An: Welcome to my final Descendants story! If you haven't already, I HIGHLY suggest reading the first 4 stories in this series. My OCs and this plot will make a lot more sense if you know the whole origin story.

Thank You for reading! :)

Reviews are always appreciated!

In the kingdom of Auradon, a birthday party was being thrown for the firstborn princess. Everyone had gathered for her ninth birthday. Children ran with sprinklers, others ate cake and sweets, and most were dancing to the music within the garden's ground. The only child who wasn't doing any of the three fun options was Everett Conroy De Vil.

The boy of ten years age never really enjoyed big gatherings. He felt as though he didn't fit in with the other kids his age. He didn't mind sitting alone, watching others having fun. It fueled his imagination of a different life. A fantasy where he was in the center of the crowd, with everyone laughing and having a good time with him. He was happy with his imaginary life until his daydreams were interrupted.

As they always were.

"What are you doing?" a young girl's voice called. Everett's brown eyes snapped away from the crowd to see Princess Lorelai Rose Beast or known today as the birthday girl. Her frightening bright blue eyes stared at Everett with curiosity. Her purplish-blue hair was pulled back with small butterfly clips that matched her butterfly necklace.

"Hey, Lorelai," Everett tried not to sound agitated. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," the little girl said before she sat down next to him. He didn't think she would be able to find him here. He was sitting back by one of the rose bushes. There was a small bench that was hard to see from the central point of the garden. But it had the perfect view of the party. Lorelai was good at finding him though. She had been seeking him out at almost every gathering since he was four years old. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"

Lorelai never had strong patience.

"I'm enjoying your party," Everett told her with a simple shrug. "Just people watching."

Lorelai laughed. "Why would you want to watch people when you could be having fun yourself?"

"Because watching people is a way to entertain yourself and also learn. It's like watching TV, but better."

She laughed again. "It is not."

"Give it a try," Everett motioned towards the crowd. Her eyes flew off him as she straightened herself on the bench. He was ready for her to give up at any moment, but she remained silent. He studied her as her eyes seemed to be glued on a specific person.

"Your parents are really close, aren't they?" He followed her gaze until he saw his parents, Evie and Carlos De Vil, twirling each other around on the dance floor.

Everett was used to seeing his parents together dancing in the house. They were really good at it too. It was one gene Everett was sure that he didn't receive. His younger sister, Charlotte, was already showing signs of her gifts of singing and dancing and she was only four years old. He could see her performing for audiences when she was older. She had that bold quality.

"They're close like any other couple," Everett shrugged. He hadn't really noticed his parents' bond or anything special about it. They were just his parents, and that was it.

"Someday I want to love someone that much," Lorelai commented. Everett's gaze flickered to her. Her eyes were filled with hope and longing as she watched the crowd. He took a small look at the young boys within the dance. There were plenty of options. One even was staring back at them with obvious jealousy.

Everett looked away before saying, "I'm sure you will." There was a small silence and Everett hoped that was the end of their strange conversation.

"How can you be so sure?" Lorelai asked him before the discussion could fade away.

Everett sighed, running his fingers through his shaggy dark blue and black hair. "Because you're a princess. You'll have princes from many miles away lining up to take your hand in marriage."

"A prince?" Lorelai repeated. Her face lit up as Everett nodded. Her cheeks suddenly turned a light shade of pink as she stood from the bench. She looked as if she was about to say something, but then she turned her head. She told him once her hearing was much better than the average human. Something with the beast gene Everett suspected. "Mom's wondering where I am."

"You'd better go," Everett told her. She stood up from the bench, but before she could walk away, she turned back to him.

"Bye, Everett," she gave him a warm smile.

"Bye," Everett gave her a small grin before she skipped away. His eyes followed her as she went into the crowd, but then he watched his parents again. Carlos twirled Evie around once more before dipping her down. They grinned as they looked into each other's eyes and completed their dance. Everett still couldn't see what Lorelai was talking about. There wasn't anything special about their love. There was nothing special about this reality.

Everett went back to daydreaming.

That night, as the party wore down, everyone went back to their homes. Everett had to admit he was ready to leave. Charlotte didn't even make it through the short car ride home. Carlos picked the sleeping girl up out of the car seat and brought her into the house. Everett slowly climbed from his seat so he would be left behind. As he watched his family walk into the house, Everett gazed at the surrounding forest.

It seemed to come alive on these summer nights. The lightning bugs lit up the scene of green leaves and tall trees. The sounds of the crickets lured him away from the house and onto a small trail he took exploring after school. Only it was much different at night. The chills of the breeze made the boy more alert and curious about what lurked around in the darkness.

Normally, Everett never found anything. His imagination was what provoked these little adventures, but reality came up short again and never fulfilled his hopes.

Everett's ears perked to the sound of rustling grass. He held his breath, listening for the source. There was silence, and he let it go. Nothing per usual. But there was something out there, Everett could feel it. The little boy continued to walk the path until he heard the sniffles. Light footsteps echoed across the forest floor. Everet ducked behind a tree as a figure came into view of the moonlight.

The figure seemed to be a woman, judging by her smaller size and long hair. She was running through the tree until she crashed down onto her knees, sobbing. Everett gazed not at her, but what was at her knees. A glowing red rose faded to a dusty pink as it lay on the ground. Everett had never seen a rose like that. It looked magical.

Everett felt sorry for the woman, whoever she was. He wanted to step forward and try to bring some comfort to her tears. Before he could even take a step, the woman stood up and let out a fearsome roar. The whole forest fell silent. Everett gasped, but then clapped a hand over this mouth. The woman twitched like a dog listening. Everet held his breath and tried to calm his fast heart.

After a moment of pure silence, the woman lept up into the air. When her feet touched the ground again, they weren't her feet but paws. She had transformed into a bear-like creature that had a wolf's tail. Her brown fur shined in the silvery night. She turned her large head quickly to reveal her glowing pink eyes. Everett swallowed nervously but kept his eyes on the scene.

The rose suddenly lifted into the air. Its petals began to peel off one by one. They danced in a circle around their stem, whispering to each other. When they all gathered close together, the petals burst and showered the forest floor. They stopped glowing, and all was quiet again. The beast didn't take another moment to stay. It ran far into the woods and out of the young boy's sight.

After a minute, Everett allowed himself to step from the trees. His heart was still beating wildly, Everett gazed at the petals scattered across the ground. His attention was suddenly diverted when he saw a single glowing petal. He walked slowly to it. It was in laying in the middle of a bear paw print. Cautiously, Everett plucked the glowing petal from its rest.

A whisper suddenly called in his ear.

When the final petal falls, I shall return to the ones I love.

Everett stared at the petal in his hand. The voice was familiar, but he didn't know who.

When he heard the distant roar, Everett ran from the scene. He didn't stop running until he got to his house. His parents had just finished tucking in Charlotte. "Everett, why are you out of breath?" Evie asked in a concerned voice.

"I just let Dixy out for a bit," Everett explained. He just saw the dog laying on her dog bed. "She ran a little too far out so I chased after her. But don't worry, she's back inside now."

"I'll have to teach Dixy to keep close to us," Carlos said in a low voice. "I know she's a puppy, but we don't want her to get lost. Dude never acted like that."

"It'll be fine, Carlos," Evie placed a hand on his shoulder before he could continue. "Just go to bed, I'll be there in a minute." She kissed his cheek before giving him a small nod. Carlos placed a hand on Everett's shoulder before he left.

"Goodnight, Everett," Carlos gave him a small smile.

"Night, dad," Everett matched his smile. He looked to his mother, wondering what she wanted to say to him.

"I've got a surprise for you," Evie said with a nod to his room. Everett tightened his fist around the rose petal before following Evie into his room. He plopped down on his bed, exhausted from the day. Evie sat in his wooden desk chair. When she was turned away, Everett shoved the petal into his pocket.

"What is it, mom?" Everett sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed.

Evie grabbed a ringed book from his desk. Everett hadn't seen anything like that on his desk before. "I noticed you've been stealing printer paper to draw, and your father wasn't that pleased to see the tray empty the other morning. So, I got you a real sketchbook." She held out the book out to him.

Everett took the book from his mother. He flipped through the blank pages. There were endless possibilities for the blank cover alone. He had never had a real sketchbook before, just small pads of paper.

"Thanks, mom," Everett smiled.

"I was thinking maybe we should draw together sometime," Evie suggested. "I could give you a few pointers."

Everett looked back down at the sketchbook in his hands. He thought about all of the drawings that were tucked away in his desk drawers. Sketches of the leaves, flowers, and attempted faces that Everett didn't want to show anyone. But now he could start fresh, and let his art truly grow. He kept the small smile on his face and nodded.

Evie stood from the chair and gave her son a hug. She ruffled his hair before giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, my Everlove." She took the sketchbook from him and set it back down on the desk.

"Goodnight, mom," Everett waved his mom farewell before she left the room. As soon as she closed the door, Everett reached into his pocket for the petal, but it was gone. He looked around the bedspread, but the glowing petal was nowhere to be found.

He sighed as he slumped back down onto his bed. Foiled again by his imagination, Everett felt he should've known it was too good to be true. He gazed down at the sketchbook one last time before turning off the lights. At least his creative thoughts could be put down onto paper. He would redraw his dream from the woods tomorrow.

Or at least he thought it was a dream.

Back in the deep woods, the petals swirled around the risen stem, but they couldn't fall back into place. For the final petal was missing, and the spell wouldn't be complete until it was returned. So, the petals fell back to the forest floor and would wait for their lost companion to come back.

That missing petal was sitting alone under the fated boy's bed, waiting to be rediscovered.