Life on the Isle of the Lost would best be described as living in hell, but even that was a nice way to put.
Since the creation of the desolate island, the sun never shines. Clouds constantly cover the entire island, making the weather cold and dreary every single day. With that dreariness, the citizens grow gloomier with every passing day.
Then again, the Isle of the Lost homes all the true villains and side-kicks that opposed the true heroes in Auradon. Why should anyone expect them to possess anything, but negative emotions?
Speaking of such, that is all the children on the Isle of the Lost felt. Kindness, sympathy, and appreciation had no room in their lives. Jealous, spite, hatred, that was all they needed. After all, how could they make their parents proud with something as weak as love?
For Ben, nothing could make his father proud of him.
Thanks to the magical barrier, King Beast—the self-proclaimed 'King of the Isle'—was indeed a human. However, if his temper reaches a certain point, he will lash out like a beast. Sadly, Ben inherited his father's monstrous temper. Only one person has ever seen his full wrath and barely lived to tell the tale.
What did Aziz expect when he pushed his best friend's temper?
As for Ben's mother . . . he never had the chance to meet him. With being in poor health through-out her entire pregnancy, she didn't survive the childbirth. King Beast knew of her condition and that other women on the island have died from childbirth, but he never did anything about it. He forced Ben's mother to continue with strenuous activities around the house and didn't ask the people of Auradon for help. In Ben's eyes, his father is the reason his mother isn't alive; why there's no 'beauty' on the island.
And that's one of the many reasons why Ben hates his father.
Starting at the young age of three, Ben created a daily routine to avoid his father. In the early mornings, he would attempt to sneak out of the house before his father was awake, spend the entire day either at school or at his secret hide-out in the middle of the island, and then slip back into the house undetected. If he is extremely lucky, Ben won't see his father for weeks at a time. Other times, the repercussions haven't been good, leaving Ben . . . broken, to say the list.
On this particular day, Ben almost wasn't lucky.
With sixteen years of experience living with such a horrible bastard, Ben knew his father's sleep schedule like the back of his hand. Usually, Ben forces himself to wake about an hour before his father to get out of the house in time to meet someone at the hideout. This 'someone' could keep Ben's temper under control and, if needed, patch him up after a 'scuffle'.
Today, Ben nearly overslept.
On any other day, he would be so pissed at himself. He would quickly get dressed, gather his things for school, and run out of the house as fast as he could. He'd know his father wouldn't be too happy about being woken up in such a way and would teach him a 'lesson'.
But on this day, Ben wanted to sleep a little longer to finish his dream properly, or at least get the name of the beautiful gir—no, that's the wrong way to describe her. She was the most beautiful princess in the world. With her striking green-eyes that glowed every time she laughed or smiled, and her abnormally natural purple hair that made her even more unique . . . Ben couldn't have been more captivated by her. All he wanted was the name of the princess just in case they would ever meet in real life. The princess refused, teasing that he doesn't need a name to remember her.
That is where the dream sadly ended.
From the moment he first awoke, Ben was distracted by the princess, who he didn't know truly existed. While he still remained cautious when leaving the house, Ben couldn't get his mind off her. He was so distracted that he completely forgot about the person he was supposed to meet up with.
Instead, Ben roamed through the streets of the town toward the school, but not too fast so he wouldn't arrive on time. Along the way, citizens scurried out of his path, afraid to be the one responsible if he lost his temper. After his 'scuffle' with Aziz, parents speculated that Ben's temper fits were far worse than his father's. Naturally, the children overheard their parents, causing almost all to fear him. This fear created a new reputation for Ben—
As Prince of the Isle of the Lost.
Only a select few weren't intimidated by the title. The first being Doug, the son of the dwarf Dopey. Doug wasn't particularly close to Ben like the others, but he knew how not to get on Ben's bad side. He has such a laid-back, lazy, not a care in the world attitude that no one really can get mad at him. Every day Doug walks with Ben to school because his neutral behavior keeps Ben from losing his temper at the drop of the hat. It was a daily routine—
But today was a little different.
Yes, the two started walking together once Ben passed the dwarf's mine above-ground entrance, but then a third person joined them sooner than expected. This person was the daughter of Mulan and Shang, the two soldiers in China's army who invaded another 'kingdom' without being provoked. Their daughter was a childhood friend of Ben and another person that could usually keep his temper under control.
"Hey!" Lonnie shouted as she ran toward the duo. "Did you hear the news?"
"Besides the fact that we are forever stuck on this island?" Ben spat bitterly.
"Not for long," Lonnie corrected, walking backwards as she spoke. "There's rumors going around about an Auradon limo on the island. They say it's from the royal family!"
"That's unlikely," Doug argued with a shrug. "Why would the royal family come to the Isle? They were the ones that put us here."
"I have no idea," Lonnie admitted with a careless shrug. "Maybe they're removing the barrier!"
"Or maybe they're taking kids off the island," Ben commented sarcastically with an obnoxious eyeroll. "Both are completely impossible and will never happen. If anything, they're bringing a hero or hero's kid to the island for some sort of punishment, if they are even here."
"Uh, Ben?" Doug gestured toward a particular direction.
Turning his head, Ben's jaw dropped at seeing the shiny black limousine parked right in front of their decrepit school. There were no doubts the vehicle didn't belong because it was practically brand new and had the Auradon flag for the license plate. A crowd of students surrounded it, trying to peer inside or even unlock the doors. A teacher shooed them away, warning that the owner would have their heads if they tried anything.
"They're not what you have to worry about," Doug claimed as he gestured toward the same direction. "Look at the entrance."
Managing to tear his eyes away from the distraction, Ben adverted his gaze more toward the school. Leaned against the doorway, in a plain pink dress with a simple blue jacket—as her mother stressed over not having a single rip in her clothes—with her brown hair cascading down her shoulders, was none other than—
"Audrey looks pissed at you!" Lonnie noted loudly. "I'd hate to be her boyfriend."
"How many times do we have to tell you we aren't dating?" Ben barked quite rudely. "When will you, my father, and her grand-parents realize we don't like each other that way? Audrey is nothing more than a friend."
"The day I stop seeing you two sneak around with each other," Lonnie retorted in a snobbish way. "It's almost every day I see you two whispering to each other in secrecy or walking around while you're looking to see if anyone is following. What do you guys talk about?"
"Surviving," Ben remarked, walking off to ignore the response afterwards and to appease the upset girl.
Audrey didn't have the tendency to be mad at anyone because she was too good-natured, an unusual trait on the island. However, it wasn't unusual for her due to the fact that her parents were Aurora and Philip. With the outcome of her tale, Aurora probably could have skinned by with living in Auradon, but she feared that those citizens would revolt against the queen for that decision. To make sure there were no turmoil for the beginning of their ruling, Aurora opted to live on the Isle with Philip joining her. Since birth, Audrey's parents have taught her everything needed to live like an Auradonian.
So, when Ben was within a feet of her, Audrey's glare didn't look as mean as she hoped it would.
"Where were you!" Audrey scolded in a harsh whisper. "I waited at the hideout for almost an hour again! Did your father—"
"I'm fine. I just over-slept," Ben bluntly exclaimed. "I didn't think about meeting you. I . . . was thinking about my dream."
"Purple-haired princess showed up again?" Audrey questioned as they strolled into the school a moment before the bell rang. "That's the second time. It has to be a sign—"
"That I am never going to meet someone as beautiful as her in person," Ben interrupted, quickly adding, "No offense."
"Just a little bit," Audrey teased. "Anyways, everyone is supposed to head to the gym. Fairy G said there's some kind of announcement."
"I'm guessing it involves the limo out front," Ben speculated. "Did you see who it was?"
"Only the headmistress," Audrey informed with a light shrug. "Whoever they are, they must have something important to do for coming all the way here. Let's go before we're forced to sit on the floor. Mom would kill me for sitting on the dirty ground in my dress."
"Your mother is too nice for that," Ben commented, though he still followed her through the crowd of student—
Not knowing he was being led to his unexpected fate.
After finding a seat in the stands with a good view of the court, the two impatiently waited as their fellow classmates crowded into the smelly gymnasium. Taking a few minutes for everyone to find a seat, it took just a minute longer for the speaker to arrive.
But it was not who they were expecting.
The man walking to the center of the gym was dressed in dark dress pants and plain button-up shirt. His pristine clothing made him look like an outcast, but even more so with his short blue hair. He wore no crown on his head, but everyone knew he had to be some kind of king.
"Good morning, students," the speaker greeted. "If you don't already know, I am Hades, the King of Auradon and god of the Underworld."
Pausing to take in the children's monotone reaction, Hades explained, "Today, I am here for a big announcement. As you may be aware, my daughter is to become Queen of Auradon when she turns sixteen. Even though it is two months away, she has already decided her first official proclamation. With some skillful negotiations, she convinced her mother and I to start the proclamation today."
"Six children from the Isle of the Lost have been chosen . . ." Hades trailed off for dramatic effect. "To live in Auradon!"
Gasp!
The entire room went still at hearing such a bold statement. Like a thunderstorm roiling through a quiet meadow, the gym erupted into a roar of chatter. Speculations rolled through about who the possible candidates to be.
"Ben, this is your chance!" Audrey whispered to the prince next to her. "If you are chosen, you can get off the island and away from your father."
"If I'm chosen," Ben reminded shortly. "There are only six spots available. With my temper, there's even less of a chance one of those spots will be for me. As for you, you have the highest chance of getting it."
"Who do you think would be chosen over you?" Audrey interrogated.
"Aziz," Ben determined without a second thought. "We are a lot alike, so they could have considered both of us. If we're both chosen, then maybe I can rekindle our friendship in Auradon. If he is chosen over me, then I won't harbor any negative feelings toward him."
"You know it wouldn't be the same the other way around," Audrey insisted. "That is why I know you'll be chosen."
"The six will have one hour to pack their belongings before they have to meet me at the Bridge Plaza," Hades loudly informed, effectively quieting the students. "If you are late, you won't go and no one will take your place. When I call your name, please stand so everyone can see who you are. First . . ."
Scanning at the anxious crowd, Hades announced, "Doug, son of Dopey."
Of course, there were a few grumbles as Doug stood, but that was to be expected.
"Second," Hades went on, "Jane, daughter of Fairy Godmother."
A timidly bashful girl with a bow headband in chin length hair stood with a golden-haired dog in her arms. Dude was apparently Jane's 'therapy' dog since she has such bad anxiety and bad people skills.
"Your dog, Dude, is allowed to join you," Hades quickly reassured the girl so she could have a moment of relief. "Thirdly, Audrey, the daughter of Aurora and Prince Philip."
"I told you," Ben quietly teased as the girl next to him stood, earning him a light slap on his shoulder.
"Fourth," the King of Auradon continued, "Chad Charming, son of Cinderella and Prince Charming."
Unsurprisingly, a majority of the students booed as the blonde-haired teen stood. Most people couldn't stand Chad because he was too stuck up and rude for being just a villain child. He has tried consistently to get Audrey to date him, but it always resulted with him going too far and Ben having to teach him the same lesson over and over again.
"Fifth!" Hades shouted to quiet the crowd. "Lonnie, daughter of Mulan and Li Shang."
Lonnie jumped up at her name being called, almost like she was expecting to be called.
"Last, but certainly not least . . ." Hades trailed off one last time as he locked eyes with a particular. "Ben, son of Belle!"
Silence.
The students were honestly surprised at hearing the parent's name, as they never knew it before. Ben fumed at hearing his mother's name. He never told anyone his mother's name, for it was the only thing he knew of her.
Reluctantly, Ben stood with his friend. The scowl on his face was more than enough to make his fellow classmates to question him.
"One hour to pack," King Hades reminded with a short nod. "I'll see you then."