Authors note: I had so many ideas for other projects that I realized I had fallen way behind on this one. I apologize profusely. This hobby falls by the wayside too often and I'm always grateful you're happy to take me back when I do my walk of shame and then give an update. My resolution this year is to finally finish this. As I have other descendants and descendants adjactent projects I've been batting around but realize this story looms large over them.
To answer a few review questions (A trick of community interaction I've stollen from the Delightful Ginnyrules27). Guest; Boyish is a strong term, but Evie may be indulging new sides that are less "traditional European princess" than her usual persona. Far as I know she's heterosexual. Vitani cannot shape shift on her own accord but the magic for it to happen does exist in this world, There have been no costume changes since the last chapter. In fact I'm trying to cut down on the costume descriptions, it's fanfic cliche I'm not sure I should keep indulging in.
Brok3n Toast: This is set between Descendants 1 and 2. (because I started it THAT long ago) this is a midquel that I'm trying to keep from fighting the canon too much beyond adding new characters and answering questions Disney would rather leave to fanfiction. So Doug and Evie are endgame. I never intended to break them up, I just needed banter and wanted to remind Doug that courting a princess means more than staring at each other over a study table.
GinnyRules27: Seeing you review my story brings me life. Thank you so much. Any Ideas or Characters you like are free for the taking just as much as you've openly allowed me some of yours. A couple of very you inspired chapters or side projects are in the works.
Chapter 12. Meeting Dad.
Evie crossed her legs and sat down in front of the glowing effigy that was Scar's spirit. The lioness Vitani came over, sitting beside her and staring at the firey father. "So we're sisters?"
"Vitani was my second child by my mate Zira, far before your birth."
"How many other siblings do I have?" Evie asked.
"I had two brothers. Nuka was older than me, Scar's firstborn. Not long after I was born, my parents adopted Kovu. He's the mate of Nala, and heir to the pridelands."
"So I have three half siblings, a step sister, and one adopted brother." Evie said counting on her manicured fingers. "Yeesh and I thought of myself as an only child till the last few months."
"You have two half siblings." Scar replied. "Nuka is dead. Killed by Simba."
"I'm so sorry." Evie answered looking at her feline sister.
Vitani looked at Evie and then back to the father. "It was an accident. An unfortunate casualty in the war you and mother forced upon our family. Don't try to twist Evie against the King."
The fiery lion laughed. A deep weeze that spout ash into the calm air. "Proud to see that you'll stand up for the king. That honor will serve us all well when someday Kovu rises. Do not worry. I won't try to twist any of you. You see my darling girls. I'm not like the other so-called villains. I am not looking for revenge. Because I've already won."
Jay who'd been calmly waiting in the back of the clearing with Rafaki and Annette stepped forward. "Excuse me Scar, but how have you won? You're not even really around anymore. You're a ghost."
The children couldn't read the expression on the flaming spirit floating over the firepit. It's glowing white hot eyes were devoid of emotion, and the twitches of a face were hard to tell with the flickers of a fire. So they waited tensely as the fire set it's gaze on the tall boy. Then with cheer his unnatural voice Scar replied, "Ah. Jaymin Bin Jafar. I didn't sense you there. How you have grown. How is your dear father?"
"Still on the Isle." Jay replied crossing his arms. "How'd you know who I am?" How do you know my Dad?"
Evie rolled her eyes. "Jay I appreciate you being here. But this is my time with my father."
"It's quite alright Evie Sweet." Scar answered. "Jaymin, you are the spitting image of a young Jafar. We were allies in the formation of the isle. He was one of my dearest friends. He and I joked about setting you up with Evie when the time was right. Though Grimmie wasn't fond of the idea."
Evie muttered to Vitani. "I'm really not liking the talk of my arranged marriage options from before I left the Isle." She looked at Jay. She supposed she could do far worse. Jay was nobility, handsome, and while a bit of a letch, not the predator so many boys on the Isle would turn into.
Vitani nodded. "My mother's ideas of who would be good mates weren't the best either. I'm not into the idea of settling down anyway."
"No mane-man at home?" Evie chuckled at her sister.
"I'm married to my work I guess." Vitani answered with a fanged grin.
Jay in the meantime kept questioning Scar. "What do you mean you won?" Jay asked. "You're worse off than any other villain."
The fire seemed to glow hotter and brighter for a moment, fed by Scar's ego. "My son is set to rule the Pridelands. My eldest daughter leads the Lion-Guard. My younger daughter will rise through the ranks of Auradon and extend my families influence far beyond my mortal dreams. I wanted to be a king, and I was one. And now I have a dynasty of healthy and free children secure in power. I won."
Evie swallowed hard at that revelation. Like most girls she wanted to make her parents proud, but she held no delusions that her parents were not bad people. Her father was saying that he won because she and her siblings were doing well. Did that mean they were furthering villainy just by doing alright? How much guilt for their father were they going to owe the world? Did any advancement she'd achieve carry a dark burden?
Evie chose not to explore this just yet. Instead she returned to what she really wanted to ask. "Tell me about who you were on the isle. Tell me about being Claudius, meeting my mother. How did you become a human?"
Scar rippled and flickered. "Very well Genevieve."
"I remember manifesting on the isle after my death. I was on a dock, the air was cold and smelled of trash and rot. It made me pine for the safe scent of the graveyard my hyenas called home. I ran searching for whatever answers I could. I ran through the streets. You understand that the Isle's city was empty at the time, the various villain gangs hadn't quite made it home yet. The artificial human cityscape was foreign to me. I seeked nature and eventually I found it in the dying woods past the town. I waited there for days before I dare to venture into the town. I'd never seen humans before. They were bizarre, but the things they could create and organize were extraordinary."
Annette rolled her eyes and elbowed Jay "He sounds like my Aunt."
Scar continued. "I was careful to avoid notice. I learned who many were, and I recognized who had power. At the time the magic of the barrier hadn't been completely established. The witches and sorcerers were still playing their games of power. I realized then that magic was the true path to power, and that if I could somehow obtain it, I could rule that meagre land."
I followed the witches as I discovered them. One day I discovered the one known as Ursula. She hadn't become the sad recluse we'd know her as. I followed her back to her lair and watched as she practiced her arts. She saw me watching and somehow she spoke to me. We made a deal. She'd make me a human, and in exchange I'd be her ally."
Annette spoke up "What did your alliance entail."
"Exactly what you'd expect little mermaid." Scar said coolly. "I hurt people for her, protected her territory. She needed muscle, and a man with the soul of the lion served that purpose well."
"Mom says you drank a potion you found." Evie answered.
"Your mother would never admit I made a deal with Ursula. My alliance with the Sea-Witch was a massive strain on our marriage. When Ursula discovered I was you're father, she revoked my humanity."
Evie shuddered. "Ursula is the reason you couldn't be with us?" A single tear started running down Evie's face. "You didn't want to leave us?"
The fiery effigy of Scar twisted downward apologetically. "My biggest regret is I could never be a father to my offspring. I was denied that by Simba in my first life, and by Ursula in my second. I never wanted anything more than to be there for my children."
"Why would Ursula take away your family?" Annette asked.
Evie and Jay let out audible sighs. Evie turned back to the mermaid. "Ursula and my Mom hate each other. If they can find ways to hurt each other they will."
"I was unaware of this until after I was involved with Grimmie." Scar conceded. "I misjudged the pettiness of both women."
Vitani laughed. "And yet you were my mother's mate?"
"Zira was loyal. Not petty. Her grievances were against Simba and Simba alone. Do no speak poorly of her." Scar bellowed at his eldest daughter.
"Were you and my mother married? legally?" Evie asked. She had so many more emotional questions on her mind, but this pragmatic one was a way to pause time as she processed all this.
"In the eyes of your mother's church yes. We had a religious ceremony in her castle. Private and secret. It was performed by someone your mother knew, a Friar Tuck. He'll have the records your mother was obsessed with."
"Where is your physical body? Can we make you human again?" Evie asked, pocketing the positive answer she'd just received.
"I don't know my sweet." Scar apologized. "When I lost my humanity, my soul was shunted to limbo. If there is still a lion roaming the Isle, I have no connection with him. The knowledge of if he can be made human and if I could inhabit that body is beyond me."
The fire that maintained scar began to dim, the flamed flickered and shrank. Rafiki scampered forward close to the woodpile. "The spell won't last much longer." The old ape said to the living crowd. He turned his face towards Scar's effigy, "Prince, do you claim Genevieve. Is she a daughter of Pride Rock."
"Obviously, Shaman!" Scar snapped. The fire twisted it's attention back to it's daughters. "I'm sorry little ones. I'm grateful I could see you, and I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you in life. If my legacy is all I can leave you, I hope you can succeed with it. I'm very proud of you both."
Vitani roared in approval of her father's praise. But Evie; Evie just started to cry. "I wish we had more time." She said through welling tears. "I've wanted something like this my whole life."
"As much as I can Evie. I love you." Scar answered as his face began to crumble from flame to smoke. "And you Vitani, I love you too so much."
The tears became uncontrollable, "Do you really have to go?" Evie asked the fire. She turned to Rafiki. "Can we have a little more time with him?" she pleaded.
The flames died down considerably; the logs having collapsed to splintered chars. Rafiki turned to Evie and shook his head. Scar's dissipating face loomed sadly. "I'm sorry my sweets. I love you both. Tell Kovu I love him as well."
"and Nuka?" Vitani asked panickily. Evie realized she had hogged all their time with their father. She felt bad that her half sister had few opportunities to ask questions.
"He's safe with me. We're watching over you. Always." Scar answered. The fire died down even more and the image of the lion in it shrank and weakened. It was obvious that Scar's effigy would soon be lost.
Evie stared at the image of her father. She witnessed as it kept fading from it's early hellish glory further into pathetic wisps and tricks of smoke. She accepted the very real possibility that this would be her last chance to speak with her father. To hear his pride and love. In one night, she'd gone from not having a father to losing him. She stared and watched him fade away. In the fire's final moments Evie squeaked out "I love you Daddy!"
She was not sure if she believed herself when she said it. She wasn't sure Scar if he deserved it. But Evie confessed it because may have been her only chance. After she said those words a small smile curled upon the effigy's face. Then Scar vanished into thin lines of smoke. Evie clung to Vitani tightly and buried her face into her feline sister's fur. The lioness nuzzled into the blunette, and purred soothingly. Evie's small lines of tears turned into gushing sobs. Tears at the joy of reunion. Tears of esctasty of being claimed. Tears celebrating the safety of knowing she was wanted and loved. But finally tears of loss. For only a few minutes she'd interacted with her father, and now he was gone. Maybe gone forever. It was a rough night. It was maybe the most important night of her life.
After a long moment of honoring the severity of the preceding, Jay and Annette, who'd been keeping safely in the back came over to the daughters of Scar. Very carefully, they approached Evie and rested their hands on her shoulder. Evie turned around and threw herself from her newly discovered biological(?) sister to the boy who had been her guardian and steadfast friend for so long. She squeezed Jay as he brought her up standing, feeling safety in the arms of her compatriot. "That was my dad." She stated with a small smile contrasting her watery eyes.
The son of Jafar nodded and squeezed Evie. "Did you hear everything you needed to from him?"
Evie shook her head, her tears still flowing. "That's a loaded question. But I guess so. But Jay." She threw her face into his shoulder.
His armed clamped around Evie's back. "I know. I get it." Jay turned to Annette. "What's the next step for the animals?"
The mermaid princess addressed the baboon mystic and the warrior lioness. "What are your next moves from this?" she asked.
Rafiki gathered himself next to Vitani, his own hand stroking the shoulder blades of the massive cat. "I'll need to speak to Snow White. I was under orders from Simba to see if Scar would claim her. He has and now Evie is to be recognized as part of the pride."
"So Pride Rock recognizes Scar and Grimhilde's wedding?" Annette asked.
"As much as we care about such things. Scar was punished for his crimes, but as a lion prince we won't contest his claims to a mate or his offspring. She's part of his pride and part of ours." Vitani answered.
Annette smiled as she approached Evie's flank opposite Jay. "You're legit Evie. Recognized by both sides of your family." She explained calmly. "This is huge news."
Evie nodded. "It's been a crazy night." She had a lot on her mind; The bizarre reunion with her long lost father and the sincere seeming declaration of love from a "man" who was effectively a stranger. She was accepting the reality of her new sister and yet unmet brother back in the Pride Lands. She was still adjusting to the feline powers she'd unlocked earlier this night, and being able to talk to Animals opened up a world she'd heard of but hadn't expected for herself. "I need to bed. Can we walk back to the dorms?"
Jay smiled and gave her a reassuring tug. "Mal's going to have a lot of questions when you get back." He warned her. "I don't think you'll get to sleep much tonight."
"No" Evie mused. "But it'll be good to figure all this out In my own room."
"Would you like old Rafiki to send you there?" The baboon said. "I can save you a walk with a spell. We need to go to Castle Summer anyway."
Annette and Jay looked to Evie. "Tonight's about you." Jay bade.
"Thank you." Evie replied to her friends. "If you would Rafiki."
The mystic broke a gourd from the rattles of his staff. Grabbing broke halves of the broken gourd in his hands, he did a sweeping wave from both sides. the Baboon laughed as sparkling golden dust flew through the air and engulfed the three students. Evie blinked and found herself opening her eyes in the familiar airy comfort of her dorm room. She looked around. It was right as she left it. Except for one thing. Her purple haired roommate bolted up from her bed. "What the…"
Evie put her hands up, shocked by Mal being shocked. "It's me M." she answered quickly. She quickly looked over Mal's face. She'd remembered to remove her makeup from date night, a sign that rooming together was beginning to teach Mal proper skincare. More pressingly to the current situation Mal's face was filled with incredulated frustration. Evie sheepishly offered "Magic, I got teleported back in."
"You have magical teleporting friends now?" Mal asked. Then Mal took a quicker moment to examine Evie's face in the dark room. "You've been crying." She observed. "What else happened tonight?"
"A lot" Evie answered. "Can I tell you in the morning? Because I'm exhausted."
"Of course." Mal answered back. "But you're alright?"
"Course M." Evie replied as her eyelids grew heavy.
"Just one thing. Did you hear some sort of animal roaring tonight while you were out?"
Evie smiled. "That was my sister."
"What?" Mal exclaimed. But Evie had already let her exhausted head hit the pillow. The million thoughts filling it flowed away, and the exhausted princess drifted away into a deep slumber, her last thought knowing she'd spend the next day explaining this insane night.