!"
If he had been in a calmer state, Freddy might have wondered how he hadn't recognized the boy who had been with Mal and Jay as the Crown Prince of Auradon. I mean, a change of clothes and a beanie could only change so much about a person.
It must have been Mal's doing. She put a spell on Beast Jr. so that no one could realize who he was!
"Honestly Fred," a feminine voice broke through his thoughts and Fred glared in her direction. "You're acting more like a jilted lover than anything else, obsessing over something that happened over a month ago. You are aware that Mal hated the ground you walked on right?"
"As if I care what the little witch thought," Freddy scoffed, looking at his little half-sister and second in command. "And what are you doing here? I thought you were on a food run Claudine?"
"Hard to do that when the pirates control the docks," Claudine said with a shrug. She was used to Freddy's erratic behavior concerning Mal. Or anyone really. The last time he had acted like a sibling to her was when he was nine and somehow got his hands on a set of daggers.
He had declared that she was going to stop being an embarrassment to the Frollo name and learn how to use them. That way, she'd stop being a timid little thing and be someone who belonged on the Isle.
Honestly, I was fine in the bell tower of Dragon Hall, she thought as Freddy continued to pace. Fred and dad are exactly the same in one regard, they both live to control the lives of others.
Though there was that one time, the day of the coronation, that Claudine had thought they had finally started to develop a sibling bond.
They had taken the opportunity of Cruella being out over at Maleficent's to sneak in. Originally the goal was to steal some furs that Cruella wouldn't miss—the floor of the Haven wasn't exactly the softest and they only had a couple of mattresses.
Freddy and Claudine got to use those as the leaders, and whoever was Freddy's fling of the month shared with him, while others like the other underlings made use of ratty old sheets they were able to snatch from a barge delivery. The furs would at least provide some padding that the sheets could not.
Claudine sighed as she thought back on that day, that fateful, fateful day.
"Hey, you think we could swipe a couple of her furs?" Claudine asked as the two Frollo siblings made their way to Hell Hall. Every member of their gang had split up to try to find a working television to watch the coronation. Not because Fred had a pressing need to see the Boreadon elite get all gussied up but it was a good idea to know who they'd be going up against for the future.
"No!" Freddy snapped. "You want the old bat to know we were here? What would we even do with them?"
"Wear them? It does get cold at night—or we could use them to make the mattresses in the Haven a bit softer."
"…you get two. Any more and you know Cruella will notice and that would just bring that witch Maleficent after us."
"Do you think I'm stupid? I know how to take things inconspicuously Fred," Claudine said, rolling her eyes as they broke into the DeVil place. Though she had to admit, she was a little shocked that Fred didn't put up more of a fight. Then again, they were on the border line between Mal's old territory and the Caster's territory.
The last thing they wanted was to run into Yzla or Zevon without the rest of the Angels with them. Daggers didn't work well against potions after all.
Freddy rolled his eyes. "Well grab 'em now otherwise you'll miss Prince Beast's coronation. I know girls like that sort of thing."
"Eh, I'm not exactly interested in the stuck up Boreadon princes but I'm on it," Claudine said with a scoff as she made her way to the fur closet. Freddy shook his head and turned on the television. His timing seemed to be perfect as he had turned it on just as the camera showed the prince's carriage.
"Wait a minute…" Freddy muttered as he looked closely at the image before him. "That's Mal. But that means…that sneaky little witch!"
No wonder she'd been so wound up the last time he saw her! He had been looking right at the Crown Prince of Boreadon!
She had actually brought the Crown Prince to the Isle! Freddy thought. And apparently sank her talons into him since she's riding to the coronation with him! That little…how did she pull that off?!
"Okay, I know Mal's not your favorite person but what did she do this time?" Claudine asked as she came back in, Freddy's eyes narrowing at the television. "You're staring into that television like you're our father and it's showing you a vision of Esmeralda."
"Look who's carriage that little witch is riding in!" Freddy growled. "She made a fool of me the last time she was here and now she does this?! She sank her claws into Boreadon's Crown Prince!"
Claudine smirked slightly. "Only the best for Maleficent's daughter I guess. Oh, by the way, check these out! I got black panther and snow leopard, figured the darker and less rare of the furs would be less likely to be missed."
Freddy couldn't help the small smirk on his face as Claudine stroked the furs. "Very nice. How in the world did Cruella even get black panther or snow leopard fur? We don't exactly have snowy places here."
"Don't ask me," Claudine shrugged. "Maybe she got the snow leopard fur from a contact in Arendelle? All I know is that furs are definitely hard to come by on the Isle, making them somewhat valuable and geez does Ms. Fur Ball guard them! I had to dodge bear traps in that closet!"
"Bear traps? Really?" Freddy scoffed. Such an idea was insane, no one cared about furs that much that they'd try to steal them. While he was aware of what they were doing to Cruella's furs, it was less because they wanted the furs and more because as a mid ranked gang on the Isle they didn't get the comforts that Mal's gang of sinners and misfits got.
Claudine nodded. "Dibs on the snow leopard."
"You and the other girls can fight over the furs," Freddy said as he shook his head. "There's only one thing I want…revenge on that little witch over in Boreadon."
Are you sure it's not the fact that Mal sank her talons into someone more sane that you have a problem with? Claudine thought. After all Fred, you've been obsessed with Mal for as long as I can remember. You're acting like Mal just humiliated you by riding in the Boreadon Prince's carriage. It's not even as if you were ever 'together'. Everyone on the Isle knows she hates you and you her. Besides, Zevon would probably kill you if you made Mal one of your flings. Everyone knows about his not so low key obsession with her.
"You planning something specific in terms of your revenge?" Claudine asked, pulling herself out of her thoughts.
"Even if I was, I can't get off the Isle," Freddy growled. "God, I want to know how Mal got her claws into the Crown Prince!"
"How do you think she did it?"
"Probably a spell or something—Maleficent is a witch after all and Mal is her daughter."
Claudine sighed softly. "What does it matter anyway Fred? It's not like you'd be able to get near Mal. You're acting like dad did with Esmeralda to be honest. I'm waiting for you to start singing about Hellfire. Just be smart about this."
"You know, when Mal was back here, she had Beastie Jr. with her?" Freddy growled, his hands clenching into fists at the memory. "He was in front of me and I didn't recognize him! Both the little witch and beastie made a fool of me and I want my revenge! On both of them!"
"Wow…Beastie Jr's. either very brave or very stupid," Claudine muttered.
"Doesn't matter what he was because he's going to regret his impromptu trip!" Freddy promised, a small growl to his voice.
Claudine sighed softly. That was all Fred did nowadays, rant about either Mal or revenge. On occasion he'd mix it up and rant about Uma. Sometimes it'd even be all three subjects—revenge on Mal and Uma. Claudine didn't know why her brother was on this kick but she didn't really care.
She didn't know why she'd been hoping that coming here could be a chance for some sibling bonding away from the other Angels. Of course Fred would be more focused on the fact that Mal was on camera. Never mind the fact that Mal arriving with Beastie Jr. might mean some positive things for the Isle. Fred just saw it as a slap in the face and another way Mal humiliated him.
God, why couldn't her brother be normal? He took after their father too much. Maybe that was why she couldn't have a normal brother. After all their father was Mr. Choose Me or the Pyre. Sometimes she wished she could have been someone else's daughter? Anyone would have been better than her father.
"Do you ever miss doing things like this?" Claudine asked softly, trying to save the reason she came along.
"Breaking into Cruella DeVil's house and stealing her furs?" Freddy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I meant doing things as siblings," Claudine sighed. "How many years has it been since we went off on our own to do something?"
"We're only half siblings," Freddy scoffed.
"Why do you keep bringing that up? You've done it ever since you were nine! What does it matter? We're still blood right?"
"Lying's a sin Claudine. We're only halfway related through our father."
"But we were still raised as brother and sister." Claudine told him. "I just…I don't get it. I don't get it why it matters so much to you! It doesn't matter to me—you're my older brother! Full stop."
Even if you're creepy, obsessed with Mal and Uma, and are completely self obsessed, whether I like it or not, you're my brother, she thought.
Freddy rolled his eyes. "Look Claudine, I don't know what you want to hear. You may be my half sister but you still mean something to me. If you didn't, do you think I would have helped you get over that timidness you used to have? You would have been eaten alive and it would have been a bad look on the Frollo name."
"Yeah because that's the most important thing," Claudine rolled her eyes. "Never mind the fact that our name kinda already has a bad look on it around the Isle. Our father's the only villain who attempted the murder of an entire city just to get with a girl."
"He was unfairly judged Claudine! How many times have you been told that?"
"More times than I can count Fred but think about it. Some of the villains don't deserve it here—Smee, Queen of Hearts, the Ringmaster, who's not even a villain now that I think about it. He just ran a circus. But Maleficent, Jafar, Cruella, our father…you can't honestly say they were all unfairly judged."
"Maleficent and Jafar have magic, they deserve to be here! Cruella's a crazy old bat! But our father was just following the word of the Lord and they persecuted him for it!"
"Fred, have you actually read the Bible properly? One of the commandments is 'Thou Shall Not Kill' and our father killed half a city in the fires he caused!"
Freddy rolled his eyes. "If that witch didn't put a spell on him, that wouldn't have happened. And yet she lives in Boreadon with that traitor Phoebus while our father rots on the Isle."
Claudine shook her head. "Esmeralda and Phoebus aren't dangers to Boreadon though."
"All witchcraft is a danger, didn't our father teach you anything?"
"Yeah, he taught me to know who my friends are."
"That's kid's stuff. When I was your age, our father was warning me about the dangers of witchcraft and reminding me about the importance of remaining pure."
"Not that you took that lesson to heart," Claudine muttered. Freddy and Zevon were tied amongst the boys on the Isle for most number of flings.
"Women are the ones who cloud the mind and lure others into unholy thoughts," Freddy told her.
"If that was true then, our gang would have three members and I'd be the only girl because you'd have kicked out all the other girls for 'tempting' you!"
"There's safety in numbers Claudine. If we only had three members, the Warf Rats and the pirates would overpower us and we'd have no territory. We'd be lower ranked than the Casters!"
"Doesn't change the fact that it's hypocritical."
"Yeah, yeah," Freddy said, waving his hand as if brushing off the point. "Come on, let's watch the Boreadon brat become king before we have to hightail it out of here."
Claudine sighed and tightened her grip on the two furs in her lap as she turned back to the television. Freddy rolled his eyes before doing the same. However, it wasn't long before things got interesting.
"What's going on?" Claudine exclaimed, her spat with Freddy forgotten. "Did…did Evie just grab the wand?"
The ground began to shake and Claudine looked toward her brother in fear. "F-Fred, what's going on?"
"The bluette may have actually been useful for once! She just broke the barrier," Freddy yelled in shock, jumping up and thankfully not commenting on Claudine's stutter.
"We can leave?!"
"It may be temporary and I don't know about you but I'm not standing around to find out!" Freddy snapped as he started to bolt out of Hell Hall. Claudine looked at the furs before leaving them on the couch, bolting after Freddy.
"So are you going to actually do anything or just pace a rut in the floor?" Claudine asked, pulling herself out of her trip down memory lane.
"What do you want me to do?" Freddy growled. "Like you said, the pirates control the docks and the docks are the only way off the Isle. The only chance I have would be…"
Freddy looked over at his sister and smirked, an idea forming in his rotten little brain.
"What?" Claudine asked before getting on the same brain wave as Freddy. "What? No! Fred, I am not going to be a spy for you!"
"Of course not," Freddy scoffed. "You're going to use your feminine gifts to distract Henry. He's the only one of the pirates who seems to maintain a constant watch on the docks. Not to mention you're the only girl who'd work. All the others were formerly Rats themselves."
"So why not use them?"
"You'd think any of that crew would trust them?" Freddy rolled his eyes. "The Rats may be insipid but they're not blind. They know after weeks of being Angels, it'd be risky to bring them back into the fold. The only one I think that could maybe get away with it would be Brooke but she's so timid and meek, she'd crack under the questioning. The other two are too busy competing for a second shot of having a fling with me which leaves you to attract Henry's attention. Once he's lured away, I can get off the Isle."
"Oh that's not risky at all! You honestly think Henry'd break his rule just because I batted my eyelashes at him?" Claudine snapped. Henry Kersey was the only guy on the Isle old enough to have a fling who hadn't had one. It wasn't because he was an unattractive guy either, with his light red hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to shine every time they faced off against each other.
There were girls who fought to be the one to claim they were his first fling. Ginny Gothel had almost draped herself on him before he turned her down. Though Ginny more than likely was just trying to get some food, being a girl without a gang on the Isle.
There wasn't much lower you could go in terms of rank than being a girl without a gang. There was a reason why the phrase 'flings for food' had become a popular past time—the boys of the pirates/Warf Rats were the most sought after since they had the best access to food.
Nine times out of ten though, the guys would turn down a fling and just give the girls the food. Especially if it was a younger girl trying to do it and especially if it was a younger girl under the age of fifteen. Claudine could only assume Mal and Uma had trained their crew well.
Fred and Zevon, she knew, had no such scruples. There was a reason why, despite the fact that a few of the Warf Rats were older, that Fred and Zevon had the most flings on the Isle.
If I don't do this, the only other girls would be Locklyn or Shayla. Henry'd trust Brooke but even so she's too young. Henry'd just get her some food if he didn't bring her back into their fold, she thought. Knowing the other two, they'd be a little too…enthusiastic in getting to be the ones to get Henry to break his vow of no flings.
"Fine, if only because I know this isn't a request," Claudine sighed.
"Good," Freddy smirked. "You'd best get going."
"What, now?"
"Why not?"
"It's almost dark out, I'm not exactly in the mood to become hyena chow Fred!" Claudine exclaimed. "You know they have no qualms in eating a human whether they be dead or alive—and they're the pirates' allies meaning I wouldn't get a free pass being second in command of the Angels."
"What was the point in teaching you how to throw a dagger if you only ever use it against the pirates?" Freddy scoffed. "If those mangy beasts give you a hard time, just make an example of one of them."
Before Claudine could answer, the lone male underling came bursting in.
"You'd better have a good reason for bursting in here like the end of the world was upon us," Freddy growled, glaring slightly at the underling.
"My deepest apologies, your holiness but news from Boreadon came that I thought you might find interesting."
"What, did they kick out that witch and her traitor husband or Mal and Uma?"
"Well no—"
"Then I don't want to hear it," Freddy growled.
Claudine shook her head and looked at the former pirate. "What news from Boreadon, Strat?"
Strat looked over at Claudine and smirked. "Apparently King Beastie's exiled someone to the Isle."
"Oh boy," Freddy rolled his eyes. "Guess he's just like his father after all."
"Who is it?" Claudine asked.
"My source didn't say," Strat said and Claudine softly rolled her eyes. There was no need for secrecy, Strat more than likely got the report from the television. "However, they did say that it's a Boreadon royal."
Freddy paused and Claudine stilled before slipping out of their haven unseen. She had a source of her own that she needed to meet up with after hearing something like that. He might not have heard the news report.
Quickly, she made her way to the bell tower of Dragon Hall—her old stomping grounds and the only neutral area she felt comfortable in. She could only hope he'd be there too…
"Thought you weren't showing up?" Henry's voice whispered in the shadows and Claudine smiled before the two embraced in a tender kiss.
It had taken everything Claudine had not to show the worry she had when Fred proposed the idea. But her brother need never know that there was no need for her to seduce Henry.
She was already in love with him.
"What's wrong?" Henry whispered as he broke the kiss. "You seem…distracted."
"Strat gave Fred and me a news report before I left the Haven," Claudine said, her voice soft, and Henry tensed at the mention of his former crew mate. "He said…he said that Ben had exiled an Auradon royal to the Isle?"
Henry stilled. "An Auradon royal got sent here? They must have majorly screwed up then. We haven't had anyone new since the Isle was founded if we're not counting births."
"Well considering Fred's plotting an escape, I figured you should know…" Claudine told him. "If Fred gets this royal on his side, and they use any resources they still have in Auradon…"
"It won't be good for Mal. Or Uma, Harry or Jay for that matter," Henry finished as he gently brushed a bit of Claudine's brown hair out from her eyes. "I'll let the crew know. Hopefully we'll get word from Mal, Uma, Jay or Harry about who it is who'll be coming to our shores."
"Oh! That reminds me," Claudine chuckled. "Fred wants me to seduce you. Use my feminine charms to lure you to sin since you're always guarding the docks."
Henry chuckled. "I take it you didn't tell him that we meet here in secret?"
"Do I look dead to you? You know that if it wasn't Fred's idea or orders, it doesn't get done."
"Okay, okay. I guess…we can meet back here in a few days. You can I dunno flirt with me in the next face off between our two groups. Freddy usually attends those."
Claudine nodded. "God, as if our being together wasn't stressful enough."
"Hey, it'll be okay," Henry said softly, rubbing her back as he pulled her close to him. "Freddy's so obsessed with Mal and Uma that he probably won't realize anything's up. You feed him or even feed the other Angels a few bogus reports, he should buy that. Plus I can start staying here later."
"What if your crew finds out? You're the captain."
"I'm acting captain and Harriet's there if something happens where a captain's needed," Henry said softly.
"…okay," Claudine sighed. This wasn't going to be easy and she wasn't exactly happy about it but with Henry's help, they might just pull it off.