Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants.
Notes: Hi, all! I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've updated this fic, but I'm finally back with more of it.
So, there is one thing that I wanted to touch on before we get into this chapter: namely, the ages of the characters. In canon, as far as I can tell, Ben, Mal, Evie & Jay were 16 in the first Descendants movie, while Carlos was 14, and they all aged by 1-2 years over the next two movies (so that, by the end of Descendants 3, Carlos was 15-16 and the older teens were all 17-18). However, that's always felt kinda weird to me, particularly when it comes to things like Ben being crowned king in D1 at age 16 or Ben & Mal getting engaged in D3 when they're only 17 or 18. So, for the sake of this AU, I've aged all the teens up by a couple of years, just so things would make a little more sense in that regard.
With that in mind, here are the ages that I'm using for the main cast at this point:
– Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, most of the other Auradon kids such as Doug, Lonnie, Audrey, Chad, etc.: 18 (so Ben would've been crowned after he turned 18)
– Carlos, Jane: 16
– Damon, Harriet, Mariana: 19
– Tenebria: 18
– Uma, Harry, Gil: 18
So, Tenebria is in the same age range as the older canon VKs, while Damon, Harriet & Mariana are 1-2 years older than them.
Also, just so everyone knows, I've made a YouTube playlist with all the music that I've used and/or listened to for this fic, for anyone who wants to listen along while they're reading! The link to that playlist is available on my profile, and it now includes the songs for this chapter: just for reference, the first song that's included in this chapter is "Chillin' Like a Villain" from the Descendants 2 soundtrack, and the second one is "A Lovely Night" (hence the chapter title) from the La La Land soundtrack. The lyrics have been modified slightly so they would fit a little better in this story.
Lastly, just to clarify: when we get to the songs in this chapter, the notes inside of {these types of brackets} are meant to signify who's singing which lines.
Now, then: on with the chapter!
Chapter 3: A Lovely Night
Thirteen years ago…
"Come along, Evie!" Grimhilde, the Evil Queen, called over her shoulder as she stalked down the street, ignoring the passersby who were rushing to get out of her way. "We have a very important meeting to get to, and we can't be late!"
"Okay, Mommy!" Her five-year-old daughter, Evie, hurried after the former queen, staying close on her mother's heels as Grimhilde strode briskly towards their destination: a large, dark-hued stone castle, standing out dramatically against the surrounding buildings. As mother and daughter approached the front doors of the castle, Grimhilde's normal arrogance visibly faded, and even little Evie could tell that her mother was nervous.
Just as they reached the doors, Grimhilde stopped short and leaned down, glaring at her daughter. "I don't want you causing any trouble, understand?" she warned Evie. "This is an important meeting, so just keep quiet and entertain yourself while I'm busy. She has two children around your age, so you should get to know them: they could be useful."
"Yes, Mommy." Evie nodded obediently, following in Grimhilde's footsteps as she knocked on the door of the castle.
After a few seconds, the doors swept open, revealing a tall woman with dark purple hair and a pair of curved horns rising from her temples. "Ah, Grimhilde!" she greeted the other woman with a smile that seemed more predatory than friendly. "So good to see you, dear."
"Maleficent," Grimhilde replied with an equal amount of false cheer. "Would you mind if I left my dear Evie with your children while we get started?" She patted Evie lightly on the head, paying no other attention to her.
"Oh, of course." Maleficent chuckled softly and nodded, stepping back from the doors and beckoning for Grimhilde and Evie to follow her inside. "My little beasties are in the back garden: she can play with them while we discuss our business." She waved casually across the large main hall of the castle, towards another half-open door that led out the other side of the building.
"Excellent!" Grimhilde placed a hand on Evie's back and gave her a slightly-less-than-gentle push towards the opposite door. "Off you go, dearest. Go have some fun with the other children: Mommy has some business to attend to."
"Y-yes, Mommy." Evie managed another nod, feeling more than a little nervous as the castle doors boomed shut behind them and Grimhilde strode off without a backward glance, following Maleficent to her meeting chambers for whatever business discussion they had in mind for that day. Left alone, she walked slowly across the entrance hall and tentatively pushed open the back door that Maleficent had indicated, before making her way outside.
When she walked slowly out into the garden, she quickly noticed that two other children were out there already. One, a girl who appeared to be around her own age, was reclining on her back in the middle of a flowerbed, while the other, a boy who looked like he was a year or two older than them, was sitting under a nearby tree and twirling a stick idly between his fingers. They both looked up when they saw her come outside, regarding her with identical curious expressions. The boy's eyes were blue while the girl's were green, and his hair was dark blue while hers was purple, but otherwise they looked similar enough that they were clearly siblings.
Evie felt uncomfortable for a moment, but she eventually reminded herself that her mother had wanted her to make friends with these kids. "Um… hi," she greeted them shyly, raising a hand and giving them an awkward wave. "I'm Evie. Ah… your mom said I should come out here and play with you guys, while she and my mom are talking."
The purple-haired girl shrugged and sat up. "Okay," she replied cheerfully. "I'm Mal. Nice to meet you."
The blue-haired boy also gave her a friendly smile and a nod. "Hi," he echoed his sister's greeting. "I'm Damon."
Now…
As she brought up the rear of the group, Evie was desperately trying to keep her eyes off of Damon's back. Despite her best efforts, however, her gaze kept drifting involuntarily back to him. He was leading the other three new VKs as the group headed into the dorms of Auradon Prep, still casually engaged in conversation with Ben as they trailed behind the Fairy Godmother. He gave no indication that he noticed her staring at him, but she still couldn't stop her hands from trembling.
Evie had been worried about this ever since Ben had first revealed that Damon would be one of the next batch of VKs to be brought into Auradon, and her worries were already justified. She couldn't stop herself from looking at him, but every time she did, her mind was besieged by constant flickers of memory from their time on the Isle: images, voices, sensations…
Stop it! She shook her head, shoving the memories down and forcing herself not to think about them. Things are different now. And I'm sure he hates me now after what we did, so it's not like I have anything to worry about…
"Morning, Doug!" Ben's voice snapped Evie out of her thoughts, and her eyes widened as she looked up to see her new boyfriend, Doug, waiting for them at the base of the dorms' main staircase, dressed in his usual blue-and-gold Auradon Prep school uniform. Normally she would be happy to see him, but at that moment, all she felt was dread at the thought of what might happen when Damon found out that she and Doug were dating.
"Guys, this is Doug Dopeyson." Not noticing Evie's inner conflict, Ben smiled warmly as he stopped next to the other boy, clapping one hand on Doug's shoulder and nodding to the new VKs. "He'll be helping you four to get settled in here."
To his credit, Doug was less hesitant than he had been a couple of months earlier during his first meeting with Evie and her group, and he promptly stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you guys," he greeted them with a smile and a small wave, looking only a little nervous. "Uh… like Ben said, I'm basically in charge of the welcoming committee for you all, so I'll be showing you to your rooms. If you've got any questions about how things work around here, don't hesitate to ask."
Harriet and Mariana exchanged smirks and didn't say anything, while Tenebria returned Doug's wave without much enthusiasm, but Damon smiled and took a step out in front of them, extending one arm and shaking Doug's hand. "Pleasure to meet you," he replied cordially, a trace of amusement flickering in his eyes.
"I've got some business to take care of since we're finalizing your enrollment," Ben continued, "but I'll be back this evening for the welcoming party. In the meantime, please make yourselves at home." He leaned in and murmured something quietly to Mal, before kissing her on the cheek and heading off back the way they had come. Evie saw a brief flash of irritation in Damon's eyes as he looked at the couple, but that visible anger only lasted for a moment before he shook his head and his previous calm demeanor returned.
With Ben's departure, the two sets of VKs were left alone with Doug and the Fairy Godmother. All four of the new arrivals were looking around with varying levels of curiosity at the expansive entrance hall of the dorms, although none of them seemed to be overly impressed.
"So, shall we… uh…" As his gaze passed over each of the VKs, Doug glanced over to Evie, and his smile flickered briefly as he saw the look on her face, which probably didn't look very happy. His expression became more concerned, but before he could say anything, he remembered what he'd been doing and snapped back to focusing on the situation at hand. "Oh, sorry. Shall we go, then?"
As everyone headed for the main staircase and started making their way up towards the dorms, Evie looked around at the other VKs. Jay and Carlos were chatting about something else, while the Fairy Godmother was explaining how the classes at Auradon Prep were structured. Harriet, Mariana and Tenebria were listening to her, but both Mal and Damon had followed Doug's gaze, and both siblings were now stealing glances at Evie. Mal looked concerned, but Damon's expression was more curious as he looked back over his shoulder at her. She deliberately averted her eyes to avoid meeting his, but she could feel his gaze like a brand on the side of her head before he turned back up the stairs to follow after the others.
"Evie?" Mal's quiet voice jolted Evie out of her thoughts, and she flinched for a second: she hadn't realized that the purple-haired girl had dropped back to the rear of the group so she could walk next to her. "Are you okay?"
Fighting to suppress the flush in her cheeks, Evie nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay," she insisted, taking a couple of deep breaths to steady her nerves (and keeping her eyes away from Damon's back as he climbed the stairs ahead of them). "I'm fine."
For the rest of the day, Evie did her best to keep herself distracted. Luckily, once Doug and the Fairy Godmother had shown the four new VKs to their rooms, she'd been able to make an excuse that she had some homework to take care of, and had made her escape. Mal, Jay and Carlos had stayed to help show the new arrivals around the school (and, in Mal's case, to keep an eye on Damon), but all three of them had clearly been concerned about her, so she knew she was going to have to come up with an explanation for what was going on with her sooner rather than later.
After spending the afternoon hiding out in her room and calming her nerves, Evie got dressed for the party that Ben had arranged to celebrate the new VKs' arrival. She opted to keep her outfit fairly simple: a dark blue dress with a mid-length skirt, and a black jacket over the top to keep her warm. She was torn over whether she should wear her ruby necklace, but she ultimately decided to keep it on and simply tucked it down under the neckline of her dress so it wasn't clearly visible. Finally, after putting the finishing touches on her makeup, she slipped out of her room and headed down to the beach behind the school.
The beach near Auradon Prep had been the scene of the post-coronation party that had unfolded after Ben's crowning as king and Maleficent's defeat several months earlier. Now it was lit up again, as a large bonfire had been built on the beach with dozens of students milling around it. A decent-sized, elevated stage had been set up on one side of the fire, clearly meant for some kind of speech or performance.
As Evie came down the stairs that led down to the beach, she could see Mal, Carlos and Jay sitting in a set of chairs next to the bonfire, with an empty chair next to Mal's. She immediately felt better when she saw them, and a grin spread across her face as she hurried down the steps and made her way through the crowd to where they were sitting.
"Hey, E!" Mal greeted Evie with a smile and a wave as she emerged from the crowd, indicating the empty chair next to hers. "How're you feeling?" Despite the warmth in her voice, Evie knew her well enough to hear the concern in her voice.
"I'm all right," Evie assured her. "I think my stomach was just bothering me earlier, but I feel better now." She frowned as she looked around at the crowd of students, noticing that she couldn't see Ben or any of the new VKs anywhere. "Where are they?"
"They're around here somewhere," Jay replied with a shrug, taking a sip of his drink. "Ben wanted to do some kind of formal welcoming speech, so he had them go off with him for a minute. They should be back soon, though."
Sure enough, a cheer rose from the crowd of students, and Mal grinned as Ben appeared through the crowd and clambered up onto the stage next to the bonfire. "Evening, everyone!" he called out, smiling brightly. "Are we all having a good night so far?" Upon receiving cheers of assent from some of the assembled students, his grin widened and he nodded. "All right! Now, for our main event tonight: for anyone who didn't know, Auradon Prep now has four new students, four more teens from the Isle of the Lost. It's worked out pretty well for the first four –"
"Especially for you, right?" Chad Charming called out from the crowd. Evie scowled as she caught a glimpse of him grinning proudly, before the girl standing next to him – Ben's former girlfriend, Audrey – elbowed him in the side, and his grin became a pained wince.
To his credit, Ben completely ignored Chad's brief interruption and continued with scarcely a pause. "So I've decided to continue the VK Program, and our second batch of new students from the Isle arrived here this morning. I'm going to introduce them now, so I expect you all to make them feel welcome. All right?" The crowd's response was a little more hesitant this time, but Ben was undeterred. "Okay, then! Everyone, say hello to our newest students: Damon, Harriet, Mariana, and Tenebria."
As Ben extended a hand towards the stairs that led up to the school, the four new VKs appeared right on cue, hurrying down the steps and bounding over to the stage. They had clearly taken advantage of the clothes provided by the school staff for this occasion: Damon and Harriet were both dressed in form-fitting suits, Harriet's jet-black and Damon's a dark shade of bluish-purple, while Mariana and Tenebria were both wearing dresses, the former's dark green with a knee-length skirt and the latter's a reddish-purple dress that extended down to her ankles.
"Good evening, Auradon!" Damon called out, grinning brightly and adjusting his tie as he stepped up next to Ben. "It's lovely to meet you all." Evie saw Mal rolling her eyes at the exaggerated cheer in his voice, but she was much more distracted by his outfit. He had always taken pride in his appearance back on the Isle, but this was the first time that she had seen him in the kind of formal wear that simply wasn't available in their former home. And he looked…
Stop it! She shook her head, seriously tempted to smack herself on the head to try and snap her thoughts away from that path. Fortunately, the dim lighting made it much easier for her to conceal her blush.
"I've been hoping for a chance to come to Auradon all my life," Damon continued, still clearly playing up the enthusiasm in his voice (although the other VKs appeared to be the only ones who could tell, since they'd all spent plenty of time around him before). "And we'd all like to thank you again for showing us such kindness, Your Majesty." He executed a sweeping bow to Ben, once again being much more dramatic than he needed to be. Carlos and Jay snickered under their breath despite themselves, while Mal was now shooting an annoyed glare at her brother.
"And, to show our appreciation," Mariana put in with a coquettish smile, "we'd like to provide you all with some… entertainment… to kick off the festivities tonight."
"A bit of our culture, shared with you," Damon continued with a chuckle. "And, actually… if you wouldn't mind, Your Highness, we could use your help."
"Oh, just call me Ben, please." Ben laughed, waving off the older boy's use of his titles. "And sure! If I can help out, I'd love to."
Mal's eyes narrowed and she visibly tensed up, clearly preparing to jump to her feet and intervene if Damon tried anything, but Evie and Jay quickly each put a restraining hand on one of her shoulders. "Relax, Mal," Jay murmured. "Damon wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything to Ben here, especially not with guards around." He nodded to one of the Auradon palace guards that Ben had set up around the edges of the party, to act as security just in case. "Don't freak out. He's okay."
Mal's eyes flickered with emerald light for a moment, but she finally nodded and sank back into her seat. "All right," she replied, although her expression didn't lighten. "But if Damon does try anything, he's going down."
Evie gave Mal's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, although she couldn't suppress a twisting sensation in her stomach at the idea of Mal and Damon actually fighting each other.
"All right!" Damon grinned, clapping Ben on the back. "We'll teach you one of our favorite dances from back home. Don't worry, it's not too tricky: just follow our lead, and you'll be fine." He nodded over to Harriet, who was making some adjustments to a large boombox that the party's organizers had set up on one corner of the elevated stage, connected to a series of larger speakers.
On cue, music began echoing from the boombox and the speakers, a vibrant rhythm that slowly began to build. Tenebria stayed by the boombox, while the other three new VKs fanned out, forming a line with Ben at its center, with Damon on one side of him and Mariana and Harriet on the other. The music rose to a crescendo, and the song began.
{One singer; multiple singers}
"Let me tell you something you can really trust," Damon sang out, his voice low and smooth as he casually rested one arm on Ben's shoulder. "Everybody's got a wicked side."
"I'm sure you think that you could never be like us," Mariana purred as she stepped up on Ben's other side. "Watch and learn so you can get it right."
All four of the new VKs began singing together now, their voices mingling with the music as they all shifted into a fluid dance routine.
"You need to drag your feet,
You need to nod your head.
You need to lean back,
Slip through the cracks.
You need to not care…"
"Ah… you need to not stare," Damon remarked with a chuckle as he playfully nudged Ben, who had been staring at the VKs' feet in an attempt to memorize their dance steps. Ben's cheeks flushed, and Damon suppressed a laugh.
"You need a whole lot of help," the three girls chorused, amused smiles forming on their faces.
"You need to not be yourself," Damon quipped, flashing a grin and a wink at Ben.
Mal's eyes narrowed and she scowled. "Is he seriously flirting with my boyfriend?" she muttered, quietly enough that only Evie, Jay and Carlos could hear her, just as all four of the new VKs' voices rang out in unison.
"You wanna be cool?
Let us show you how!
Need to break the rules?
We can show you how!
And once you catch this feeling,
Yeah, once you catch this feeling,
You'll be chillin', chillin', oh…
Chillin' like a villain!"
On that last line, Tenebria, who was standing closest to the bonfire, spun on her heel and drew a pouch out of one of her pockets, before tossing a handful of powder from it into the flames. When the powder made contact, there was a brilliant flash of light and the normal orange fire turned a bright, vibrant green for a few seconds, drawing gasps and applause from the crowd. Mal's eyes widened and the original VKs all sat up straighter, but Evie could already tell that it had just been a visual stunt rather than some kind of attack, as the song continued without a moment's pause.
"Chillin'!
Chillin' like a villain…
Chillin'!
Chillin' like a villain…
Hey!
Chillin' like… chillin' like… a villain!"
At the end of this verse, the four new VKs spun around each other, maneuvering so that Tenebria and Harriet traded positions with Damon and Mariana, so that the former two had now taken the latter two's places on either side of Ben.
"You're not convincing when you act like that," Tenebria murmured as she smiled faintly at Ben, tipping her hat to the young king. "Let us teach you how to disappear."
"You look like you would lose a fight to an alley cat," Harriet remarked with a snicker as she stepped up on Ben's other side, nudging him lightly with one elbow. "You gotta be wrong to get it right 'round here!"
Once again, all four voices rose as one, and the new VKs shifted smoothly back into the same dance moves as before. This time, Ben was starting to figure it out, and he did his best to copy their moves, grinning sheepishly whenever he mistimed anything but trying his best all the same.
"You need to watch your back,
You need to creep around.
You need to slide real smooth,
Don't make a sound.
And if you want it, take it.
And if you can't take it, break it!"
On this last line, Ben stumbled as he attempted to copy the VKs' last move, a lunging stomp with one leg. His shoes slipped on the sand that was sprinkled over the stage and he landed hard on his backside, wincing but unhurt. Unconcerned, Damon and Mariana grinned as they swapped places with their respective dance partners again: they each took one of Ben's arms and hauled him back to his feet, not missing a beat.
"If you care about your health…" Damon chuckled as he helped Ben up and dusted him off. "Seriously, you need to not be yourself."
"You wanna be cool?
Let us show you how.
Need to break the rules?
We can show you how!
And once you catch this feeling,
Yeah, once you catch this feeling,
You'll be chillin', chillin', oh…
Chillin' like a villain!"
Once again, Tenebria gracefully twirled around as she called out this line, tossing another handful of powder into the bonfire and triggering another flare of emerald light.
"Chillin'!
Chillin' like a villain…
Chillin'!
Chillin' like…"
"I really wanna be bad a lot," Ben chimed in, grinning as he continued trying to match the new VKs' moves. "And I'm giving it my best shot…" He frowned and came to a stop. "But it's hard being what I'm not."
Damon grinned and tousled Ben's hair playfully, drawing a surprised laugh from him. "Ah, c'mon, just give it your best shot!" he returned.
"He's right: don't try to stay low-key," Mariana added, smirking as she took a couple of steps back and started running through their steps again, the others mirroring her every move. "Just show us how bad you can be!"
Ben glanced from Mariana to Damon and back again, a slow grin spreading across his face as he started dancing along with them again, letting himself get more loose and visibly relaxing. "Like this?" he queried, spinning on one heel and stamping his feet in time with theirs. "Like this?"
"There we go!" Damon chuckled, nodding in approval. "That's more like it!"
"Ooh, yeah… I think I got this." Ben's grin widened as he perfectly matched their next series of steps. "Let's go: I'm ready to rock this!" He spun to face Damon, offering a high-five that the older boy returned with some amusement. "And I ain't gonna thank you for your help… I think I've found the worst of myself!"
Damon laughed, and all four VKs sang out again as their dance resumed, with Ben finally matching their every move.
"You wanna be cool?
Let us show you how.
You don't break the rules?
We can show you how!
And once you catch this feeling,
Yeah, once you catch this feeling,
You'll be chillin', chillin', oh…
Chillin' like a villain!"
With a flick of her wrist, Tenebria emptied the remainder of the powder into the bonfire, and it lit up one more time with a brilliant blaze of green as the song rose to a final crescendo.
"Chillin'!
Chillin' like a villain!
Chillin'!
Chillin' like a villain!
Chillin'!
Chillin' like a villain!
Chillin'!
Chillin' like a villain!"
As the music faded and the glowing green bonfire faded back to its normal orange hue, the majority of the Auradon Prep students let out a chorus of cheers and applause, with only a few people like Chad and Audrey refusing to join in. Jay and Carlos clapped along as well, albeit a little less enthusiastically, while Mal looked more annoyed than anything else. Evie found herself feeling a warmth in her face that had nothing to do with the fire as her eyes were drawn to where Damon and Ben were now standing together at the center of the stage, before she hastily looked away and downed a gulp of the soda that she'd been holding in an attempt to cool herself down.
"Thank you, Auradon!" Damon called out, laughing as he clapped Ben on the back and waved to the crowd with his other arm. "We've been waiting our whole lives for this!"
A couple of hours later, the festivities were mostly concluded and the party had finally begun to die down. Mal and Ben were chatting with Doug and some of the other Auradon students, while Jay and Carlos were sitting together on the beach, leaning back against a wall and sipping their drinks as they looked out over the ocean.
"So, I think we'll need to find a new ninth player for Tourney soon, since Ben thinks he's gonna have to drop off the squad eventually," Jay remarked with a sigh, shaking his head. "I mean, it makes sense since he's got all that political stuff to deal with now, but we're gonna need somebody good to take his place, and I dunno who'd be…" He trailed off and frowned when he realized that Carlos clearly wasn't listening to him, before jostling the other boy with one shoulder. "Hey! Are you listening or what?"
"Huh?" Carlos blinked and shook his head, snapping back to attention. "Oh, right! Uh… sorry, I just kinda… zoned out for a second." His cheeks flushed for a moment and he hastily averted his eyes. "What were you saying?"
Jay raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction where Carlos had been looking, before his lips curled in a smirk as he saw what his friend had been staring at: Jane, the Fairy Godmother's daughter, who was wearing a light blue dress tonight and was hanging out with a few of her friends on the other side of the bonfire. "Ahhh, I get it," he commented, a teasing note coming into his voice. "Somebody's got a bit of a crush, huh?"
The flush on Carlos's cheeks immediately darkened, and he spluttered for a few seconds, trying to come up with a response. "I… n-no!" he stammered. "What're you talking about? I don't…"
"Evenin', lads," an accented voice interrupted. The boys looked up to see Harriet strolling over to them, sipping a drink. "Mind if we join ya?" Mariana and Tenebria were following behind her, the former with a confident smirk and the latter with her default attitude of utter boredom. Damon, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Jay and Carlos exchanged a glance, their jokes momentarily forgotten as their attitudes suddenly became much more serious. "Ah… yeah, sure," Jay agreed, nodding and waving an arm to indicate the open space next to them. "Fine with us." The boys might not be as suspicious as Mal or as nervous as Evie about the new VKs, but they knew better than to assume that any of the four new arrivals actually had good intentions.
"So what were you two talkin' about?" Harriet inquired, grinning as she casually sat down on the sand and leaned back on the cool stone wall next to Jay. Mariana, who seemed a little more relaxed than usual, sat next to her, leaning against her girlfriend and resting her head on Harriet's shoulder, while Tenebria chose to sit up on top of the low wall instead.
"Oh, we were just… talking about the Tourney team that we're both on," Carlos explained, clearly trying to divert the conversation away from the subject of Jane while also talking about something that hopefully wouldn't provoke any conflict.
"The hell is 'Tourney'?" Mariana scoffed as she sat up for a moment, arching one eyebrow and regarding the two of them with a haughty, contemptuous expression. "Some kind of snobby rich kids' game?" Harriet snickered at that, while Tenebria let out a quiet snort of amusement but seemed to be more interested in the deck of cards that she'd fished out of her pocket.
Carlos scowled, but Jay put a hand on his shoulder to cut off his retort, deciding that a diplomatic response would be better. "Yeah, that's what we thought at first too, but it's actually pretty fun," he quipped. "It's got swordfighting, it takes a lot of teamwork, and it's a good way to get some exercise." He shrugged, flashing a grin at Harriet and Mariana. "Who knows? You guys might actually enjoy it."
Mariana rolled her eyes and Tenebria just hummed noncommittally as she began shuffling her cards, but Harriet actually seemed intrigued. "Sounds interestin'," she replied, grinning and taking a sip of her drink as she slung her other arm around Mariana, letting the other girl snuggle up against her. "Tell me more."
Evie, meanwhile, had wandered off, making her way some distance down the beach until she was far enough away from the party that she had some privacy. She was still trying to keep her nerves in check, and she wanted to avoid Damon if at all possible, so she'd decided to make herself scarce for the time being.
Unfortunately, luck clearly wasn't on her side today, because when she walked around a stand of trees and onto a more isolated section of the beach, Damon was already there. He didn't seem to have been expecting her, as he was sitting casually on the sand and gazing out towards the dark ocean, but his eyes immediately flicked over to her as she came into view. Evie stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as her breath caught in her throat.
For a long moment, neither of them said anything. Evie was tempted to turn around and head back the other way, but she ultimately decided against it. You were going to have to talk to him alone eventually, and you don't want to just turn tail and run. Just relax and stay calm, and you'll be fine. "Hi," she managed to get out, keeping her voice as light and calm as possible while inwardly bracing herself for the accusations that would probably be fired at her.
Damon's lips twitched in an amused grin, and his expression lightened a bit. "Hi," he replied casually, extending his arms behind him and leaning back onto his outstretched hands. "So… how'd you like the song?" His grin widened a bit as he nodded back towards the party. "I thought we might've been overdoing it a bit, but everyone seemed to like it."
Evie blinked, completely thrown off by the casualness of that response. Of all the possible things that he might have to say to her, that hadn't been one of the options that she'd expected. "It was… fine, I guess," she replied with a shrug, smiling a little despite herself. "Although Mal didn't appreciate you acting all flirty with Ben."
"Well, she shouldn't have picked such a cute boyfriend, then," Damon returned with a playful smirk. "However much Mal and I may disagree on some things, at least she's got decent taste."
Despite herself, Evie's cheeks flushed and she had to suppress a laugh. Flirting was an area where Maleficent's two children differed: while Mal had only had two actual romantic partners that Evie knew of (one back on the Isle, which had ended badly, and her current relationship with Ben) and wasn't usually comfortable when it came to flirting with people, Damon was totally comfortable with affectionate behavior, and often used flirtation as just another weapon in his arsenal.
However, she could also tell that, since Damon was acting like this, he clearly wasn't planning to be fully open with her yet. Whatever his real feelings towards her and the other VKs for what they'd done were, he wasn't planning to express them right now, and she likely wasn't going to get it out of him until he chose to do so.
Ironically, though, that realization actually came as something of a relief. She'd spent the whole day worrying about what might happen when she eventually had to confront Damon one-on-one, but now that she could tell what he was doing, she knew that she didn't need to worry about it for the moment. She still wasn't going to let her guard down around him, but she could afford to relax a bit, at least for now.
"So," she spoke up, keeping her tone relaxed as she walked over until she was just a few feet away from him, although she didn't sit down. She didn't want to get that close to him, as just the thought of doing that sent a tingling sensation down her spine. "How are you liking Auradon so far?"
Damon raised an eyebrow, clearly gauging her shift in demeanor, before he shrugged. "Not bad, all things considered. It's certainly nicer than back home." A bit of wry amusement flickered across his face as he looked up at her. "Although, the people here do seem a little friendlier than I was expecting. I'm guessing you and the others had something to do with that."
Evie chuckled softly. "Yeah, probably," she admitted. "They're definitely being more welcoming to you guys than they were to us." She shrugged, smiling as she glanced out across the ocean channel towards the distant lights of the Isle. "I think that's a good sign, though. The more comfortable they are with people like us, the easier it'll be to bring more kids over here."
Damon's expression shifted slightly at that: behind his calm outer façade, she could see a mixture of different emotions swirling around behind his eyes, although she couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. It was hard to tell whether he was pleased or angered by what she'd said, but before she could figure it out, he shook his head and the unreadable expression was replaced by his usual confident smirk. "Well, I certainly hope so," he replied, pushing himself up to his feet and dusting the sand off of his pants before joining her in gazing out at the Isle. "I know plenty of kids out there who would love to see all of this." He glanced over to her, and his smile softened a bit, becoming more genuine. "Dizzy asked me to send her best wishes to you, by the way."
Evie couldn't help feeling a pang in her stomach at the thought of the younger girl. Dizzy Tremaine had been one of the few people outside of the VK gang that she had called a friend back on the Isle, and one of the only people from the Isle that she really missed. "How's she doing?" she questioned.
"She's fine," Damon assured her, his voice quieter now too. "When I went in to get this done…" He chuckled softly, running his fingers through his tousled, black-and-purple hair. "…I told her that I'd say hello to you for her when I got here, and that hopefully she'll get to come here someday too."
This time, Evie had to suppress a visible wince, and a sudden rush of guilt hit her at the thought of everyone here enjoying a party while Dizzy and so many other kids were still suffering on the Isle. "She will," she replied, almost surprised at how firm her voice had suddenly become. "I promise you that."
Damon's eyes widened slightly; clearly, he hadn't been expecting that blunt of a response, but Evie continued before he could say anything. "Look, Damon…" She sighed, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose for a second, before she shook her head and focused back on him, meeting his eyes without flinching. "I know you're probably furious with all four of us for what we did. And, honestly, I don't blame you for that. But I promise, I'm still going to do everything in my power to make sure that every kid on the Isle gets a chance to come to Auradon and start a new life here."
Damon was silent for a long moment, his expression still composed and unreadable, before he slowly nodded. "Fair enough," he replied evenly, before smiling again as he glanced out towards the horizon. "I will say, whatever issues I have with Auradon… it is beautiful here." After a moment, though, his smile became more amused. "It's sort of a shame, though. Right now, it almost seems like a waste."
Evie frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well… I mean, think about it." Damon chuckled and gestured out towards the horizon, as a distant chorus of music echoed down the beach from the direction of the party, as his voice lightened and became more lyrical. "The sun is nearly gone… the lights are turning on." He waved a hand towards where the lights of Auradon Prep were glowing, back in the direction where they'd come from. "A silver shine that stretches to the sea." Spreading his arms, he turned slowly in a circle, indicating everything around them. "We've stumbled on a view… that's tailor-made for two." He shrugged, his amused grin replaced by an attitude of feigned disappointment. "What a shame… those two are you and me."
Evie blinked, feeling thoroughly confused. She'd been waiting for Damon to try flirting with her (while also half-dreading it, since she wasn't sure how she could respond to that now), but this felt like the opposite of that. "Um… I'm sorry, what?"
"Some other girl or guy," Damon sang on in a low voice, "would love this swirling sky." He shrugged. "But there's only you and I. And we've got… no shot."
That was when it clicked, and Evie's cheeks flushed again; she wasn't sure whether to grin or scowl, as her previous confusion was replaced by a combination of amusement and annoyance. Oh, I get it. He's just screwing with me now.
Proving her theory, Damon let out an overdramatic sigh as he gestured to himself and then to her. "This… could never be. You're not the type for me."
"Really," Evie deadpanned, rolling her eyes.
"And there's not a spark in sight." Damon shook his head with an overly-disappointed frown, turning as he began to stroll leisurely back towards the party. "What a… a waste of lovely night."
Evie's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, the subconscious restraints that she'd been holding up ever since Damon and the other new VKs had gotten off of that car were cracked. All right, I've had enough of this, she thought to herself as she stalked after him. You want to play games, Damon? Fine.
"You say there's nothing here?" she cut in, her voice rising to match his as she caught one of his arms and swung him back around to face her. "Well, let's make something clear: I think I'll be the one to make that call!"
Damon was clearly surprised for a second, but then his grin returned. "But you'll call?" he quipped.
"And though you look so cute," Evie continued, her voice laced with sarcasm as she looked him up and down, "in your purple tie and suit…"
"It's blue," Damon corrected, tugging lightly on the collar of his jacket.
"You're right: I'd never fall for you at all!" Evie shot back, dramatically twirling away from him and indicating their surroundings with a sweep of her arm. "And maybe this appeals… to someone not in heels. Or to any girl who feels… there's some chance, for romance." She shot another disdainful glance at him over her shoulder. "But, I'm frankly feeling nothing."
Damon's lips quirked as he held back a laugh. "Is that so?"
"Or, it could be less than nothing," she added.
"Good to know!" He smirked. "So you agree?"
"That's right," she retorted.
"What a waste of lovely night!" Both voices rang out together for the last line, mingling with the echoing music from the party and the gentle rumbling of the waves. They were left standing a couple of feet apart, staring at each other, both momentarily at a loss for words.
After a long moment of silence, Damon closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh, his playful grin fading. "I wasn't just kidding around this morning, you know," he admitted in a lower voice, before his eyes opened and he met her gaze again. "I really did miss you, E." This time, for once, there was no hint of sarcasm, flirtation or anger in his eyes: as far as she could tell, he was genuinely telling the truth.
Evie's breath hitched, and she initially couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Finally, after taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, she was able to look away and focused back out at the ocean again. "I… I know," she replied quietly. "I missed you too. But…" She shook her head, almost forcing the next few words out. "Things are different now. I… I don't feel that way anymore, and… we can't go back to that." She looked up at him again, fighting to suppress a wrenching sensation in her gut. "I'm sorry."
Forcing herself into motion again, she ducked past Damon and hurried off back down the beach, using all the strength she had to keep herself from looking back at him as she felt the first pricklings of tears forming in her eyes.
Damon watched as Evie rushed off back towards the party, smiling faintly as he remembered the look that he'd seen in her eyes. Nice try, E, but you can't lie to me. We've known each other way too long for that. However she'd changed since she'd come to Auradon, and whatever she might claim, there was definitely still something there.
Turning away, he strolled off down the beach in the opposite direction, idly kicking up sand as he wandered further away from the party. As he walked, however, his amusement over the moment that they'd just shared began to fade, and the deep-seated anger that he'd been feeling for the past few months rose up within him again.
Finally, he came to a stop, far enough away that the noise of the party was barely audible. Coming to a stop, he sat down on the cool, damp sand just above the tideline and gazed out over the ocean, looking at the distant lights of the Isle again. His eyes narrowed and he looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as his resentment grew stronger. He closed his eyes for a long moment, clenching his hands into fists and murmuring under his breath as he tried to summon up his inner power, but no matter how hard he strained, nothing happened.
Even with the Isle's barrier suppressing Damon's magic for his entire childhood, at least he'd always been able to feel his magical energy, the soothing, ethereal warmth of the latent power within him. And he'd been certain that, as limited as he was on the Isle, he would be able to tap into his full potential once he got out from under that damn barrier. But for the past week, that inner warmth had disappeared without a trace, and it had remained that way even after he had been removed from within the barrier and brought to Auradon. His best guess was that Mal, the Fairy Godmother, or both had managed to cast a suppression spell on him that was sealing away his powers, but so far he hadn't been able to think of any way to undo it. Inwardly cursing his sister for hamstringing him like this, he continued trying to fan that inner flame for several more minutes, without success.
As if on cue, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him, and another familiar voice reached his ears. "Tired of the party already?"
Damon's lips compressed in a scowl and he let out a low, irritated groan under his breath. He pushed himself up, dusting off his pants and turning to face Mal, who was standing a few feet away with her arms folded over her chest. "I figured you'd come find me sooner or later," he commented dryly. "Looking to have a chat without your little king around, I'm guessing?"
"That's right." Mal nodded, her eyes cool and her expression firm. "I can guess how you feel about me, after what I did. And that's fine. But if you try to threaten my friends, or Auradon… or Ben…" Her eyes flashed a brilliant emerald-green as she drew on her own magic. "Then I'm warning you now: I will stop you."
"Oh, really?" Without access to his magic, Damon couldn't make his own eyes light up in response, but he didn't seem intimidated in the slightest. The laid-back, playful attitude that he'd adopted during the party and during his chat with Evie was gone now; in its place, a mixture of hatred and disgust burned in his eyes as he met her glare without flinching. "I figured as much. Should I be expecting you to turn me into a lizard and stick me in a cage next to Mom's, then?"
That accusation hit a lot harder than Mal had been expecting, and she winced despite herself as the green glow in her eyes faded. "I'd… really rather not do that," she admitted, shaking her head as she tried to regain her composure. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I don't want to fight you if I don't have to." Her expression hardened again. "But, while I mean no offense… if you do try anything, and I do have to fight you, I'll win. I stopped Mom, and if I have to, I can stop you."
"Of course." Damon's hands slowly clenched into fists, and he gritted his teeth. "Especially since you and your precious Fairy Godmother sealed my magic away, right?" The look on Mal's face confirmed his suspicions, and he nodded. "I thought as much. In that case, I suppose you're right. I'm smart enough not to start a fight that I can't win." He flashed a smile at her, but this one was utterly devoid of warmth or humor. "I'm sure you know that."
Mal nodded slowly, but she was clearly still suspicious. That made sense, as she knew him well enough to know that it wasn't normal for him to give up that easily.
"But I'll give you a word of caution, sister dear," Damon intoned coldly. Without his powers, Mal could subdue him in an instant if she chose, and he knew it, but he didn't show the slightest trace of fear. "You have nothing to fear from me… for now. But someday soon, the leaders of your precious Auradon will have to answer for the crimes that they've committed, against everyone who they left to rot on that island." His eyes blazed with a barely-contained fury, as hot as the fires of their father's Underworld. "I promise you that." Without giving her a chance to respond, he broke their eye contact and stalked past her, walking back along the beach towards the party.
Mal scowled, her eyes flashing green again as she turned to watch Damon's retreating back. "Good luck with that," she muttered under her breath. I really don't want to fight you, Damon. But if I have to fight you… then I promise, I'll be ready.
Two hours earlier, during the party…
On the other side of the channel that separated Auradon from the Isle of the Lost, a second, smaller bonfire had been set up on one of the Isle's beaches. Gathered around the flames, several dozen teenagers dressed in loose-fitting, pirate-style garb were relaxing in a loose circle. Some of them were eating dinner, while others were sparring and playing around on the beach. While the mood here was much more subdued than the bonfire across the water, there was an air of anticipation that everyone present could feel.
Sitting at the center of the party, gazing into the crackling flames, was the leader of the group, a dark-skinned girl with long green hair and cold dark eyes. Her outfit was easily the most elaborate of the whole group, designed in shades of blue, purple and green. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced out across the channel towards Auradon, where the distant reddish-orange glow of another bonfire was visible along the shoreline. "Pathetic," she muttered under her breath, her lips curling in a scowl.
"No kiddin'," the boy seated to her right remarked, snickering and rolling his eyes as he slumped back against the large rock that they were leaning on and downed a swig of his drink. "Helps that they've got no idea what's comin', though." His jet-black hair, dark eyeliner and mischievous smirk made his ancestry easy to recognize for anyone who knew his family: this was Harry Hook, Harriet's younger brother.
Uma, daughter of Ursula, smiled faintly at that, stoking the fire with the tip of her sword. "Damn right," she concurred, flashing a brief, hate-filled glare across the channel towards the distant lights of Auradon. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces."
"I mean… are you guys sure this is gonna work, though?" That question came from another teen who was sitting to Uma's left: Gil, Gaston's son, a muscular boy with long blonde hair. When Uma and Harry both shot irritated glares at him, he rocked back and raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I hope it does! I'm just saying, y'know… everybody thought Maleficent's plan to take the barrier down was gonna work, but it didn't. So how do we know that Damon's gonna be able to pull this off?"
Harry chuckled. "Ah, c'mon, Gil, have a little faith, mate!" He idly twirled the handgrip of his hook between his fingers. "I don't really give a shit about Damon, but if there's one person I'd trust to get this done who isn't part of this crew, it's my big sister. Harriet'll make sure this plan works if it's the last thing she does."
Uma nodded in agreement. "I don't trust Damon either, obviously," she put in with an amused snort. "Considering that his sister's turned traitor and his mom's big plan went down in flames, I don't have a lot of faith in the guy. But I do trust Mariana and Harriet, and I know they're gonna do whatever it takes to get the job done."
"And speakin' of that plan…" Harry spoke up, pushing himself slowly to his feet as a grin spread across his face. "Captain? I think we have our signal."
Uma turned to follow his gaze towards the mainland, and her eyes immediately lit up as she saw what had drawn his interest. The distant orange light of Auradon's beachside bonfire had suddenly turned a brilliant emerald green, and it stayed that way for a couple of seconds before shifting back to normal.
Gil quickly picked himself up, dusting sand off of his pants, while Uma accepted Harry's offered hand and he pulled her up to her feet. Following their gazes, all of the members of Uma's pirate crew began focusing on the distant fire, as it flashed from orange to green and back again several times over the course of the next few minutes. Unbeknownst to anyone in Auradon, when Tenebria had played around with changing the color of the bonfire during their performance, it hadn't just been a flashy display of artistry: she had actually been sending a previously-agreed-upon signal back to the Isle, where their allies would be able to see it.
"See?!" Harry's face lit up and he laughed, hugging Gil and clapping him on the back. "Told ya! I knew Harriet could handle this!"
As the crew erupted into delighted cheers, Uma remained still and surprisingly calm, like the eye of the storm. Her lips curved in a fierce grin as she gazed intently towards the glittering lights of Auradon, and one of her hands tightened on her sword-hilt. She still didn't trust Mal's brother, of course – she'd have to be an idiot to do that, considering Mal's betrayal of the Isle and her past history of conflicts with Maleficent's family – but with her cousin and Harry's sister in Auradon to keep an eye on things, they might have a chance after all.
"We're coming for you, traitors," she intoned grimly, listening to the sounds of her crew celebrating as she felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins. "And leaving us here to rot is gonna be your last regret."
Notes: And there we go!
For anyone who might be confused regarding all the hints I gave in this chapter about the nature of Damon & Evie's past relationship on the Isle: don't worry, I'm intentionally keeping it kinda ambiguous for the moment, but I am going to fully explain what they were to each other back then over the next few chapters.
On another note, when it comes to Descendants, I'm open to all manner of potential ships, but I will say that I don't ship any of the Core Four VKs with each other romantically, as I much prefer the platonic found-family/sibling-esque dynamic that the four of them have over any romantic ones. So while I can totally understand people shipping Jay & Carlos, they won't be a romantic thing here.
Also, yes, if the Sea Three's inclusion at the end of this chapter didn't make it clear enough, I will be incorporating the events of Descendants 2 into this story, although obviously that arc will play out somewhat differently here.
Finally, just as a bonus note: the final scene with Uma & her crew would be followed by this AU's version of her "What's My Name" scene from Descendants 2 (which is why that sound is included on the YouTube soundtrack for this fic), but I decided not to include the actual scene of them singing because it would've played out the exact same way as canon, just in a different location.
Next time, we get another flashback to explore the evolution of Evie's friendships with Damon & Mal on the Isle, while in the present, we jump ahead a few months and move towards the events of Descendants 2, as the students of Auradon Prep begin preparing for their Cotillion dance and the new VKs make a proposal to Ben. Stay tuned!