Aurelia sat on the ledge of an open window, looking out past the Isle houses, the filthy streets, and squabbling residents. She was a tan skinned girl with long messy, curly brown hair, her eyes looking past the disgustingly green forcefield. She wore a pastel pink blazer over a white shirt, a skirt that went down to her knees, leggings, and pink boots with fake red roses stenciled into the boots. Despite her glamorous looks, her clothes were worn out and in desperate need of resewning. Along with her clothes, her hair was always dirty and unkempt. On top of her head was a makeshift gold crown that was dented and held a single pink gem in the center of the rusted piece.
In her hands was a scraped up piece of paper with a detailed drawing of the Isle's buildings, using a sharply pointed dirty pencil. She had spent weeks trying to find a decent not torn up piece of paper and some kind of writing utensil to go with it. Her days of scavenging paid off when she found an unruined scrap that had been tossed in with Draconis' garbage and stashed it before anyone else saw her. The heroes' kids were once good people, but when desperation overrules morals, they change. They became selfish, vile, and self conceited. It was like all of the good was sapped from them.
"Rory!" A familiar voice pulled the brunette out of her thoughts, "We've got trouble on the east side!" It was a blonde haired girl looking at her with a concerned look. She wore a blue dress over a pastel blue jacket with white leggings and mary janes. There were holes and stitches crudely patched up by sewing string in her clothes and her shoes looked ready to fall apart at any moment.
She put down her pencil then stashed the paper in her jacket pocket, "Who screwed up this time, Sapphire?"
Sapphire shrugged, her messy blonde ringlets bounced with every step she took. "I couldn't tell you, they were too blurry to make out."
"Did you forget your glasses again? You know you need them to see, right?"
"Yeah, I know. It's just…my father thinks they make me look unprincesslike."
"Of course he did." Aurelia sighed at the mention of Eleanor's father. The man was Chadwick Charming, once known as Cinderella's son. Sapphire was told to be a splitting image of her grandmother; sunny blonde hair, doe-like blue eyes, and a gentle demeanor. On the other hand, her father was a narcissistic man who prided himself on being the best looking man and prince on all of the Isle. Everyone knew he treated his daughter like a doormat; an old ragged doormat that he constantly stomped on.
"At least today will be somewhat exciting."
As the two girls walked in the streets of the Isle. The alleys were overcrowded with children and criminals. It wasn't just hero kids that had been sent to the Isle, over the years they started sending over convicts. Though they were more normal people who had crossed the wrong noble rather than monstrous thugs and masterminds. That doesn't mean people didn't get desperate to survive on the Isle of the Damned.
"Stop! Thief!" Before either girl could react, a blur of purple and gold grabbed them and pulled them into a secluded alleyway. Both of them sighed as they realized who had pulled them by the shoulders. It was an amber toned boy with wavy black hair, he wore a purple tank top with white slacks and gold flats. His raggy belt had several different tomes and symbols attached to it.
"Cassim, what did you steal this time?"
"Me? Steal something? I didn't steal anything." Cassim was a terrible liar as a golden object glittered obviously in his pocket. Aurelia grabbed the object from him, it was an amulet with a big gem in the center of it.
"Really? Then what's this?"
"I was just borrowing it." Both Aurelia and Sapphire remained unconvinced.
"You have to return it, Cassim, it's not yours."
"But I stole it and it was my first successful attempt." He said with pride. Cassim had a bad habit of taking things that weren't his, especially if they were some kind of magical item. Unfortunately, he was terrible at stealing and would always get caught. It was ironic that despite being the grandson of Aladdin and his namesake coming from the prince of thieves himself, he was a horrible thief.
"Cassim." Aurelia gave him a scolding look. "We have to be better, be good."
"Fine." He mumbled, taking the amulet and placing it back on the vendor's stand.
The last stop they made was at a restaurant where a black haired boy was sweeping up the front. The restaurant was more of a hole in the wall, the food was barely edible, and there had been more than several cases of food poisoning from it. But it was better than eating out of the trash. The words "The White Kitchen" hung dangerously low. The boy held a cane in the other hand, limping as he swept the area that would never get cleaned. His clothes hung low due to his very skinny frame with dirty brown pants and worn out shoes. Some might mistaken him for a ghost or a corpse due to his pale complexion and bags under his eyes. He whistled as he worked, only stopping when Aurelia, Sapphire, and Cassim approached him.
"Nicholas, you're not being overworked again, are you?"
"No, of course not." He smiled, yet the way he leaned on the broom and his eyes slightly drooping to a close said otherwise. The boy was clearly being overwhelmed by the stacks of work placed on top of him. It didn't help that one of his legs hadn't healed correctly after it broke, this caused him to have to walk everywhere with an makeshift cane.
"Aurelia!" Her mother's screeching voice made all four kids flinch. The four children turned to see Audrey Rose, Chadwick Charming, Aziz Badroulbadour, and Bianca White walking towards them with regal grace and poise. Though the four adults had fallen to the slums, they were still determined to show off their royal prestige.
Audrey wore a pink dress reminiscent of Aurora's gown, she even had a rusty, makeshift crown that she made herself of flimsy wire and fake jewels. The woman was the owner of Audrey's Accessories; a dingy, run down jewelry shop that could turn any girl into a princess. At least that was her mother's slogan, though the jewelry was nothing like the real deals Aurelia had seen on the Isle's TV.
Chadwick wore a blue blazer and what was once a white shirt and dark blue dress pants. The man's blonde hair had turned messy and unkempt, his once gentle smile had turned into a narcissistic smirk.
Aziz was one of the few adults that hadn't changed much and wore a genuine, carefree smile on his face. His parents were the sultan and sultana of Agrabah, he was once in line for the throne, but had it taken from him when he was sent to the Isle. He may have come from royalty, but he was also the son of a former street rat. He learned how to survive and passed it on to many living on the Isle. He was one of the few adults Aurelia respected for his adaptability on the Isle.
Then there was Bianca White, a woman whose smile was not as nice, more condescending. Her fair complexion barely held a candle to Nicholas' white sickly skin. She always made sure to put her beauty first, even at the cost of her own son's health and safety.
"Aurelia." Audrey's voice softened to a sugary sweet tone, one that made Aurelia internally frown, "What have I told you about standing up straight?"
"Posture and poise is important for a princess." She stiffened, tightening her soldiers until she stood as straight as a board.
"That's better. Now we have received grand news. Aziz?"
He pulled out four different letters, each addressed to one of the kids. Their names were written in beautiful cursive, the envelope was a clean sheet of white, but it was the wax insignia that made the four freeze in place. It was purple and green with the symbol of a dragon on it, a very familiar dragon.
"You four have been chosen to attend a different school in Draconis." Audrey said the last word with hidden disgust and hate. The school on the Isle was less of a school and more of a place for kids to waste their time learning lessons on etiquette and being good. All four kids had looks of shock on their faces for a few seconds, processing what they had just been told. Then Sapphire fainted into Cassim's arms who could barely keep her up from his own shock.
"Draconis? As in outside of the Isle?" Aurelia asked, her own eyes glaring at the dragon symbol as if it could come to life and burn her with green fire.
"But that school's going to be filled with villains!" Nicholas trembled "Who'll want to poison us or worse!"
"And I don't do leather." Cassim scowled, "I prefer something less constricting."
"I don't think we should go, we all have to work and we-"
"Oh sweet heart, you're thinking too small." Audrey cut her off, patting the top of her head like a pet, "It's for the good of everyone that you all should go. Aurelia, walk with me."
Aurelia had no choice but to obey, walking side by side as her mother did.
"Now Aurelia, you do remember the story I told you as a little girl?"
"Yes, mother." It was the tale of Sleeping Beauty, her grandparents' story. She had drilled into her head since she was a toddler. It was a story of true love conquering a curse, of good overcoming evil, of heroes taking down villains.
"That's right, dear. Now when we were imprisoned, they took all of the artifacts representing good and locked them away." She explained, "Including your grandfather's sword."
"You want me to wield grandfather's sword?"
Audrey laughed, "Of course not! You find a pure hearted prince and have him use it. Then have him kill that vile fairy that calls herself a high queen. It's enchanted by fairies so it's powerful enough to take her down even if she turns into a scaly dragon."
Aurelia noticed the obvious hate and anger directed towards the High Queen of Draconis. She always ranted and raved against High Queen Mal who made their life miserable, who took away their home, their kingdom.
"Once the winged lizard falls, the rest will have no choice but to concede to Good."
"But mother what if-"
"No buts. You are going and that's final." The cold, unwavering stare contrasted the sweet smile she wore. Her chipped yet manicured nails felt more like claws as they dug into her shoulder with a tight grip.
"Yes, mother." She knew better than to argue with her any further.
"Well they're not taking my Nicholas!" Bianca whined, "I won't want him to live in such a horrible place."
"Really, mom?"
"Of course! Who else is going to help me work at the restaurant?"
At the words "work" Nicholas' smile faltered, "Maybe a new school wouldn't be so bad."
"Well I'm not letting my Sapphire anywhere near that place." Chadwick huffed, "She's too fragile and gentle for such a place and they allow magic to run wild! I'm not letting my daughter be turned into a mouse!"
"Dad, maybe I should go."
"I heard that a descendant of Lady Tremaine is the headmistress." At that, Sapphire paled, "Who knows what kind of monster she is?"
"Oh no, then I shouldn't go." She shuddered, recalling all of the horrible stories about Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters.
"Well, my Cassim is going." Aziz gave a pat on his son's shoulder. "He knows all of my tricks to surviving, right?"
"Yes, right like…there's no I in team!"
"Just stick with the others and you'll do fine." He gave his son an encouraging smile.
"ENOUGH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!?" Audrey screeched, before lowering her voice down to a more normal level, "We are the descendants of heroes! Good used to prevail and evil lost! If we do this right, we will reclaim what is rightfully ours!"
"The Evil Queen's spawn took over your kingdom and took the dwarves!"
"The Tremaines rule over Charmington while you and your daughter dress in rags!" Chadwick frowned at the mention of his mother's abusers living in luxury.
"That snake's son conquered Agrabah and turned it into a fighting arena." Aziz did not react to her comment like this, he kept a neutral face.
"And worst of all, that winged demon turned everyone we loved to stone, conquered Auradon, and claimed my true love as her own!" Audrey's face was red with fury, If it was possible, there would be visible smoke coming out of her ears. "Our children must succeed where we have failed and reclaim what is rightfully ours." Audrey roused the entire street, "For the greater good!"
"FOR THE GREATER GOOD!" The entire street chanted in unison. The four children's objections were lost in the sea of rage and injustice.
The next few days felt like a blur for them, getting ready and packing up what little clothing and items they had.
A limo arrived at the Isle, everyone came out onto the streets and stared at it like it came from outer space. Aurelia stood outside of her mother's shop which also served as their home. Her mother stood behind her, she could feel her grip tightening on her shoulders as the limo approached it. It was a sleek black car that looked as if it was cleaned every day and had a silver dragon ornament on it. The driver stepped out and began putting their luggage in the trunk.
"Don't blow it, dear." She said low enough that only Aurelia could hear her, "If this works out, then we'll be living in the castle we were meant to rule. Do you understand, Aurelia?"
She nodded, taking her luggage and handing it to the driver who did it without a word.
Sapphire had looked at the limo in wonder and amazement while her father watched with a frown. Nicholas was attempting to put his suitcase in the trunk, but was failing due to his limp. Eventually, the driver took it from him and also had Cassim's things who was already waiting in the limo.
Aurelia, Nicholas, and Sapphire all piled into the limo seats, watching as crowds of hopeful residents sent them off with waves and smiles. The four could already feel the crushing weight of pressure and they hadn't even left the Isle of the Damned.