Here it is! The first chapter with the events from Descendants!
Now, I got a review about Mal's eagerness to go to Auradon just for a guy she never met, but that is not necessarily the case. It will be explained later on in this chapter so don't worry.
This chapter is pretty lengthy since I didn't want to just do the scene with Ben and his parents. You've waited far too long for this story to actually start (twenty-eight chapters later).
To address a review: Hades didn't have to pay anything for the crown. As stated in the second chapter, he is the god of riches and the wealth of the earth. Although he is trapped under that barrier, Hades still has the ability to make jewels and gems appear at will.
I think that is about it, so . . .
Enjoy.
Today's the day! Ben thought happily for the seventh time that morning as a royal tailor fitted the prince into his blue coronation suit.
Ever since a couple hours ago—on this cheery Wednesday morning—when he first awoke from his slumber, Ben has been teeming on the edge with excitement. He noticed his jitteriness immediately and called his grandfather about it, afraid someone else would notice before he could tell his parents his plans. Maurice laughed at his predicament before instructing his grandson to relax. Everything would go according to plan.
Ben could only hope so.
From across the sparkling blue sea, Ben could see the magical barrier flickering and shimmering over the Isle of the Lost. It was so beautiful, that far-off isle of exiled prisoners. However, Ben felt sad at sight of it. Why were only certain people condemned to the island for their crimes when there were a few people living in Auradon that helped them commit their crime? Why were the children forced to live there when they have done nothing wrong?
As the tailor jotted Ben's measurements on a notepad, the prince noticed his parents strolling into his room, arms entwined with one another's.
"How is it possible that you're going to be crowned king next month?" Beast wondered as he blinked his blue eyes behind black framed glasses, the gold crown atop his head glittering in the sunlight. "You're just a baby!"
"He just turned sixteen, dear," Belle reminded cheerily, looking lovely in yet another yellow dress. It seemed like her entire wardrobe consisted of only yellow instead of a mixture of colors.
"Hey, Pops," Ben greeted with a small smile, trying very hard to contain his nervousness. He has yet to tell his parents of his first proclamation, which was starting as they spoke.
"Sixteen?" Beast repeated incredulously, taking off his glasses to tuck them inside his jacket pocket. "That's far too young to be crowned king. I didn't make a good decision until I was at least . . . forty-two."
Belle faced him with a small frown on her delicate features. "Uh, you decided to marry me at twenty-eight," she reiterated sharply.
"It was either you or a teapot." Beast winked at his son, causing the teen to chuckle at the harmless joke. "Kidding," he promised his wife when she gave him a pointed look, though his eyebrows were dancing amusingly at his son.
"Mom, Dad." Ben began to walk forward, but the tailor chided him doing such a thing. With a soft sigh, he settled back on the podium, announcing, "I've chosen my first official proclamation."
Beast and Belle smiled at one another. They were proud that their son was already thinking ahead. However, their happiness wouldn't last long.
"I've decided that the children on the Isle of the Lost should be given a chance . . ." Ben paused so his parents could process some of the information before quickly finishing, "To live here in Auradon."
His parents gawked at him, wide-eyed. They were expecting something that could help improve their people's life; not something that could potentially endanger them. The tailor, sensing the sudden tension, knelt to work on Ben's pant leg to keep himself from interrupting the conversation.
"Every time I look out at the island," Ben began, gesturing toward the isle out the window, "I feel like they've been abandoned." He stepped off the podium, away from the tailor, who tried to not show his irritation.
"The children of our sworn enemies?" Beast clarified dubiously as he motioned to the island as well. "Living among us?"
"We start out with a few at first," Ben reassured cautiously, mainly to help avoid his father's temper. "Only ones who need our help the most." He smiled confidently, mainly because a certain someone was on his mind. "I've already chosen them."
"Have you?" Beast stalked forward as his eyebrows furrowed, causing his son's smile to falter.
Belle placed a hand on Beast's arm, attempting to stop him from making a mistake. "I gave you a second chance," she reminded softly. She gazed at Ben in hopes that he could appease his father. "Who are their parents?"
Ben sighed, knowing the conversation wouldn't get better. "Cruella de Vil," he began leisurely, "Jafar, Evil Queen . . ." He trailed off, mostly because he was fearful of how his parents would react to the last name. The child of the last parent is the one he is most eager to see and was afraid something would stop it. He didn't want to say the name, but his parents urged him to continue.
Taking a breath, Ben straightened his stance to appear more confident. "And Maleficent."
The tailor gasped at the declaration, dropping the notepad he had previously been writing on. He bowed his head respectfully as the butlers opened the door for him. The tailor slunk quietly out of the room so he wouldn't be present in the king's anger.
"Maleficent?!" Beast shouted ferociously. "She is the worst villain in the land!"
"Dad, just hear me out." Ben pleaded calmly so the situation wouldn't get out of hand. "I—"
"No, I won't hear of it!" Beast bellowed, shaking his finger to prove a point. "They are guilty of unspeakable crimes! You will not go through with this proclamation!"
"I've already started," Ben retorted boldly. "The parents were informed Sunday along with Fairy Godmother, who willingly approved and supported my idea. A chauffeur is preparing to leave for the Isle of the Lost in just one hour. There's nothing you can do to stop it."
While his father looked as though he could turn into a hideous monster at any moment, his mother looked absolutely astonished by his rebellious behavior. "Ben," Belle began softly, "why would you go behind our backs on this?"
"Because the children are innocent," Ben declared, silently thanking his grandfather for giving him that argument. "They deserve a chance at a normal life, not a life condemned to an island for a crime their parents committed."
Beast stared long and hard at his son, waiting for the moment that he would forget the ridiculous idea. Ben locked eyes on him, not once deterring. Beast couldn't understand why his son was so determined to see his plan through.
Finally, the king broke his gaze with a sigh, muttering, "I suppose the children are innocent."
Beast walked off before his son could say anything. Belle stepped in front of Ben, straightening his blue suit jacket with an encouraging smile. "Well done," she praised. "You are going to be a great king if you keep believing in yourself."
Ben gave a small smile as a 'thank you', watching as his mother turned her back to him and walked out of his bedroom with his father.
The future king adverted his attention back to the Isle, silently thinking again, Today is the day.
Meanwhile, Mal was rushing around her room, trying to get herself ready to school. Somehow she overslept, something that never happens since her parents usually wake her. But now she had missed her first hour class and half of her second hour class. If she didn't leave soon, she would miss third hour too.
As soon as Mal slung open her bedroom door, her father blocked her path.
"Relax," Hades chided as he carefully took the backpack off his daughter's shoulder, setting it out of her grasp. "We didn't wake you on purpose. You aren't going to school today."
Mal tilted her head curiously as she followed her father to the living room, where her mother was standing nervously. "Why not?"
"You are going to Auradon," Maleficent answered like she was ripping off a bandage. "Today."
Mal's jaw dropped at the news. She couldn't believe her wish was actually coming true. However . . .
"Why are you two acting unusual?" Mal wondered as she eyed her parents cautiously. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, there's something that you have to do when you go to Auradon," Hades claimed assertively. "They know your mother is Maleficent. No one knows that I am your father . . . and you have to keep it that way."
The roof could have crashed in on them at the moment and Mal would only be focused on her broken heart. "What?" Mal cried hysterically. "Why!"
"To protect you from Auradon cruelty," Hades answered calmly to appease his daughter. "You would be bullied a lot worse for being the child of two villains instead of one. If it makes you feel better, you can tell only one person about me."
Sighing softly, Hades informed, "Carlos, Evie, Jay, and their parents will be by in half an hour to wait for your chauffeur that will be here in an hour. I'm going to head to my old lair now so that Auradon man doesn't see me here."
He kissed his daughter's forehead lovingly. "Good-bye, Mali. I love you." Giving her an encouraging smile, Hades left his home before his daughter could see him letting his tears fall freely.
Waiting a few moments, Maleficent began softly, "Baby Girl—"
"I don't want to go," Mal interrupted forcefully. "Not if I have to keep him a secret."
The mother sighed, knowing that this conversation was going to happen. "Mal, did your father ever tell you the story of how he agreed to judge the souls from the Isle of the Lost?"
When Mal shook her head slowly, Maleficent led her to the couch, where the two sat so she could tell the tale. "You see, during the first three or so years of us being on the island, his brother—your uncle—would send him letters constantly, begging him to return to the Underworld so he could judge the souls again, since the other gods and goddesses were doing a terrible job. Aidoneus refused to answer him."
Mal nodded for her to continue, having to remind herself that that name was her father's real name.
"Those letters almost broke us up before we became a couple because he refused to say what they were about during the first year of being on the island," Maleficent revealed, tensing at the bad memory. "A few days after our first fight, which was when he told me that he loved me and we became a couple an hour later, he showed me the newest letter that said what I told you a few moments prior."
"Years passed before his brother sent a letter with different information," Maleficent recalled, though she was smiling softly. "We had been married a few months and we had just discovered I was pregnant with you. Zeus wrote that they needed to speak with one another since they were family. The next day, all that technology equipment that's in the corner suddenly appeared. I spent the day with Cruella so Aidoneus could speak to his brother alone.
"Within a few moments, they came up with a compromise. Aidoneus would judge the souls here by using that webcam contraption. In exchange, he wanted to know if you would ever go to Auradon."
Mal's eyes widened in surprise, but her mother wasn't finished with the story.
"He could have convinced his brother to take him off the island, but he would have to leave us behind, and he didn't want to condemn us to a life underground, to never see the sun. Instead, he decided to use his freedom on you." Maleficent smiled encouragingly. "Enjoy your time in Auradon. Make your father proud that he chose you."
"What if I steal Fairy Godmother's wand?" Mal interrogated out of the blue. "I can use it to remove the barrier so everyone can be free."
Maleficent shook her head adamantly. "Don't you dare do such a thing," she scolded. "And don't bring it up when the others arrive. There may be a day that barrier comes down, but now is not the right time. Wait until you and your friends are fully and finally accepted before you suggest the idea to anyone. Ok?"
With a soft sigh, Mal relented while her mother's smile appeared once again. "I have something for you," her mother revealed mysteriously. "A going away present, well . . . presents."
Hiding once again under the coffee table, Maleficent grabbed a leather book with a gold dragon engraved on top. "My spell book," she explained. "During the first few years, whenever I was bored, I wrote spells that I thought could possibly work. They never worked here, but maybe they will in Auradon."
Next, Maleficent pulled out a small trinket from her pocket, her wind-up crow that Hades made for her. "I told you, you could one day have it," she teased at seeing Mal's surprise expression. "Maybe this will help cheer up when you are sad. However, I do expect it back one day."
Lastly a photograph, that was hidden underneath the coffee table as well, appeared in Mal's hand. The photograph was one Mal knew all too well. It was the same one that Mal had broke the picture frame on when she was being an overly emotional teenager: Maleficent's favorite picture.
"I can't accept this one," Mal insisted as she tried to hand the photograph back to her mother. "You love this too much for me to take it from you."
"Keep it for now," Maleficent instructed. "Use it to remind yourself that your true love is out there, waiting on you."
With the presents gifted, Maleficent abruptly stood from the couch before she could get too emotional. "Well, you have a lot of clothes to pack, especially those form fitting ones your father can't scold you for now. We better get started."
Mal laughed gleefully despite being depressed minutes before. Now she was grateful for going through the torture of being measured by her god-mother.
When Mal's three friends arrived, she and her mother were still in the process of packing her clothes and some of her art supplies. Maleficent instructed the six visitors to make themselves comfortable for the wait, but don't snoop around her home. The jibe was pointed toward Evil Queen, who decided to open a desk drawer as she arrived. While the mother-daughter duo was finishing up the packing, they could hear Cruella scolding the Evil Queen for looking at something she shouldn't, causing Maleficent and Mal to snicker at the woman's bad luck.
A few minutes later, the two walked back into the living room with Mal having a bag slung over her shoulder and a duffel bag in her hands. In the open area of the house, Jay and Jafar were raiding the refrigerator, Evie and Evil Queen were fixing each other's makeup, and Cruella trying to encourage Carlos about his new school in the living room.
"There's something we need to discuss for the four of you leave," Maleficent announced to catch everyone's attention. "You three cannot mention anything about Mal's father. This way she can be given an equally fair chance like the three of you. That can't happen if people in Auradon find out she's the daughter of two villains instead of one."
"We can do that," Carlos bravely agreed before the two distracted teens could say anything. "It won't be a problem."
"What about Mal's crown?" Evie wondered with a tilt of her head. "She's a princess because of her father. Does that mean she can't bring it to Auradon?"
"I'm going to leave it here," Mal informed with a saddened shrug. "If I did bring it with me, someone would probably accuse me of stealing it from an Auradon princess."
Evil Queen scoffed at the situation. "It sounds to me like Hades just didn't want to claim his brat."
The woman's harsh accusation hit Mal hard. Although she had pulled herself together right before the six had arrive, Mal reverted back to a hysterically sobbing mess as she hid her face in her mother's shoulder so the others couldn't see her.
Resting a hand on the back of her daughter's head, Maleficent glared vehemently at the woman that upset her baby girl. "Watch your mouth Grimhilde," Maleficent spat as her eyes flashed an unusual shade of green. "I was the one that chose who would go with Mal to Auradon, not the prince. I chose your daughter because I respect her. With that said, you disrespect my daughter one more time, I'll use the Dragon's Eye to permanently transform you into a filthy old hag."
Once again, Grimhilde scoffed at the threat. "You can't. There's no magic on the Isle of the Lost."
Maleficent's eyes narrowed more as she snarled, "Wanna bet?"
Before a cat-fight could start between the mothers, a horn suddenly honked from outside the house, warning them that their ride to freedom has arrived.
A black stretch limo was parked just a few yards outside Maleficent's tenement. It looked wildly out of place in the squalid city. Villagers crowded around it curiously. Jay, Carlos, and Evie walked outside, whooping with glee to see their ride.
"Ugh," Evil Queen complained, eyeing the villagers. "Smells like common folk."
The driver emerged from the limo in a crisp gray suit and dark sunglasses. He took the teens' luggage—Jay's carpetbag, Evie's suitcase and sewing machine, and Carlo's big black trash bag—and loaded it into the trunk. Jay swiped the crown-shaped hood ornament and climbed into the limo along with Carlos.
Evie waited for a moment, watching as Mal walked out of her home with her mother at her side. After Mal handed the driver her bags, Maleficent took a quick moment to kiss her forehead lovingly in good-bye. With a shaky breath, Mal met Evie at the limousine door, who smiled at her encouragingly in hopes of cheering her up.
As the two entered the vehicle, the chauffeur tossed the bags in the trunk before slamming it shut. The driver slid into his seat and shut the door. "The jackals have landed," he recounted into a mike inside his lapel.
The villains waved good-bye to their children from outside the limo as it began to roll. On the street, the villagers looked on as the limo cruised away.
Mal and her friends took in the inside of the limo. The boys ogled all the buttons, gadgets, colored lights, refreshments, and vast arrays of chocolates, gumballs, jawbreakers, jellybeans, rock candies, and other sweets. Meanwhile, Evie had her arm wrapped around Mal's shoulder as she tried to comfort her dearest friend.
The limo traveled across a magical bridge, which continued to extend over the wide expanse of water toward Auradon. The bridge behind the limo disappeared and the driver pulled into the sunny kingdom of Auradon and slowed in front of a sign:
WELCOME TO AURADON PREP.
GOODNESS DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER.