Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants.
Notes: Hi, all! Sorry that it's been a while since I've updated this fic, but I'm finally back with more of it. We're getting into the meat of the story now, and I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 4: Take a Hint
Four years ago…
Evie walked down a shadowy alley, doing her best to keep out of sight. Several silhouettes passed across the end of the alleyway ahead of her, where it opened out onto the street, so she ducked back into the shadows until they had passed.
If her mother's plans for her had come to fruition by now, she would have strode proudly out onto the street without any hesitation, secure in the power that her status as the Evil Queen's daughter would have given her. But all of that power and authority had been denied to her for the last eight years, ever since her mother had made a fatal mistake on the day of Evie's sixth birthday party. While Grimhilde had invited most of the Isle's biggest names to the event, she had been in the midst of a feud with Maleficent at the time, so the dark fairy and her two children had been "accidentally" excluded from the list of invitees for Evie's party.
Evie hadn't known about it until she was older, of course, but that hadn't mattered. If there was one insult that Maleficent would not forgive, it was the type of insult that had led to her original vendetta against Princess Aurora, and Grimhilde's deliberate spurning of her had led to harsh repercussions. The resulting clash had forced Grimhilde and Evie into seclusion, leaving them scorned and isolated by most of the Isle's inhabitants, while Maleficent had gone on to establish dominance over much of the island, victorious over her fallen rival.
While Grimhilde had been the primary target of Maleficent's revenge, Evie had simply been collateral damage. She'd been forced to grow up on the outskirts of the "high society" that her mother had taken such great pride in, while also dealing with Grimhilde's relentless pressure for her to find a way of climbing back up the social ladder and restoring her family to greatness once more. So far, though, she hadn't had much luck, as being homeschooled in her family castle meant that she usually didn't have much luck when it came to meeting people and making social connections.
One of the only places where Evie could find any sanctuary was a private hideout that she had established for herself some time ago, in a hidden sea cave along a remote area of the Isle's coastline. The cave's opening, on the edge of a bluff overlooking the ocean, was concealed by dense bushes, but once you pushed through those, the narrow cave opened out into a large cavern with access to the water, making it an ideal hiding place. As far as she knew, nobody else had found this cave, so she would regularly go there to swim or to hide out whenever staying in her mother's castle became too unbearable.
Today was one of those times, so Evie was currently making her way towards the entrance of her cave. Once she was out of the densely-populated part of the Isle, she didn't need to hide in the shadows and was able to make faster progress. Before long, the bluff where the cave entrance was hidden came into view, and she jogged towards it.
As she pushed her way through the bushes, however, Evie's eyes widened when she saw something inside the dark tunnel: the faint, distant flicker of torchlight, coming from deep inside the cave. Her eyes narrowed and she drew a small dagger from her pocket; just because her mom was obsessed with beauty didn't mean that she hadn't also taught Evie how to defend herself, as that was a necessity for a kid growing up on the Isle. Whoever had intruded on her private sanctuary, she would be prepared for them.
Creeping slowly down the entrance tunnel, Evie kept quiet as she approached the turn where it opened out into the larger cave. If whoever was in the cave was somebody that she could handle, she planned to chase them off; if it was a group of people, like one of the gangs that occupied much of the island, she would have to retreat, and she wanted to do that without them knowing that she was there. Luckily, although she could hear footsteps and the sound of somebody breathing heavily from down in the cave, she was pretty sure that it was only one person, which meant that she shouldn't be in too much danger.
Taking a slow, deep breath and holding it, Evie leaned cautiously out around the rock wall that blocked her view of the main cave. As her eyes adjusted to the torchlight and she saw who was occupying her cave, she rocked back on her heels, her eyes popping open wide.
The cave was illuminated by a combination of sunlight, filtering in from outside through the water, and the orange glow of several lit torches that Evie had placed on long holders along the walls. With that light, she could clearly see the person who was exercising on the small beach, wielding a sword in a series of slashes, jabs and parries. Fortunately, she'd been right that it was just one person, rather than a gang. Unfortunately, that person was Damon, Maleficent's son. His lean, handsome face and cobalt-blue hair were unmistakable, and his eyes flashed in the torchlight as he whirled and spun, slashing at the air with a curved sword that had probably been acquired from one of the pirates who controlled the Isle's docks.
Oh, shit… Evie paled at the realization that she was looking at one of the kids whose mother had ruined her life. If Damon hated her as much as Maleficent did, there was every chance that he might just try to gut her with that sword if he got the chance. She had a few blurry memories of playing with him and his sister Mal when she'd been little, but she was pretty sure that he wouldn't care about childhood memories now.
As luck would have it, though, Damon appeared to be thoroughly distracted. He was fully occupied with his training regimen, going through a series of combat moves and wielding his sword with an expertise that belied his young age. He was barefoot, which made sense on the damp sand, and he also wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment; the one that he'd brought with him was draped over a rock on the other side of the cave, leaving him in just a pair of black pants.
This detail in particular was what caught Evie off-guard. She'd seen Damon a couple of times since her "exile", but only from afar when he and his sister had been out in public with Maleficent. She hadn't seen him up close since they'd been little kids. And he looked…
Whoa! Not a good idea, E! Evie's cheeks flushed pink, and she tried to convince herself to retreat back up the tunnel, but she couldn't get her feet to move. Partly because she was scared of making a noise and drawing attention to herself, and partly because, try as she might, she couldn't take her eyes off of Damon as he whirled into a flurry of rapid slashes and jabs.
Finally, Damon came to a stop, panting and propping his sword on one of his shoulders as he leaned back to catch his breath. He glanced around at his surroundings, letting out a sigh as his breathing slowed down. His gaze shifted slowly over towards the entrance of the cave… and, almost before Evie realized it, he was looking straight back at her.
For an embarrassingly long moment, neither of the two teenagers moved, each just staring at the other without actually realizing what they were seeing. Then, simultaneously, their eyes widened in shock. Damon took a step back, raising his sword, while Evie was frozen to the spot in terror, barely able to move despite her instincts screaming at her to make a run for it. Finally, she took a staggering step back into the tunnel, just as Damon held a hand out in her direction.
"Wait!" he called out, hand extended as he set down his sword, driving it point-first into the sand to hold it in place. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." Letting go of the sword, he took a few steps away from it, hands held out to signify that he didn't mean any harm. "See?"
Evie was still on the verge of flight, but Damon's attitude was completely different from what she'd expected. She'd been anticipating a furious confrontation, not this. Although she kept her dagger in her hand, she stepped slowly back out of the tunnel and into the larger cave, keeping a safe distance between them.
"Evie, right?" Damon raised an eyebrow, looking curious more than anything else. "I remember you from when we were kids, but… it's been a while."
"Yeah," Evie replied tersely, gripping the handle of her dagger a little tighter. "Although I didn't think you'd be happy to see me."
Damon seemed confused for a moment, before he rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, right, my mom's whole thing. Honestly, I never understood why she got so offended over that. So your mom decided to be petty and leave us out of the invite list for your birthday; so what? You'd think my mom would have more important things to do anyway… although I guess if Mom didn't have a problem with that kind of thing, she never would've ended up on this damn island to begin with." He chuckled sardonically at that.
Evie was thrown off by how casual he was being, but she wasn't nearly foolish enough to immediately trust that he was telling the truth. "So… you don't hate me?" she pressed, raising an eyebrow skeptically and keeping a safe distance between them.
"Honestly, no." Damon shrugged. "My mom and my sister took the whole birthday-rejection thing personally, but I never really cared about it." Leaving his sword planted in the sand, he raised his arms over his head and started doing a series of stretches. "So what're you doing here, anyway? I just found this place a couple of days ago, and it didn't seem like anybody else knew about it."
"Well, nobody else does know about it, other than me," Evie replied tersely, folding her arms. "And I've been coming here for years. Thanks to our moms' feud, I'm a pariah on this island; nobody with a brain wants to be seen with me because they're scared of Maleficent, so it's just me and my mom, and all she cares about is teaching me to grow up exactly the way she wants me to." Normally she never would've said any of this, but once she started talking it all just came pouring out, until she was practically spitting the words at him as hot, angry tears started welling up in her eyes. "This is the only place where I can get some peace, and… and now that's ruined too!"
Damon genuinely appeared to be taken aback by that, and he stared at her with an unreadable expression for a minute, before something softened in his eyes. "I mean… it doesn't have to be ruined," he finally replied. "As far as I know, I'm the only other person who knows about this place… and I don't usually run with any of the gangs, so it's not like I trust anybody else enough to tell them about this. Plus, I like my privacy too." He spread his arms to indicate the cave around them. "So… why don't we just keep this place a secret, and then we can both use it whenever we want? I won't tell anybody else about it if you won't."
Evie's eyes widened, and she was momentarily stunned. Was it really possible that Damon, Maleficent's son, the Dark Prince of the Isle, was willing to offer a deal like that to her? Her, the outcast, the reject? It sounded ridiculous, but she was pretty good at telling when people were lying, and she couldn't sense any dishonesty in his face or in his voice. Either he was putting on a very convincing act… or he was telling the truth, and his offer was genuine.
Either way, she eventually decided that she'd have to take him up on his offer. If he tries to double-cross me, I can deal with him then. And if he's really being honest, then we both win. Although she kept a wary eye on him, she sheathed her dagger on her belt and nodded. "Fair enough," she replied, stepping forward until he was at arm's length and cautiously holding out one of her hands. "We share this place, and neither of us tells anybody else about it. Deal?"
Damon smiled, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes, and returned her nod as he reached out and shook her hand. "Deal," he confirmed.
Two years ago…
"C'mon, guys!" Mal called over her shoulder as she led the way into the main hall of Maleficent's home. Evie trailed after her, with the rest of their gang bringing up the rear.
In the past two years, Evie's life had changed almost beyond recognition. Her mother had finally managed to enroll her for proper schooling at Dragon Hall, which had led her to cross paths with Damon's younger sister Mal for the first time since their childhoods. Things between them hadn't gotten off to a good start, but after a series of misadventures, it had turned out that Mal, as well as two other VKs – Carlos de Vil, son of the infamous Cruella, and Jay, the son of Jafar – had turned out to be exactly what Evie had needed to form the gang that she'd always hoped for. Over the past few months, the four of them had forged a tightly-knit alliance, and Evie would rather spend time with Mal, Carlos and Jay than with anyone else on the Isle.
Well… almost anyone.
"Oh, great," Mal muttered under her breath as they approached the house's library. "My brother's home. Just ignore him; I usually do."
"Well, that's a little rude, sis," a familiar voice quipped, and Evie had to fight off a grin as she recognized it. "It's not nice to ignore your elders, you know."
Sure enough, Damon was sitting in a chair in the back of the library, reading from what looked like one of Maleficent's old books of magic. His hair was dyed jet-black with light blue streaks at the moment, and he was wearing his usual long black coat over a comfortable dark blue shirt and pants. A mischievous grin flickered across his lips as he took in the group. Jay and Carlos both stiffened nervously, familiar with the older boy's already-infamous reputation for being vicious with anybody who crossed him, but Evie had to suppress a chuckle when she made eye contact with him.
"Ugh, fine." Mal rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated groan as she turned to face Damon, slouching against the frame of the library's door. "What do you want, Damon?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see if you guys would be coming to the beach party this weekend," Damon replied casually, leaning back in his chair. "I was down at the docks this morning, and Uma was asking if you'd be there, so I thought I'd put in a good word for you."
Mal's cheeks flushed pink and she scowled. "You did what?!" she demanded. "Damn it, Damon, I haven't even decided if I like that girl yet!"
"Oh, relax, I didn't tell her anything about that," Damon laughed. "She just wanted to know if you might be at the party, so I said I'd check with you and find out. That's all." He smirked. "You're welcome to keep checking her out when she isn't looking for as long as it takes."
Mal's lip curled in a scowl and she almost launched herself at her brother, but Evie, Carlos and Jay quickly caught her and held her back. "C'mon, Mal, let's go," Jay muttered in her ear, guiding the purple-haired girl back out of the library. "We've got better things to do, right?"
Despite an irritated growl, Mal finally shook her head. "All right, fine!" she snapped, wrestling her way free of them and glaring at her brother as her eyes flashed green for a moment. "But stay the hell out of my business, Damon. Got it?" Without waiting for a response, she stalked off down the hall, with Jay and Carlos right behind her.
Evie, however, hung back at the entrance of the library, looking back at Damon. He chuckled as he settled back in his chair, before his expression became more curious as he looked back up at her. "Everything all right, Evie?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Evie smiled a little sheepishly, as a thought occurred to her. "I just wanted to ask… are you going to that beach party too? Because if you were planning to go, I mean… you could hang out with me – I mean, with us!" Her cheeks flushed at the slip-up, and she fought to keep her tone casual. "I… I'm sure Mal wouldn't mind."
"Oh?" Damon raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly at the look on her face. "I mean… I'd be flattered, E, but I don't think Mal would be happy about that. And…" His smile faded a bit, becoming almost apologetic. "I, ah… I'm already going with Anthony Tremaine."
Evie felt a pang lance through her stomach at that information. "…Oh," she replied, nodding slowly as she tried to suppress a surge of… was that jealousy?... that welled up inside her at the thought of Damon dating somebody. "All right. I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"It's all right," Damon assured her, but his smile had faded away too. "I'd love to see you there, though." He nodded in the direction where Mal, Carlos and Jay had gone. "But… right now, you should probably get going before Mal starts wondering where the hell you went."
"Right." Evie managed a shaky chuckle and nodded, giving him a brief wave. "I'll… see you later, then." Turning, she slipped out of the room and hurried off after her friends, ignoring the twisting feeling in her stomach and fighting to hold back the heat that was welling up behind her eyes.
I'm not jealous, she told herself. I'm not.
She couldn't be. Because if she was… then what would that mean?
Now…
A hot wind whipped past Mal's face, blowing her hair back and carrying the scents of smoke and blood. Screams echoed in the distance, accompanied by delighted laughter, but she couldn't think about any of that, because the horrific sight that lay before her had thoroughly captured her attention.
She was standing in the great hall of Auradon, where Ben's coronation had been held… but it was barely recognizable. Scorch marks and graffiti covered the walls, and the flags and tapestries of Auradon had been replaced by the green-and-purple banners of Maleficent.
And before her, kneeling in a line on the flagstones and wrapped in chains, were her friends. Ben, Evie, Carlos, Jay, even Ben's parents and the Fairy Godmother… all of them were bloody and bruised, looking up at her in terror.
A harsh laugh echoed in Mal's ears, and her blood ran cold. Slowly, she turned, to see her worst fears realized. She was standing on one side of the throne where Ben had sat when he had been crowned as King… but sitting on it now, resplendent in royal finery, was her mother, Maleficent. And standing on the other side of the throne was Damon, his eyes glowing with blue light and a cold smile on his face. His hair was on fire, tendrils of deep blue-and-purple flame flaring up into the air above his head, their parents' heritage combined in a terrifying display of power.
"My dear little beasties," Maleficent murmured, beaming proudly at each of her children in turn, with a smile that would once have made Mal happy but now made her stomach turn. "Deal with these fools, would you?"
Mal was rooted to the spot in horror, unable to move an inch, but Damon didn't hesitate. "Of course, Mother," he replied, chuckling darkly as he strode down the steps towards the restrained forms of her friends. "I'll start with this one, shall I?" He drew a sword from its sheath at his hip, and pointed it at Ben. "Watch closely, little sister. This is how you deal with your enemies."
"No!" Mal screamed, but her feet still wouldn't move. All she could do was watch, frozen in terror, as Damon laughed triumphantly and raised his sword to strike…
And then a flash of light went off in her eyes, and she blinked. Instantly, the nightmarish vision was gone, and the tumult of voices returned. She was back where she'd been an instant before, in the courtyard of Auradon Prep, with at least a dozen reporters in her face, all of whom were either taking pictures or shouting questions.
"Mal, please, over here!"
"Only three days to the Royal Cotillion! Did you ever think a girl like you would be Lady of the Court?"
"How does it feel to be the most envied girl in Auradon?"
"Are you happy to have your brother here?"
"Is your mother still a lizard?"
"I…" Mal's head was spinning; every time she even started to think about answering one question, several more would come firing in. That, on top of the horrifying daydream that she'd just suffered, had her about halfway to throwing up, until a much more comforting voice finally intervened.
"Okay, all right! Excuse me!" Ben pushed through the crowd and stepped up next to Mal, putting a supporting arm around her waist and letting her lean against him. "To answer that last question," he continued, turning to address the press, "we will keep all of you informed if or when that situation changes."
"Did you ever think you'd be with a villain kid?" one of the reporters called out.
Immediately, Ben's smile flickered, and Mal could feel him noticeably tensing up. He'd tolerated the barrage of questions until now, but although he had a lot more patience than she did, even he had his limits. "Ah… we're done here," he decided, looking down at Mal with a reassuring smile and guiding her away from the crowd as the Fairy Godmother stepped in to shield them, waving the reporters away. Mal barely heard the older woman's voice as she quickly shooed away the press; her ears were practically ringing as she leaned against Ben's side, trying to forget the vision that she'd just seen.
It wasn't real, she told herself. That's never going to happen. I won't let it.
It had been several months since the second batch of VKs had arrived in Auradon. So far, Damon, Harriet, Mariana and Tenebria hadn't caused any major trouble, and the four of them appeared to have settled into life in Auradon without too much stress. In her heart, though, Mal knew that her brother must be planning something. He wasn't the type of person to just give up; he had to have some kind of plan in the works, to get his magic back if nothing else, and she had no intention of dropping her guard.
In some respects, though, Mal's paranoia had actually been helpful. Specifically, she'd been so focused on the new VKs over the last few months that she hadn't had time to worry about much else. Her insecurities over the upcoming Cotillion dance, or even her general unease at the prospect of really fitting in at Auradon Prep, just didn't seem as important compared to protecting Auradon from a potential threat, so she'd been able to put them aside for the most part. She'd often found herself considering ways that she might be able to fit in better in Auradon – hell, she'd even thought about dyeing her hair a more "normal" color, like blonde or brown – but just the thought of seeing a scornful look on Damon's face at the sight of her trying to blend in was enough to send a surge of anger through her and to drive those ideas right out of her head. She scowled at the thought of it, gritting her teeth as her eyes flickered green for an instant.
"…Mal?" Ben's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked back up at him, to see that his smile had been replaced by a concerned frown. "Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Mal shook her head, snapping back to the present. "I… yeah, sorry, I'm fine." Brushing a few purple locks of hair out of her face, she sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"Oh, I was just saying… don't pay attention to them." Ben waved dismissively to the departing reporters. "People like that have been hassling me for years, and responding to them just makes it worse. Ignoring them is the best way to go."
Mal snorted under her breath. "Well, that's easier said than done," she muttered.
"Oh, trust me, I know." Ben chuckled softly and shook his head. "You know, maybe we should…"
"'Scuse us, Your Grace?" a familiar voice called out. Mal immediately tensed, and her eyes flickered green again as she turned to see Harriet strolling towards them, with Mariana following behind her. The pirate girl arched one eyebrow and smirked as she saw the look on Mal's face, before folding her arms casually behind her back as she stopped in front of Ben. "Mind if we have a moment of yer time?"
Ben gave Mal's arm a reassuring squeeze. "It's all right," he assured her, before nodding in response to Harriet's question. "Of course! But I do have a council meeting soon, so let's talk while we walk, okay?" Taking Mal's arm and leading her off across the courtyard, he beckoned for the two new VKs to follow them away from the reporters. "What's up?"
"Well," Mariana spoke up as she fell into step alongside Ben, "we had an idea that we wanted to propose to you. I think it could help to get people excited for your fancy 'Cotillion' dance."
"And it could also be a good way to blow off some steam an' have some fun," Harriet added with a cheerful grin as she strode along on Mariana's other side. "What would you think about holdin' a rehearsal dance, maybe tonight or tomorrow? Just so everybody can let loose, unwind a bit from the stress of all the prep work, an' have a bit o' fun."
"Plus, we could have some karaoke microphones set up, so anybody who wants to provide some extra music could do that too," Mariana continued, exchanging grins with Harriet as the four of them walked into the entrance hall of the school.
Mal immediately felt a little suspicious, of course, but she couldn't deny that the idea of being able to have a fun, relaxing evening to break up all of the boring, stressful preparations for Cotillion did sound nice. Ben clearly felt the same way, as he nodded thoughtfully and she could see a faint smile forming on his face. "That could be nice," he agreed, thinking it over. "I could check with Fairy Godmother after my meeting this morning, and see if we could hold it in the main ballroom here at the school. That way, anybody from the student body who wanted to attend and/or perform would be welcome." He considered for a moment. "Tonight would probably be better than tomorrow, though, since there'll be lots of work to be done over the last two days before Cotillion."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Mal agreed reluctantly. She was understandably hesitant to trust any proposals made by the new VKs, but so far they hadn't done anything to suggest that they were going to try some kind of nefarious scheme. Still, a big event at Auradon Prep would be a good distraction, if they were planning to try something elsewhere. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over to the other two girls. "I assume all four of you would want to be there for this? I know Damon always hates to miss a party."
"Of course!" Mariana flashed a sugary-sweet smile, although Mal saw a mischievous gleam in her eyes which suggested that Ursula's niece knew exactly what she was implying. "We already asked Damon and Tenebria if they'd be interested in participating, and they were both totally for it."
"Yep," Harriet concurred, chuckling. "You should know yer brother never misses a chance to put on a show, Princess."
Mal's lip curled, but she managed to rein in her annoyance. If all four of the new VKs were at this "rehearsal dance", that meant they wouldn't be able to pull off any kind of shady plot elsewhere, so she couldn't see any objections to their proposal. "All right, then," she agreed tersely. "Sounds good to me."
"And to me as well," Ben agreed with a smile. "I'll talk to Fairy Godmother and we'll work on getting everything set up in the ballroom. If you two would like to meet us there after my council meeting, you'd be welcome to help us with the preparations."
"Fabulous!" Mariana smiled brightly, taking Harriet's hand. "Come on, let's get our outfits picked out and figure out a couple of songs for us to do." With a wink from Harriet, they hurried off towards the student dorms.
As soon as the other two VKs were gone, Mal tugged on Ben's arm, bringing him to a stop. "Make sure you have guards on duty tonight," she cautioned him. "Just in case they try anything."
Ben sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "Mal… look, I know how you feel, but you have to admit, it's been months and they haven't caused any trouble yet. Is it so hard to believe that they're really just trying to fit in here?"
"I wouldn't bet on it," Mal replied darkly, shooting a glare after the departing VKs. "Mariana, Harriet and Tenebria all still have family on the Isle, and I don't think they'd just forget about them and settle into Auradon this easily unless they had something up their sleeves. And Damon…" She shivered, remembering the nightmarish vision of her brother about to cut Ben down with a smile on his face. "He's not the type to give up. Ever." Shaking her head, she looked up at him with a plaintive expression. "Just… please, make sure we're prepared, just in case. Please."
Ben's expression softened as he saw the intensity in her eyes, and he nodded. "Of course," he murmured, leaning in and pressing a reassuring kiss to her forehead. "I will. I promise." Smiling, he pulled away. "Now, you should probably go find Evie so you guys can get your Cotillion dresses fitted. I've gotta get to that meeting, but I'll see you later!" Turning, he jogged up the stairs and out of sight.
Almost on cue, Evie burst into the entrance hall through another door, looking around frantically before her eyes fell on Mal and she rushed over to her. "There you are!" she panted. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time, but we have to…"
"Whoa! E, it's okay, relax!" Mal caught the other girl by her shoulders, holding her still. "Are you all right?"
"I…" Evie shook her head and nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, I was just… trying to figure some stuff out for my Cotillion outfit, and I forgot what time it was."
Mal couldn't help but frown at that. In all the time that she had known Evie, the other girl had always been punctual to a fault; she wasn't the type of person who usually forgot about things, especially when it came to prepping for important events. But for the past few months, ever since the new VKs had arrived, Evie had been behaving strangely. She'd been spending less and less time with her friends, going off by herself or finding various different projects to keep herself busy outside of Auradon Prep, as if she was trying to avoid spending time at the school. As far as Mal knew, she hadn't even been on an official date with Doug in weeks. Whenever Mal or the other VKs had tried to ask Evie about it, though, she'd evaded or deflected their questions without providing an actual explanation.
On the surface, Evie looked the same as she always did; her outfit, hair and makeup were all flawless, as usual, and she was projecting her usual businesslike attitude. On the surface, everything about her seemed normal. But it was the finer details that were different, subtle enough that only her close friends would realize that something was wrong. Her usual calm confidence had been replaced by an erratic, nervous energy, she barely slept, and she constantly seemed to be on edge, as if she was worried about something other than the upcoming Cotillion.
Mal's frown deepened as she looked her friend up and down. "Uh… seriously, E, are you okay?" she questioned, feeling a rush of concern as she saw the way Evie was glancing nervously around the lobby.
"What?" Evie looked back at her, blinking and frowning. "Oh… yeah, I'm fine." She sighed and rubbed her eyes, before shaking her head and focusing back on the business at hand. "Look, we don't have time for this right now, all right? If we don't get your gown fitted today, then you're gonna be dancing in your bathrobe at Cotillion." Some of her usual fire came back into her eyes as she waved meaningfully towards the stairs. "Now let's go!"
"All right, all right…" Mal rolled her eyes and sighed as she linked her arm through Evie's, before allowing the other girl to lead her back to their dorm room.
After a busy afternoon of dress fittings and a quick dinner, Mal and Evie got dressed in comfortable party outfits – matching knee-length dresses, Mal's black and Evie's dark blue – and made their way down to the grand ballroom of Auradon Prep. Ben and the new VKs had been quick to spread the word of the rehearsal dance that Mariana and Harriet had proposed, and most of the school's students were planning to attend, except for some of the ones who had the most work to do in preparation for Cotillion. Doug and most of the marching band, for instance, were notably absent, as they had rehearsal that night (although Doug had promised that he would be there as soon as they were done, assuming that the dance was still going on by then).
When the girls arrived in the ballroom, Ben, Carlos and Jay were already there waiting for them, all dressed up in their own comfortable-but-fancy attire. Ben was still wearing the powder-blue suit that he'd had on earlier that day, while Carlos and Jay had opted for more casual outfits, wearing loose-fitting T-shirts and pants with leather jackets over the top (black-and-white for Carlos and dark red for Jay). All three of them looked up and grinned when they saw the girls arriving, waving as Mal and Evie skirted around the edge of the crowd and made their way over to join them.
"Hey, guys!" Ben leaned in to kiss Mal on the cheek, his smile widening as he took in her outfit. "You look amazing, as always."
Mal blushed and chuckled despite herself. "Yeah, well, same goes for you, Your Highness," she quipped, grinning as she reached up and playfully tugged on his tie. Evie, Carlos and Jay all laughed softly, although Mal couldn't help but notice that Evie was also glancing around the hall as if she was looking for someone.
"Oh, get a room, you two," a familiar voice called out in a playful, joking tone, and Mal's lips compressed in a barely-contained scowl as she turned to see Damon strolling into the hall. His choice of outfit immediately sent a chill down her spine, and her fists clenched in anger as she took his appearance in properly. He was wearing a dark purple suit, with a forest-green shirt and tie under his purple jacket, and his purple-streaked black hair slicked back. To anyone who knew his heritage, his chosen outfit was clearly meant to invoke the signature colors of Maleficent, which were also used in things like the "Long Live Evil" sigil that Mal and the other VKs had often used as graffiti on the Isle. Mariana, Harriet, and Tenebria were all entering the hall behind him: Mariana was clad in a long emerald-green dress, Harriet in a form-fitting black suit, and Tenebria in a deep red dress with a black top-hat.
Evie had also stiffened at Mal's side when she saw the new VKs arriving, but Carlos and Jay were both rooted to the spot, their eyes wide as they took in the three other girls' outfits. Mal couldn't help rolling her eyes when she saw the dumbstruck looks on their faces, and quickly snapped them back to attention by slipping a subtle elbow into each of their sides. Wincing, both boys shook their heads and sighed, focusing back on the business at hand.
Ben, for his part, seemed much more comfortable than the original VKs. "Hey there!" he greeted the new arrivals cordially, nodding to Damon and Tenebria before focusing on Mariana and Harriet. "Thanks again for suggesting this, guys. The next couple of days are going to be pretty crazy with everybody getting ready for Cotillion, so I think you were right: it'll be good for everybody to relax and have a fun evening before we get into all of that."
"No kidding," Carlos muttered under his breath. Jay snorted in amusement and playfully nudged the younger VK with one shoulder.
"Yeah, that's what we were thinkin' too," Harriet agreed. "And it's probably about time t' get started, I reckon." She nodded up towards the stage, where several microphone stands had been set up, as well as a DJ music stand that could be used to play whatever music the attendees (or the impromptu karaoke singers) requested.
"Oh, by the way, you two are still good to go for later, right?" Mariana spoke up, flashing a playful grin at Carlos and Jay.
Carlos blushed, but Jay just laughed. "Oh, yeah, we're ready to go," he confirmed. "Just let us know when you wanna do it."
"Excellent!" Mariana's smile widened and she winked at the boys, before turning and heading up towards the main stage that occupied one side of the ballroom. Harriet chuckled and trailed right behind her, leaving Damon and Tenebria behind with Ben and the original four VKs.
"Uh…" Mal exchanged glances with Evie, who looked just as confused as she was, before turning to Jay and Carlos. "Guys? What're they talking about?"
"Oh, we ran into them a couple of hours ago, and they wanted to know if we'd like to join them for a song at some point tonight," Jay explained casually. "Sounded like fun, and it didn't seem like that could cause any problems, so we said yes." He grinned. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. They actually picked a pretty fun song for the four of us to sing."
Although Mal couldn't deny that the idea did sound harmless enough, she still didn't like it. However, she didn't get a chance to say anything, as the group was distracted by a sudden yell and a commotion from over by the elevated stage. Ben's eyes widened as the crowd parted to reveal the source of the noise: Harriet and Mariana were facing off with Chad Charming, who had his usual overconfident smirk plastered on his face. Mariana had an expression halfway between anger and disgust on her face, while Harriet was just glaring daggers at Chad and looked like she was about to throw a punch.
"Oh, great," Jay sighed, rolling his eyes at the sight. "That's all we needed."
Ben was already walking quickly over towards the scene, with Damon and Tenebria right behind him. As Ben put himself between Chad and the two girls, Damon and Tenebria stepped up next to Mariana and Harriet, clearly ready to back their fellow VKs up if things got ugly.
"Okay, everybody calm down!" Ben called out sternly, putting himself squarely between Chad and the new VKs. "What's going on here?"
"That bloody slimeball was hitting on us," Harriet spat, fists clenched as she scowled at Chad.
"Hey, I was just being friendly!" Chad protested, although his lingering grin wasn't very convincing.
"Your exact words were 'Hey, since you two didn't bring dates, why don't we grab a couple of drinks and have some fun?'" Mariana retorted flatly, folding her arms over her chest. "I'd thought Auradon boys were more polite than some of the assholes back home, but clearly I was wrong."
"And I don't take kindly to idiots propositioning my girlfriend," Harriet added, her eyes flashing with anger.
As Chad kept insisting that he'd just been trying to be friendly, Carlos chuckled under his breath and leaned in closer to Mal, Evie and Jay. "Man, where's Audrey when you need her?" he muttered.
"Apparently she decided not to even bother attending Cotillion this year, so she's spending this week at some fancy private spa in Sherwood Forest instead," Mal murmured back, rolling her eyes at the thought of the girl in question. They didn't get along, for obvious reasons, but at least Audrey could usually keep Chad's ego in check and prevent him from doing anything stupid when she was around.
"Yeah, that sounds like her," Evie remarked with a sigh.
"All right, that's enough!" Ben raised his voice again, cutting through Chad and Harriet's ongoing argument. "We're here to have fun and relax, so I don't want any trouble tonight. Chad, leave the new kids alone. Harriet, Mariana, please don't start any fights." He looked from one side to the other. "Got it?"
After a moment of silence, Chad and Harriet both reluctantly nodded. The latter, however, still had a smoldering glare fixed on the former, as if she was picturing a long list of painful acts that she wanted to perform on him.
"Actually…" Mariana snapped her fingers as an idea occurred to her, and her lips curved in a thoughtful smile. "Hey, honey? I think I know how we can cool things down a bit." She leaned in and whispered into Harriet's ear for a few seconds, before pulling back and turning to Ben. "Your Highness, would it be all right if Harriet and I provide the first song of the evening?" Harriet's scowl had slowly shifted into a predatory grin, and Mal didn't like the look in her eyes as she focused back on Chad, who now looked a little nervous.
Ben arched an eyebrow, clearly a little worried about what the girls might have in mind, but he finally nodded. "All right, then. Just keep it clean, okay?"
"Of course!" Mariana nodded and smiled brightly, exchanging an amused glance with Harriet. "In fact, this little number will be dedicated to Prince Charming Jr. over there, as our attempt to let him know just how charming we find him." She sent a mock-flirtatious smile over to Chad, who had visibly relaxed a bit once it was clear that Harriet wasn't actually going to start throwing punches at him. "Now, let's get started!" Turning on her heel, she strode up the steps onto the elevated stage of the ballroom, taking one of the microphones that had been set up for them.
Harriet bounded lightly up the steps behind her and snagged one of the mics as well, before glancing over to the far end of the stage, where a computer had been set up with all of the music options for the rehearsal dance. "Track 305, dearie," she called to the student who'd volunteered to act as the DJ for the evening. "And make it snappy." With that, she strolled over to stand next to Mariana, both girls gazing down to where Chad stood on the floor below with a slightly-nervous grin still fixed on his face.
With the situation temporarily defused, Ben, Damon and Tenebria all stepped back, making their way over to where Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay were watching. Tenebria was already back to her usual attitude of relaxed detachment, gazing up at the stage without too much interest, but Damon was snickering quietly under his breath as if he already knew what was coming.
"What's so funny?" Mal demanded, suppressing a scowl when she saw the delighted look in his eyes. She'd seen that expression from him before, usually when someone he disliked was about to get hurt, and it never boded well.
Damon looked over at her, his lip curved up in a knowing smirk. "Well, I'm afraid your boy Chad's about to learn a rather painful lesson," he quipped, just as a fast-paced beat started booming out of speakers all around the ballroom.
"And… what's that?" Ben inquired.
Damon's smirk widened, and he nodded towards the stage as the song began. "Never hit on a girl in front of her girlfriend."
{Harriet; Mariana; Both}
"Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like?" Harriet sang out, her voice ringing through the hall. "I can always see 'em comin', from the left and from the right."
"I don't wanna be a priss; I'm just tryin' to be polite!" Mariana followed up. "But it always seems to bite me in the…"
"Ask me for my number, yeah, you put me on the spot," Harriet drawled, glancing scornfully down at Chad.
"You think that we should hook up," Mariana snarked with a roll of her eyes, "but I think that we should not."
"You had me at hello, then you opened up your mouth," Harriet added, before Mariana's voice joined hers.
"And that… is when… it started going south, oh!
Get your hands off my hips,
Or I'll punch you in the lips,
Stop your staring at my… Hey!
Take a hint, take a hint!
No, you can't buy me a drink,
Let me tell you what I think,
I think you could use a mint,
Take a hint, take a hint!
T-Take a hint, take a hint!"
By this point, most of the crowd were starting to laugh as the joke sank in. Chad wasn't grinning anymore; instead, he was looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing line, as it became very clear that this wasn't what he'd asked for.
"I guess you still don't get it," Harriet continued with a malicious grin, "so let's take it from the top."
"You asked me what my sign is, and I told you it was 'Stop'!" Mariana snapped, deliberately locking eyes with Chad, whose face promptly reddened.
"And if I had a dime for every name that you just dropped…"
"You'd be here, and I'd be on a yacht, oh!
Get your hands off my hips,
Or I'll punch you in the lips,
Stop your staring at my… Hey!
Take a hint, take a hint!
No, you can't buy me a drink,
Let me tell you what I think,
I think you could use a mint,
Take a hint, take a hint!
T-Take a hint, take a hint!
"What about 'No' don't you get?" Harriet demanded.
"So go and tell your friends…" Mariana ordered.
"I'm not really interested!" they chorused in unison as they began striding down the steps towards Chad, who stumbled back with a comically panicked look on his face. Their voices didn't waver, alternating lines with perfect rhythm.
"It's about time that you're leavin'…"
"I'm gonna count to three, and…"
"Open my eyes, and you'll… be… gone!"
"One…" Mariana purred, sauntering towards Chad.
"Get your hands off my…" Harriet growled, matching her step-for-step.
"Two…" Mariana's eyes sparkled as she traded smirks with her girlfriend.
"Or I'll punch you in the…" Harriet cracked her knuckles.
"Three…"
"Stop your staring at my…"
"Hey!" they both yelled, right into Chad's face. "Take a hint, take a hint!"
This, finally, was too much, and Chad turned tail and fled from the ballroom, the crowd parting in front of him with a chorus of laughter. Sporting matching smirks, Harriet and Mariana spun around and bounded back up onto the stage as their song reached its crescendo, their voices ringing out in harmony again.
"I am not your missing link,
Let me tell you what I think,
I think you could use a mint,
Take a hint, take a hint!
Take a hint, take a hint!
Whoa…!
Get your hands off my hips,
Or I'll punch you in the lips,
Stop your staring at my… Hey!
Take a hint, take a hint!
T-Take a hint, take a hint!"
As the music came to a rousing finale, Mariana and Harriet replaced the microphones, joined hands and took a bow, before straightening up as the latter turned to the former and pulled her into a long, lingering kiss. Cheers and whistles rose from the crowd of students, along with a few surprised gasps from those who hadn't realized that these two VKs were a couple. Damon was smirking, Carlos and Jay were both laughing, and even Ben, Mal, and the ever-detached Tenebria seemed a little amused.
"All right!" Harriet called out to the audience, grinning widely as she threw an arm around Mariana's shoulders and indicated the microphone stands with a wave of her hand. "Who's next?"
Notes: And there we go!
Just a few notes for this chapter:
– The story of why Evie & her mom were "outcasts" for most of Evie's childhood, as well as how she became friends with Mal, Carlos & Jay, is explained in more detail in the canon Descendants novel Isle of the Lost. Her secret sea-cave hideout is something that I came up with for this AU.
– If it wasn't clear at this point, in my headcanon for this AU, both Damon and Mal are bi/pansexual. The idea that Mal had a crush on Uma when they were younger is a reference to a popular headcanon (which is actually shared by China McClain) that Mal & Uma dated at one point during their time on the Isle and were exes by the time of the films.
– Obviously, due to the presence of the new VKs and her altered mindset at this point, Mal's priorities are different at the moment and she isn't as concerned with her insecurities about fitting into Auradon society, so I decided to change her "daydream" from the movie's opening scene into a much darker vision that shows her fears about what Damon could be capable of. Also, if it weren't obvious at this point, the plot point of her going back to the Isle won't be happening in this AU, as I've got a different plan for how the second movie's events are going to play out here.
– The karaoke night/rehearsal dance was something that I decided to add because it gives me a good way to give each of the new VKs some more individual characterization and to have them interact more with the original four & the Auradon kids.
– Also, apologies to any Chad fans out there for making him the punching bag in that last scene, but I needed somebody who would believably do something like that to piss off Harriet & Mariana, and he seemed like a good fit for that. XD
– And, of course, Harriet & Mariana's duet in the last scene is "Take a Hint" from the Victorious soundtrack, as that song just worked perfectly for what I had in mind. Also, since Elizabeth Gillies (Jade in that series, and my faceclaim for Mariana) is one of the two original singers for that song, Mariana's part of the song is what her voice would actually sound like.
Next time, the karaoke night continues, and more drama ensues as Evie struggles with her conflicted feelings and the new VKs continue their scheming. Stay tuned!