The Isle kids had been brought to Auradon a few days before the school year started. This allowed them to stretch their legs, explore, and figure out a plan of attack. The boys dorms weren't far from the girls which allowed them to sneak out and regroup after they first arrived.
"So this is a map of the academy's grounds." Aurelia pulled up a digital map of Draconis Prep. She was using the phone that had been given to each of them, it was a bit of a shock for all four of them. They didn't have wifi or even basic technology on the Isle, there were also only a few inventive people who knew how to build, but not enough for basic communication devices. So, to be given something as simple as a phone was like giving them a bar of gold. It took some tries (and a few broken screens after being thrown several times at a wall) but they were able to figure out how to make calls, text, and navigate the school's website. However, Cassim was the first to find out about social media and immediately made himself an account.
"Now this is the main campus area." She pointed out the buildings, "And these are the dorms."
"Our best guess to find the sword is here, the museum." Aurelia gestured to the farthest building to the right of the dorms. "It's all about history, science, and magic. So the sword is most likely one of the exhibits."
"Are you suggesting we steal it?" Sapphire asked, "We can't do that, we're heroes."
"Technically…it does belong to us." Cassim shrugged, "It wouldn't be stealing, just reclaiming."
"Exactly. We need to do this tonight otherwise they'll think we're planning something."
"Now? But what about curfew?" Sapphire kept expecting her father to walk through the door and shout at her to turn the lights off and go to bed. He was very strict on curfew, but no one had come to check on them yet.
"We'll sneak out, come back before anyone notices we're gone."
"M-maybe we should think about this." Nicholas spoke up, "We shouldn't just rush in and take something just because it belonged to our parents."
"We have to do this now." Aurelia stated, "We might not get another chance with the whole student body breathing down our necks. So are we doing this or what?"
The other three kids all gave agreeing nods to the plan, despite the anxiety building in each of them.
The first obstacle presented itself as soon as they stepped a few feet outside the dorm. Miranda and Miriam were sitting on the benches, staring at their phones in boredom.
"Oh great the terror twins." Aurelia grimaced while Nicholas paled at the sight of them.
"Actually, this could work to our advantage." Cassim had a look in his eyes that the group knew all too well. It was a look that meant they were in big trouble or about to get into big trouble because of him.
"We just need a distraction." Cassim turned his gaze to Nicholas. It took a few seconds before he realized what he meant.
"Oh no, I'm not going anywhere near them." He shook his head, "I'm pretty sure they're out to get me."
"You just need to draw their attention long enough so that we can sneak past them. It would just be a few minutes then you can come back and rejoin us."
"Fine." Nicholas huffed, walking into the light of the hallway while the rest waited in the shadows.
The twins immediately saw him and smiled. "Cousin, it's so good to see you!"
"What are you doing out so late?"
"Just getting some fresh air. I'm so used to the Isle that this place feels like a dream." He turned his head towards the courtyard, hoping to divert their attention away from the others.
"Oh yes, The roses are from Wonderland straight from Queen Ruby's garden."
"There is something that's been on my mind recently. Why do you call me cousin? I don't recall my mother having any siblings."
They both giggled, "We're not related to Snow White, we're related to Grimhilde."
Nicholas turned pale, paler than before, "I-I see. So I was hoping as family you could do me a favor."
"Anything for you, cousin!" Miranda squealed.
"But just know this is a one time deal offer." Miriam sternly spoke.
"Well, my walking stick isn't suited for a school environment and all those stairs are going to be an issue for me." He explained, "So I was wondering if you could help me out in some way?"
The two girls turned away from him and whispered among themselves. Meanwhile, Aurelia, Cassim and Sapphire stealthy made their way past them and towards the museum.
"What do you think? He is family."
"Yes, but even family has to pay a price."
"But he has no one, but his mother." Miriam sighed, "Not to mention his injury is hindering and will cause issues with less understanding students. We can't just let him walk around with such an unsuitable device."
"Or…" Miranda smirked, "We can reinvent him."
The girls turned back to Nicholas who was silently sweating that the others were on their way to the museum.
"We will help you with your issue, but…" Nicholas did not like the smirks on their faces, "We get to take you and your friends out for a makeover."
"A makeover?"
"Yes, we can't be seen with dirty peasants, no offense." Nicholas shrugged, his clothes weren't in the best condition he had to admit. "And in just one day, we can transform you from dirty rocks into shining jewels."
"I-I don't know."
"Then we can't help you." They began to walk away.
"Wait!" He shouted, then lowered his voice "We'll do it."
Both girls squealed and pulled Nicholas into a bone crushing hug.
"Oh you won't regret this, cousin."
"Mom is going to love you!"
Nicholas stood there frozen as the two girls walked off, chatting about all the ways they'll spruce him up. He really hoped the museum was worth it to be potentially poisoned by the evil queens' granddaughters.
When Nicholas caught up to the group, they were peeking through one of the museum's windows.
"How did it go?"
"Awful, now we have to suffer through makeovers."
"Oh that's wonderful." Sapphire smiled.
"By the Evil Queen's granddaughters."
"Oh." Sapphire's smile dropped, "Maybe stay away from any apple scented products."
"Guys, we have a problem." Aurelia gestured to the security guard snacking on some chips with a thousand monitors in front of him.
"Got any more bright ideas, Cass?"
"Wait…magic!"
"Oh no, the last time you tried magic, the Isle nearly caught on fire." Aurelia snapped. All four of them remembered the one time Cassim was able to get his hands on a spellbook when they were kids. Though the barrier dampened large earth shattering magic, it allowed smaller bits of magic to seep through the Isle. Cassim had attempted to cast a spell once, it was to make himself invisible. Instead a ball of fire formed and flew through the air at a shop keeper's stand. Turns out a lot of things on the Isle were made out of wood and it spread quickly across the island. Thankfully, they weren't caught by the enraged citizens or their parents. But it was decided that Cassim was to return the spellbook back to its real owner and never do magic again.
"That was on the Isle and this will be a simple sleeping spell." Cassim pulled off a symbol from his belt.
"Doze, dream, drift off to sleep. Send my target to slumberland." His eyes glowed red for a second and the symbol turned into red sand, lacing his fingers. The sand shifted and slithered towards the window, making its way to the security guard. The sand drifted around the guard's nose, causing him to sneeze. The group looked at each other defeated before the guard went unconscious, falling face first on his desk.
"I can't believe it worked." Cassim whispered, genuinely surprised while looking down at his own hands.
"You did it!" Sapphire cheered, "And nothing is on fire."
"Let's get going. We don't know how long the spell lasts." Aurelia ran towards the door and kicked in the door, causing the lock to break and the door to creak open. Cassim, Nicholas, and Sapphire looked at her in shock at how easy the door came down.
"Okay, I did not expect it to go down that easily." Aurelia looked as surprised as they did.
The group slipped into the museum. They were expecting a dark and dreary stone walled dungeon-like place with incorrect history. They were not expecting a colorful children's zone. Vibrant paint covered the walls and music could be heard from the speakers. The smooth floor seemed to separate into four distinct trails like a golden road leading the museum's visitors to different destinations.
"Welcome to Draconis' Museum of History, Science, and Magic." A woman's voice came over the speakers, "Hope you all enjoy your tour."
"Let's spread out." Aurelia said, though unnerved by how normal the museum looked, "We'll meet back in the center in an hour though shout if you've found it yet."
The rest nodded, separating and walking down different paths into the depths of the museum.
Nicholas had found himself in a land of snow and ice. The words Schneefall were carved into an eloquent sign. The area was chilly, but not freezing, and white snowflakes fell from the sky with the help of magic. The sound of whistling could be heard from the speakers, it was a familiar melody, but he couldn't quite place it.
He continued onward until he glanced at the travestries draped along the right wall. The first was of a young girl with skin as pale as snow, hair black as night, and lips as red as blood. She was standing over a grave, weeping while an older woman stood behind her. A shiver went down his spine as he realized who the girl was, it was his grandmother. The tapestries told Snow White's story; Snow running from the huntsman, finding the dwarves, eating the poison apple, then being saved by her prince charming while the Evil Queen was thrown off a cliff. But it was not all that the tapestries told. It showed the dwarves being forced into servitude while Snow lavished in luxury. She was no longer the young naive girl who came to their cottage all those years ago, but a spiteful woman who held a grudge against her stepmother. Then, years later, another girl approached the dwarves, one with dark blue hair and wearing the symbol of their enemy. Unlike Snow, she did not enslave them, she freed them. Next to the tapestries was a portrait of the girl, but now much older and wearing a silver crown of rubies and sapphires.
"Queen Evelyn Grimhilde of Schneefall." He read the title out loud. "First of her name. Wife to Douglas Grimhilde and Mother to Miranda and Miriam Grimhilde."
Nicholas continued walking until he came across a room that was meant to look like a cave. The outer stone of the cave was soft, squishy, and foam-like but as he looked inside, he pulled back by the coldness of the inner wall. His eyes adjusted to the darkness then he gasped. Around him in the walls were glowing stones in different colors, sizes, and shapes. They were like stars, shining and shimmering, in the night sky. He heard voices coming from hidden speakers, not just whistling but also singing. He now knew what the melody was, it was the song of the dwarves.
Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to work we go…
Cassim had discovered a different place. It was hot and the ground looked like the sands of a desert. Instead of music, the speakers had various different voices and the room resembled a crowded market place. The sign had the words Agrabah on it. He recalled the name from his father's stories, a small oasis within a never ending desert. At the very back, he could see a mural of the palace. His father was born in the palace while his grandfather had the streets to call home. The palace should have been his home, the place he should have been born. Instead that home became the Isle and his family was back on the streets. He turned back to the stalls of the bazaar. Stands with baskets filled with toy fruits, vibrant carpets, as well as shawls of different kinds crowded the palace. Among the left out items, he snatched a red scarf and wrapped it around his neck like a bandanna. There were also some monkeys scattered around the place, but they were not moving, instead they remained still. He flicked one on the forehead, he smiled as it did not move an inch.
Cassim continued walking until he got to a large sandbox. One side of it had a cavern-like structure that was in the shape of a lion's open mouth. The sand had not so hidden treasure ranging from lamps, sacks of coins, and giant gems the size of his fist.
"The Cave of Wonders, I don't see many wonders here." He chuckled as he wiped off some sand from a plastic clear diamond.
He wondered if the real Agrabah was as hot as the museum made it out to be.
Sapphire walked right into an aquarium. The room was surrounded by a clear glass filled with saltwater and fishes that she had never seen or heard of before. The sign Atlantis was teal blue and had pearls as well as sea form surrounding the board. Living on the Isle there was fish to be caught and eaten, but the aquarium fish were nothing like the dull lifeless food that swam along the docks. They were vibrant, colorful, and alive. It took her breath away so much that she nearly tripped over something. Sapphire turned to see a small red crab-like toy malfunctioning on the ground below her. It couldn't move and seemed stuck in one place.
"Let's see what the problem is…" The blonde haired girl gently turned the submarine over then grabbed something from her satchel. She took out a set of tools as well as her thin framed glasses. The lenses were slightly cracked, but they were still good enough and she got to work.
Sapphire sat on the floor of the aquarium as she twisted the screwdriver over some bolts. She could hear her father's voice in her mind telling her not to sit on the floor, not to get her dress dirty, to stop taking things apart. She was a lady, a princess, she should act better. Though nothing else brought her joy than fixing something that was broken. She never liked all of the teatimes, etiquette, or dancing lessons her father forced upon her, but she didn't have much of a choice. She liked getting dirty, she liked getting messy, and most of all she liked using her hands to do more than hold a teacup. But that would never happen if their parents' plan succeeded.
"There we go." She fiddled around a bit with wires, wrapping them back into place, "You're good as new, little guy." The small robot skittered away, moving side to side like a real crab. She giggled as she put away her tools.
She hummed along to the festive, jubilant music as she looked around at the displays that detailed the various creatures that lived above and under the sea.
Aurelia had been led into a forest-like room, dimly lit compared to the rest of the exhibits. The only light came from glowing mushrooms scattered through the place. It was beautiful in a haunting kind of way. Aurelia remembered a cottage in a forest that her grandmother had lived in with the three fairies. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather acted as her aunts, protecting her from Maleficent and her curse. The brunette wondered how it was to live ignorant of your destiny, to never know of the pressures that others have placed on you. It must have been like a dream for Aurora. For Aurelia, it was like a nightmare. Audrey constantly hammered into her head what her role was, that she would be a princess, the queen of Auroria.
You are of royalty, Aurelia. You can't be seen fraternizing with peasants. Now sit up straight! her mother's judgemental voice echoed in her mind, Oh you have a crush on someone? Well I've already arranged your engagement with a young prince. Isn't that just wonderful?
Returning back to reality with a cold splash, she came across an unsettling portrait. It was of Queen Maleficent II Bertha of Draconis. Her emerald silted eyes stared down at her as if piercing her soul and the victorious smirk on the high queen's face made her blood boil.
"I'm not afraid of you." She whispered, glaring into the portrait as if expecting it to come to life and attack. Her attention turned away towards a large and long piece of paper next to her. It was shielded by glass, the words themselves were too small to figure out but the spotlight illuminated the title: Magic Restoration Act. It had been signed by the high queen of Draconis herself in purple ink. She looked confused, why would magic need to be restored? Magic was everywhere from the smallest pixie to mighty and powerful gods. It made no sense until she read the plague on the side of it.
During the Age of Auradon, King Adam Beauregard passed an act known as the Magical Regulation. This act restricted thousands of citizens with magical abilities from using their abilities. If one was caught casting the smallest of spells; they would be fined, imprisoned, or even sent to the Isle of the Lost. The latter was considered a death sentence as no magic could get in and out of the magically formed barrier created by several powerful magic users. This act resulted in the deaths of multiple magical creatures as many of them needed magic to live. Despite the pleas and protests from those in Agrabah, Arendelle and others, King Adam refused to waive the act. When Maleficent II came into power, she took down the laws and enacted the Magic Restoration Act. This gave the remaining survivors alimony for their losses and provided protection as well as favor of the fairy high queen against acts of violence and aggression from aggravated rebels.
Aurelia's face went white as she read the plague. This couldn't be right, a king wouldn't do something like this. He was a hero, a cursed man who was turned into a beast due to his selfishness. He was changed back due to true love and fell in love. Restricting magic was like restricting air, it was necessary for the realm and its citizens. She expected such an act from a villain, not a good hearted hero.
The brunette was pulled back to reality by a noise. It was faint, but she could definitely hear the sound of bells.
"Hello? Is someone there?" She crept forward, listening closely to where the noise was coming from.
"Aurelia! I found it!" Sapphire's voice echoed through the room. Aurelia sighed and ran out of the room.
In her rush, she didn't notice the small orb of light coming from behind one of the mushrooms and following after her.
Everyone froze as they gathered around the one exhibit they wanted to avoid, The History of the Isle of the Lost. Displayed before them were various names and kingdoms that were for and against the creation of the Isle. Queen Leah of Auroria was one of the founders as well as the Sultan of Agrabah, Snow White, and others. There were pictures of decrepit houses, filthy sickly children, and overcrowded streets. These were sights that the group were used to seeing on the Isle of the Damned. It was their normal but that wasn't what caused them to pause. It was the memorial next to it. There were names, some they recognized, most unfamiliar to them. It was the ages that threw them off. Toddlers, children, and even teenagers were on it. This wasn't just a remembrance to the lost, it was to the dead on the Isle.
"Aurelia, the sword." Sapphire pointed to some displays around it. Among the displays, a shattered glass slipper, some rotten apples, and a golden lamp sat under glass cases. The silver blade that was used to vanquish Maleficent and empowered by the magic of the three fairies sat on a mantle.
It was broken in several places. In an instant, their plan had been shattered just like the weapon.
Suddenly, an alarm blared through the halls.
"We need to go now!" Cassim led the group out of the museum, avoiding the guards and footsteps. As they successfully escaped the museum and back to the dorms, Aurelia couldn't take her mind off the broken blade.
What were they going to do now?
Leviathan examined the area around the former sleeping guard, feeling the red sand between his fingers. "Looks like the street rats know some tricks."
Miranda smirked, "They thought they were clever distracting us with our cousin, but we saw them from miles away."
Miriam hummed, "It is weird. Why sneak out if you wouldn't steal anything?"
Jada shrugged, "I thought they were hero kids. Aren't they supposed to be all sharing is caring and crap?"
Leviathan let the sand fall from his hand, it disappeared into nothing before it hit the museum floor. "Keep an eye on them, make sure to report to me and only me about anything suspicious. Got it?" They all nodded as Leviathan walked out.
He could not allow his mother to find out about this, she would go on a warpath and send them back on the next limo out of Draconis. The prince could not fail, failure was a weakness. If he could not corrupt some kids from the Isle, then he could not lead as king. He knew there were several that had their eyes on the throne and he would not even let them have a glance at it. Leviathan would be king of Draconis and no one would keep him from the crown.