Notes:
Lengthy author's note this time.
I wanted to do a dragon AU with DuckTales. Yes, I am obsessed, thank you for noticing. Some names have been changed, seeing as they're no longer ducks. Some haven't, for the sake of simplicity (i.e. Beakley remains the same). There are no humans in this world, but there is a human form if that makes sense. It's how they interact more easily with the world-I haven't decided if there are other mythical creatures in here besides dragons. So their human forms are like their duck forms are in the show.
Lena is Magica's biological niece in this, not her shadow. There is implied Weblena, right now only on Lena's part.
This is another case of not being sure where I'm going with this. However, Mirror Mirror is finished and I have no idea what's going on with Synthesis, so I'm really only tied up with a couple of projects at the moment.
Lena was a scrawny, awkward adolescent dragon. She tried to act cool, particularly when it came to Webby, but between Magica's machinations and Webby's effortless charm, Lena looked and felt out of place.
Magica wanted Lena to use her connection with Webby to free Poe, Lena's father, from captivity. Scrooge possessed the elixir that could allow Poe to shapeshift back to his normal, draconic self. Of course, as Scrooge was the richest dragon in the world, he hoarded anything of value. And since Poe had once tried to steal from him...well, it wasn't entirely Scrooge's fault that Poe was trapped in raven form. Scrooge might have some magical inclinations, but they came out completely by accident.
And maybe Lena would've been inclined to help Magica out...except her aunt was a cruel, manipulative shrew who made Lena's life miserable. When she wasn't berating her for not thinking of something Magica considering perfectly obvious, she was insulting or demeaning her. And Magica couldn't figure out why Lena preferred Webby's company. One of Magica's abilities was to sniff out lies and she could tell from the beginning that Lena had a weak spot for Webby.
A geas on Lena prevented her from telling Webby what was going on. Webby would have helped, Lena was sure, if she could have. She had access to resources courtesy of Scrooge that others could only dream of. And her grandmother Betina was the best-trained bodyguard /secret assassin that Lena knew of. They could've put Magica down in an instant...if they knew.
The worst part, as far as Lena was concerned, was that in the midst of scheming and plotting, she'd developed feelings for Webby. The only reason Magica kept Lena around was that she made a good tool. As soon as she lost her usefulness, she was dead. She might be dead sooner if Magica discovered how close she and Webby really were.
As a shapeshifting dragon, Lena could slip about town without arousing suspicion. She lived on her own in a rundown loft; she'd chased out the last inhabitants and it was far enough away from Magica that maybe she could get away with it. Or maybe not. Magica's intuition was disturbingly keen sometimes.
Magica couldn't shift back into her human form anymore. By using too much dark magic, she'd sealed herself into her dragon form. That was another reason why she wanted the elixir Scrooge kept well hidden inside a vault in Dragonburg. Magica could hardly ease her way around and do what she wanted when she was the size of a three-story house. There was no subtlety in that form.
Right now, Lena was anxious and peering over the short wall to see whether Webby was coming or not. This wasn't a date; she had no claim on her, but Lena would admit some slight jealousy. Webby was known to hang around with Scrooge's great-nephews, the Dragon clan, and Lena worried sometimes that Webby and Dewey were a little too chummy. That Webby might fall for Dewey and then realize she had no reason to linger near Lena.
If Webby did that, Lena was dead too. She felt like her life was hanging by a thread.
Dragonburg was composed entirely of shapeshifting dragons and their servants. Wealth determined caste here and it was only due to Scrooge's prestige and his massive hoard that the triplets and Webby enjoyed such freedom. Lena, as a no-name le Strange, commanded almost no respect and anyone could shove her out of any establishment if they found her irritating. It really got on her nerves sometimes.
The servants were families who could not collect enough gold and treasure to rise in the world. They tended to be inherited positions, passing from one generation to the next. While Magica had enough wealth to prevent herself from falling that far on the chain, she hadn't felt the need to share it with Lena. Not that Lena would've expected that. Magica was far more likely to toss Lena in a ditch than help her out.
If Lena hadn't eked out her own living, she'd have been a servant too. Her connection, albeit dubious, to Webby prevented her from getting thrown into that caste. It was a weak link to Scrooge, but it was a link nonetheless, and everyone was afraid of offending the richest dragon in the world by suggesting that his guard's daughter's best friend was a ruffian. Scrooge was fairly even-tempered for a dragon, but even he had limits.
Lena lived as an outcast. She was too poor to be considered well-to-do and earn respect, but she was too well connected to be completely thrust out of society. Most of the time, it didn't bother her. She'd spent her entire life on the outskirts. It'd only started to bother her recently as she, Webby, and the triplets grew older and she could feel her time slipping away.
Magica hadn't put a time limit on fetching the elixir initially. Now, however, she was champing at the bit and wanted Lena to put her plans into motion. Lena couldn't completely focus on her aunt's frustration when she was frightened the triplets would lure Webby away from Lena for good. Louie, perhaps, wouldn't-Louie was more fixated on gold and treasure than anyone Lena knew. Huey was obsessed with the laws and rules, so it was unlikely he'd pair with Webby. No...it was Dewey Lena was concerned with. But if the triplets were so close to Webby, they might be able to get Webby to stay in Dismal Downs rather than venture outside and meet Lena.
Lena feared that was what had happened here, but she had no proof and she was freaking out over nothing. Magica's presence in the back of her mind, always there but not always tuned into her, sent chills down her spine. Magica commanded a prestigious amount of weight on the astral plane due to her darkness and even in Lena's mind and miles away, Magica was capable of exerting her power on her niece. It felt like Lena's chest was buried beneath a fifty-pound weight.
Lena stiffened, balling her fists. She wouldn't act overly concerned about Webby's lateness. She wouldn't give her aunt any more fodder to taunt her with. She wouldn't think about Webby at all; she'd consider the mission. Magica couldn't read her thoughts, not the deeper ones, but she could pluck a surface one out at random and peruse it like one might a book. It was unnerving.
It was possible something at McDragon Manor had held Webby up. Webby was constantly training; a near-fatal accident when Webby had been a hatchling had instilled in Betina Beakley a fanatic devotion to training Webby in self-defense and attack. So it was possible that Webby was hung up over a new exercise. Or that she was held up with the boys. Lena tried not to let it get under her skin, because if she did, her aunt was bound to notice.
Once upon a time, her aunt had been the second richest dragon in Dragonburg. Then Flintheart Glomgold had taken her place and Scrooge McDragon had fought with her, she'd lost, and that had led to their current predicament. Even the third richest might've been enough for some people, but when it came to hoarding and money, Magica would be second (or third) to none.
Magica was prodding at her thoughts now and Lena arranged them so her aunt could read them without glimpsing what lay beneath the surface. She stifled her concern over Webby's lateness (that she wasn't feeling anyway, right?) and her feelings about the orphan girl far below, where Magica couldn't reach. At least, she hoped she couldn't. Magica could be full of nasty surprises.
Lena had to focus on controlling her form. Her tail swept back and forth over the ground and she grimaced-she couldn't retract it. It was one of Lena's many failings according to Magica-Lena couldn't fully assume one form or another. Her dragon traits always shone through. And since Poe couldn't talk, Lena had no idea who her mother was. Magica blamed Lena's anonymous mother for Lena's physical defects when she wasn't blaming Lena herself.
She was standing near the castle, outside the gates in fact, and she looked toward the drawbridge. A small figure darted down holding an envelope in her hands. Lena saw Webby's blonde bob and smiled. Warmth blossomed in her and Magica sneered. Feh. Lena couldn't help what she felt about Webby any more than Magica could about Gladstone. In her opinion, Gladstone was far more annoying.
Webby threw herself the last few feet and tackled Lena to the ground. Though Lena wanted to grin like an idiot, she kept her cool.
"What's up, pink?" she said. Webby hugged her extra tight and Lena hugged her back. Her tail lashed in excitement and she grimaced. Hopefully Webby hadn't noticed that. Or if she did, she'd attribute it to something else. Webby could be rather naive at times. It was one of her more endearing qualities.
((You have to get into the castle to fetch the elixir,)) Magica snapped in Lena's head. ((You can't do it if you're lollygagging around with Webster.))
((It's Webby and I'm building her trust,)) Lena retorted.
((She already trusts you,)) Magica countered. ((If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're doing this because you enjoy her company. That you want to be around Wendy.))
((Don't be ridiculous,)) Lena said and her heart lurched. Webby helped her to her feet and Lena stopped herself before brushing Webby's hair behind her ears. If she did something obviously stupid like that, Magica could hardly fail to catch on.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Webby said and flushed. "This is for you. It's from Granny. She's inviting you to the masquerade ball in the castle in a week."
((Told you,)) Lena said smugly. ((Playing the angles.))
((And who's your date going to be? The pink one?)) Magica shot back and Lena winced inwardly. That'd be making quite a statement...and again, something that was far too obvious to be overlooked. Webby was still holding her hand.
((Don't be stupid,)) she said. She didn't have anything to follow that up with, though, and Magica snickered. Having her in her head was so damnably irritating.
"Really?" Lena said, hoping she hadn't been silent for too long. Sometimes, speaking via telepathy gave one a glazed look in their eyes, which was a dead giveaway.
She took the invite from Webby; Scrooge had actually sprung for a calligrapher, though probably not the best or most expensive. Lena's heart lurched when she read the rest. It wasn't just a masquerade ball-it was a coming of age party for the boys and, by extension, Webby. Coming of age parties meant that the party throwers were eligible to be courted. Lena knew that Webby was a year older than the boys and that the boys were about sixteen, Lena being a year older than Webby, but she hadn't thought that it'd come so soon.
((Is that dismay I sense?)) Magica crooned. ((Are you afraid someone's going to snatch up your precious Webster?))
((It's Webby,)) Lena snarled.
((Ooh, someone's testy,)) Magica returned, amused. ((You are afraid someone's going to snatch up your precious pink friend. What a tragedy that would be, if it happened before I got my elixir.))
((You'll get your stupid elixir,)) she muttered.
"I know we're not supposed to pick dates for the masquerade, but…" Webby gave her a sly smile and Lena blushed. So much for subtlety. Then again, Webby was as subtle as a brick.
"Where did you want to go today?" Lena asked, in a hurry to get off the topic before Magica had a chance to taunt her further. Her aunt was snickering in her head and Lena wished she'd just withdraw and get a life. She seemed to be living vicariously through Lena.
Once, a while back, Lena had tried to tell Magica off. After all, Magica had a corporeal form. Why couldn't she fetch the elixir herself and leave Lena alone? But, no, there were magical safeguards on the castle against her specifically and she and Poe couldn't get within five hundred feet of the castle without being propelled through the surrounding forest and into the distance somewhere. At least, that was what Magica claimed. Lena had reason to doubt her, given that Magica never told the truth unless she saw an advantage in it.
"There's a magical fight going on at the practice dojo down the road," Webby said and beamed at Lena. "Wanna go?"
"You don't wanna maybe go back into the castle, do you?" Lena said, hoping that showing initiative would get Magica metaphorically off her back.
"Nah," Webby said. "It's kinda cold and gloomy in there. Plus, Scrooge's in a bad mood. Goldie showed up in the middle of the night last night."
Goldie O'Gilt. The golden dragon who was known to roam the realm searching for treasure and occasionally backstabbed Scrooge while doing it. Their relationship was complicated, much like Magica's with Gladstone, and when they fought, the world knew about it. Lena wasn't sure this was a fight or a reconciliation and she did not want to know.
Magica couldn't hear what Lena said and did, only react to her surface thoughts and feelings. It was one of the limitations of her current predicament - she also needed the first bit of treasure Scrooge had ever found to access her full magical power- but Poe's condition was the more pressing issue. Even magical crows didn't have long lifespans and Poe had a crow's lifespan, not a dragon's or even a human's. Therefore, Magica couldn't interfere with the situation as much as she'd like, which gave Lena more leeway...except when her aunt chose to punish her for delaying. As she was doing now-giving Lena a massive headache.
It pounded and brought tears to her eyes. She turned her face so Webby couldn't see the intense pain that spasmed through her. Not for the first time, Lena wished Scrooge had done her aunt in during their last battle, fifteen years ago, instead of transforming Poe into a crow and trapping Magica in her dragon form.
Webby was saying something, but Lena had lost track of the conversation. She wasn't sure what had prompted her aunt's sudden vengeance; her aunt was mercurial and cruel, so she could've been experiencing a minor annoyance and decided to take it out on her. Lena gritted her teeth until the pain passed; when it did, she swayed, feeling woozy.
"Hey, Lena?" Webby said, waving a hand in front of her face. Lena blinked and then swiped at her face. Had Webby seen her tears? Lena's stomach lurched.
"How come you never talk about your home life?" she said. "You've been to the castle loads of times, but I've never seen your place."
"It's just a hole in the wall," Lena said, shrugging, wondering where the curiosity was coming from. As far as Lena knew, Mrs, Beakley could also speak with Webby via telepathy (as all dragons could), but she usually left her granddaughter alone. Lucky Lena, being kept on a tight leash.
"You always get this pained look on your face when you talk about it," Webby said. "You're always sleeping over here."
Well, that was because she was trying to find that elixir, which Scrooge kept in a dungeon beneath the castle. That and she hated sleeping in her hideaway. Magica always tormented her more when she stayed away from the castle. It was out of self-preservation that Lena stayed with Webby and the others. That was her story and she was sticking to it.
Was it so wrong to like Webby? Yes, she was naive and yes, she was socially awkward. But she was also caring, considerate, and loving, not to mention enthusiastic and trusting. The world hadn't warped her or destroyed her optimism. She was a ray of light in Lena's dismal existence.
And if she was a bit more attached to Webby than was entirely appropriate, well, what Magica didn't know couldn't hurt her. Right?
Webby interlaced their fingers and grinned at her. "C'mon. We can stop for sweets on the way there. My treat!"
She dragged Lena off before the older teenager had a chance to object. Pink skirts rustling in the wind, Webby pulled ahead. Lena wore drab, black dresses, both to reflect her mood and because it drove Magica insane. Anything that irritated her aunt that she could get away with, she did.
She let Webby prattle on and become background noise. Webby was talking about politics; although Scrooge was the wealthiest duck in the world, he didn't rule Duckburg. Instead, Duckburg was ruled through the oligarchs, which included him as a member, but he wasn't the sole decision maker. Glomgold was another one and Magica ought to have been on the council, but she'd been banished before Lena's birth for trying to murder Scrooge. Or, at least, that was the story. Magica would neither confirm nor deny it.
Glomgold and Scrooge always rubbed each other the wrong way. Their dragon species were inherently rivals and their attitudes didn't help. They could both be arrogant blowhards and both needed to be taken down a peg. Thankfully for Scrooge, he had Beakley. Glomgold didn't have anyone, which meant he became insufferable.
It was about these two that Webby was rambling about now. While Webby was observant about certain things, she could be clueless about others and Lena wasn't about to correct her. Lena had a good notion of what fueled Glomgold's reactions to Scrooge, but as thinking about Scrooge for too long invoked Magica's ire, she didn't dwell on it.
She squeezed Webby's hand and then grimaced, wishing she could slap herself in the face. What was she doing?
It was innocent. It was innocent, she swore.
"You sure you don't want to be my date?" Webby teased. "We can pick out your clothes!"
"Uh...I'm not much of a dancer," Lena responded. The way Webby looked up at her tore at her heart. Webby adored her. Lena didn't deserve it.
"I'll show you!" Webby promised. "It's like fighting, except less lethal!"
She spun Lena around before Lena was aware of what was going on. She twirled her, dipped her, and then leaned in close, her face inches away from Lena's. Lena's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know if Webby was deliberately doing this or she was that innocent. Her heart was hammering.
"See?" Webby said and straightened both of them out. "It'll be fun. You'll love it. And maybe we'll have a secret rendezvous because you won't recognize me and I won't recognize you."
She wouldn't recognize her anyway if she realized she was Magica's puppet. Lena didn't say this, however, no matter how many times she thought it. She didn't want to bear witness to the moment when Webby questioned how much of Lena's actions were genuine and how much was Magica's doing. Lena's stomach churned.
Would Webby ever forgive her for her duplicity? She didn't want to find out. Yes, it was cowardly, not wanting to be there when Webby unearthed the truth, but she didn't know how she could go on after seeing Webby's heart break.
A crow flew overhead, reminding Lena that her window of opportunity was closing. The masquerade would be the best time to infiltrate Scrooge's dungeons and retrieve the objects. Maybe she'd be lucky and they wouldn't be missed. After all, what were two measly items against an entire hoard?
Of course, if they were Scrooge's prized possessions…
Lena's heart clenched again. Please don't hate me, Webby. Please.
Magica was growing impatient with her niece's dilly-dallying. She wanted to take matters into her own hands but as she was stuck in her dragon form, she was simply too large to enter Duckburg and retrieve the items in question. Plus, she couldn't be inconspicuous. Using Lena as a go-between was losing its convenience, however.
"How would you feel if I murdered your daughter?" Magica asked. "Just a little joke, between friends."
Poe gave her a disgusted look. Magica had a castle too, but it was located a good thirty miles away from Duckburg. And, as she was stuck in dragon form, she and Poe were holed up in a cave ten miles away from that. It was disgusting the limits Scrooge had imposed on her. But he would pay as soon as Magica received the items she required.
Killing Lena wouldn't accomplish anything, but sometimes, like now, Magica dearly wished to do so. She sent Lena another debilitating headache, one that drove the teenager to her knees in agony.
((Stop ingratiating yourself with the pink loser, you sentimental fool,)) she hissed at Lena. ((Or I'll make this feel like a pinch by comparison.))
Satisfied that the anguish would be sufficient, she returned her attention to Poe. She'd bided her time long enough. There had to be something she could do, some angle she could work, to return to Duckburg if Lena inevitably failed her.
And if Poe died, as much as she cared for her brother, it'd be one loose end she wouldn't need to worry about. No one else would care if she killed Lena. Well, maybe Webster, but...all's fair in love and war.