The Coronation of Prince Ben of Auradon was only two months away. Gil and Uma had managed to become respectable enough to gain an invitation to the event. Gil had been over the moon about the invitation. It meant he could continue to plot, and have enough scenarios to work with anything that may happen that day. Including using Evie as a spy on the Rotten Four. He would know how to use any of their own schemes against them, and to work for him. His mother would be free on that day. Uma was not as thrilled, but she was not much for ceremonies, even the ones she planned for every induction of her crew.
Harry hadn't been on his best behavior. He had accidentally stabbed at kid at one of the dueling competitions. The kid was alive, but it was enough for the invitation to be withheld until be proved himself. Harry would, Gil would make sure of it. Harry didn't mind, he was bored of the idea in the first place.
Then there was Sam and Kathryn. The two of the triplets had wormed their way into Jane's life. It didn't take long for them to realize they could use Jane's jealousy of Mal and her magic to their advantage. Brainwashing the poor girl was too easy, and they felt terrible doing it. With any luck, she would try to steal her mother's wand just to feel the rush or dormant magic in her. Maybe even at the coronation.
Evie had told Gil Maleficent was planning on making a big spectacle at the event. No planning on her part, just raw revenge and freedom. All the dark fairy wanted was revenge and power. It would be Maleficent's downfall.
Gillian believed he was experiencing déjà vu. Dizzy Tremaine and Tommy Smee had been on watch that night almost two months away from Coronation day, and around six weeks after they finally were released from the Isle. He had been dead asleep, wrapped around Harry, when a pounding came at his door.
"Go away!" Harry groaned into the pillow, and rolled over. Gil blearily rolled his eyes, and stumbled out of bed to the door.
"I may challenge you for the spot of first mate, lazy ass," Gil growled, shoving Harry on his way to the door. He was serious. The man was the son of the laziest pirate on the planet, how he got first mate eluded Gil to this day.
He swung the door open, and the moonlight from the cold night poured into their cabin. The two ship's boy's he expected. The third person was not.
"Evie," he breathed.
"Gillian, I don't know where to go." The blue haired princess looked terrified. They had been in almost the same position, just shy of two years ago. The fear was present in Evie's eyes. The only thing that was missing was Maverick clutching Evie's hand.
"Harry, get out. I will see you in the morning," Gil said coldly. Evie flinched at his words.
"What did I do?" Harry asked. He sat up.
"You did nothing. Go to Uma's cabin. Don't come back until I get you," Gil said. He glanced at Harry, who was wearing very little clothing. He saw Evie blush, and they both watched as Harry dragged himself out to Uma's cabin. "Tommy, Dizzy, go back to your stations." They didn't hesitate to scurry back to where they came from.
Gil motioned for Evie to enter, and he had her sit down on his bed. He didn't even need to ask. Evie was a creature of habit, and this was something he should have expected. It would have happened sooner if she had stayed on the Isle rather than be uprooted to Auradon.
"How did this happen again?" He asked. Gil was calm, but the darkness bled into his tone. "Do you know for sure?"
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"No, you aren't, Evelyn. You weren't the first time, and you aren't this time. Who was it? Doug or Maverick?"
"Maverick. Doug thinks we are in a relationship, but we never were in the first place. To me, Doug is just a friend. I'm in love with Maverick."
"You told me you didn't see either of them when you were on the Isle." Which Gil now realized wasn't true. She hadn't seen her daughter, but Gil saw his brother and the girl he saw as a sister together. "Evelyn, what happened?"
"You pissed me off, and I was hurt. Ritchie found me before I could make it to your father's house to see Evangeline. She was with you sister, Gia, that afternoon, and Ritchie was looking for medical supplies. I started to help him. We started talking, and shit happened, alright? I have missed him so much, and he had missed me just as much, if not more. We never made it to see my daughter. I had to go back to deal with the mess you and Mal caused!" Evie cried. "Before I left, Maverick asked me to marry him. I said yes. So what? What the hell does it matter anyways?"
"Maverick proposed, and you think you are pregnant again. Shit, Evelyn? How did this happen? Are you even sure?" Gil asked. She had never answered his question earlier.
"I'm sure," she said. Evie pulled out a small potions vial, and handed it to Gil. It was filled with a vibrant violet liquid he had seen before. "I've got about five weeks at most before someone finds out. I need to go back to the Isle. I need Maverick and my darling angel. I'm thinking of going back for good this time."
Gil sighed. He could not let her do that. "Your mother would kill you, Evie."
"I know she would, but it would be better than getting eaten alive by the politics of a teen pregnancy in Auradon," Evie said.
"You are making excuses."
"Then what am I supposed to do? Mal cannot find out. Jay and Carlos wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand anything about my life, or my family!"
"I don't know. Get some sleep. I am going to be the gentleman, and not the pirate and go sleep with the first mate and the captain."
"Should I think you are a gentleman or be scandalized you are sharing a bed with both a man and a woman?" she asked in the haughty tone they used to use when they were children.
Gil smirked and left the room. She was asleep before he shut the door.
He slipped into the captain's cabin as quietly as he could, but Gil came face to face with Uma and Harry, both groggy, but clearly awake waiting for him.
"Are we allowed to ask what Princess Perfect wanted?" Uma asked. She clearly was taunting Gil's best friend, and seemed to enjoy the girl's suffering. "Ooh, let me guess. Mal got tired of her and kicked her out of their dorm, or she managed to get herself expelled."
"Not even close, Captain," Gil said. "It's a problem she's run into before, and has no idea what to do this time."
Harry's eyes widened. He had gotten to know Evie quite well over the few months before she had been whisked away to Auradon. If Gil was implying what Harry thought he was, he was extremely surprised. The girl had put on the innocent princess façade and he couldn't believe it.
"You're shitting me, Gil. Are you serious?" Harry barked.
"How the hell did you get that from that?"
"Habit. The girl would only come to you for extremely personal problems. If she had been kicked out of her room, she would have stayed with Lonnie or Margaret." Harry was much more talented at deducing than he let on. Gil should be using that to his advantage, and tell Uma to abuse the skill as well.
Uma looked between the two. She only knew Evie through correspondence. She was not fond of Evie, but put up with her if she absolutely had to. Gil didn't think he had even told Uma of Evie's first child.
"Would one of you like to include me in this inside joke?" Uma drawled.
"My dear sister is pregnant, again, with Maverick's child," Gil answered tiredly.
Uma's eyes blew wide. "Princess Perfect's knocked up? That's the funniest thing I have heard all year! Are you being serious?"
"Deadly," Gil groaned. "And if it weren't for me being as exhausted I am, she would be dead, and sinking to the bottom of the harbor with a five ton weight strapped to her head." He fell on top of Harry, and nearly fell asleep there. "I'll fill you in more in the morning."
"Okay, your highness. It'll be one heck of a morning."
Gil chose not to wake Evie up the next morning. Gil had spoken to his cousin and his allies early in the day to figure out how to keep Evie off the Isle, and get her out of Auradon. Margaret and Eugenia had become close with the girl, and had been amazed at the beautiful gowns Evie had crafted for girls before Cotillion. All the royals offered to pay for Evie to go to Arendelle, and to get her set up there, but they didn't know why she was leaving in the first place. Gil made up an excuse about Evie wanting to be entirely free of Mal and Maleficent's influence.
His cousins knew he was not telling the whole truth, but they didn't push. They did not understand why he was so adamant about figuring out a way for Evie to make enough money to go herself. Gil wouldn't want someone to pay for him, he didn't need anyone's charity. He knew Evie would feel the same. They had spent their lives working to eat, to wear the clothes on their backs and to stay alive.
They came to the conclusion Evie could make as many gowns as possible in the next three or four weeks as she possibly could. She would do a maximum of twenty and auction off the slots to the highest bidder. If any were made after that, it would be in a raffle. Gil knew Evie wouldn't mind. Most of her gowns already had some of the top designers screaming. She barely needed a high school education let alone a degree to do what she was already a professional at.
Gil started to head back to the ship from the dorms. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair and slid his bandana back on. There was no way this was going to be easy, and he thought Evie would be okay with it. He'd figure some way to get his brother and his niece off the Isle, but it would take time and planning. If Auradon caught wind of his plans illegally extradite two people, he could easily ruin all his plans, but this was more important than taking Auradon down, this was family. Family came first, and it always had.
He yelled into his hands, and fell, face first into a tree.
"Woah, man, what's going on?" Carlos asked. He pulled Gil away from the tree before Gil smashed his forehead against it.
Gil internally groaned. He hadn't wanted to run into anyone on his way back, and now he had to make small talk with Carlos. Carlos's dog was jumping around, clearly the DeVille boy was going for a morning walk with the mutt.
"Nothing. I'm trying to wrap my head around some things, and I am not succeeding," Gil said. "Look, thanks for catching me, but I need to go unless there's something you want form me."
"Alright, Gil," Carlos said, and began to walk away. "Hey, I'm sorry for all of what happened on the Isle. I know we were never friends, but I hope you know Jay and I want to have better relations with you and your crew."
"What? Why?" Gil asked. "It doesn't make any sense to me. We've been trying to kill you guys for years."
"Same here, but we need to stick together. I know Mal trusts Ben and the crown, but we aren't putting our faith in some government that imprisoned us out entire lives. Evie has distanced herself lately and I don't think she's loyal to her mother or Auradon. If we stick together, when they turn on us, we can depend on each other to get out, or rise up."
Gil gave him a look. "I'll think on it."
"Cool," Carlos grinned. "By the way, have you seen Evie at all? She wasn't in her dorm this morning. I was wondering if you have seen her?"
Gil paused, and collected himself.
"Nope," he cheerily replied. "But if I do, I'll send her your way."
Carlos smiled. "Thanks! See you around!"
"See you around," Gil replied, and faltered.
The Rotten Four was falling apart. Gil didn't know how to deal with this. More planning would be required, it seemed. He hoped running a country beside his mother wouldn't be nearly as confusing as planning for war around high schoolers.