Chapter Twenty Six
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belong to either Disney or the Greek myths!
Okay, full disclosure, this chapter basically took on a mind of its own. It was originally just supposed to be about changes being made to the Isle and then apparently the chapter said 'no that's boring' and thus, what we have here!
AmethystDragon14: Yay! Agreed, at last! Take that Maleficent! I'd say Gaston would recognize the irony if he knew what the word meant lol
twilightgirl587: Well that's true, Belle would make sure there's a library :D Just no giant spiders!
danifan3000: We can only hope none of the LeGume girls meet Freddy this go around!
jedblack1997: I try to implement different bits of 'canon' where I can and there was a book from Beast's POV where he and Gaston had been friends before his transformation.
OceanBlueSeaEyes: I wouldn't doubt that! And that's a good idea with Belle asking Mulan and Shang to help Ben :D
Heroesweardogtags209: I'm so glad you liked it!
Hope you guys like the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Mutters filled the air at one of the local taverns; the tavern wenches trying to stay clear of any one's grasp or eye sight in case they were asked for their opinion. They weren't paid to talk with the patrons, just keep the drinks flowing.
If they were lucky enough to be paid at all.
"I'm sure you've noticed the construction going on," one of the bar regulars said, downing his drink and holding it out to be refilled.
"You'd have to be blind as Odie not to notice," another regular said. "Though should we be surprised? Now that Queen Beastie's husband and son are here with us, we start getting some attention."
"Hush, you want Facilier to hear you? Never mention a man's mother!"
"Like I'm scared of him! He got defeated by a frog!" The tavern goer shook his head. "But anyway, like I was saying, you'd have to be blind not to notice. And apparently, it's not just a hospital going up."
"Looks like just a hospital to me."
"Yeah well, you're an idiot. From what I heard, it's gonna have a doctor for your eye balls and a baby doctor too."
"…So a hospital."
The tavern goer shook his head and whacked his companion over the head before calling out to one of the tavern wenches. "Henrietia, what do you think about all this?"
"Ah you know me, I'm not paid to think," Henrietia said, shaking her head as she poured another pint of whatever alcohol they could find for the patron; her almost trademark medallion swinging back and forth with every shake of her head. "Mind you, this could be good for the Isle though."
"How so?"
"If we're finally getting attention from the mainland, means we might have more options for you to drink."
"Hey, she's right!" The other patron said causing the first one to whack him over the head again.
Henrietia sighed and went back to wiping down the counter. Or at least she would have if another patron hadn't grabbed her by the arm.
"How's about you and I get out of here and I can increase your tip?"
"I think—."
"Let go of her!" A young boy's voice cried out as a red-haired boy came rushing over, a small sword hanging from his belt. While the taverns weren't the best place on the Isle for kids, some people couldn't help having them around.
The Stabbington brothers' latest flings were two such examples; their sons Switch and Blade were a feature of the taverns though Henrietia noted that they tended to stay away from her son. Speaking of which…
"Henry, go outside. I can handle this," she said, looking over at her son.
"But mama—!"
"Henry, I mean it," Henrietia said, giving her son a look. "Go outside, go see if Derek wants to work your sparring."
Henry made a small face at the thought of possibly having to abandon his mom but nodded. His mama gave an order after all, and you couldn't argue with an order. Well you could but that would be mutiny and Henry didn't want to mutiny against his mama.
Smiling as she watched her son go outside and satisfied that he was out of earshot, Henrietia leaned back and smacked the patron as hard as she could with her free arm.
"What the hell?!" The patron exclaimed but thankfully releasing her arm.
"Don't you ever talk to me like that in front of my son again. Got it?" Henrietia growled. "Don't forget, his father's in Captain Hook's crew so unless you want to find yourself banned from the fish shop, you'll use your other brain to think before you speak."
Henry's 'father' wasn't going to be thrilled with the fact that she used him in an argument, especially when he liked to claim that there was no proof Henry was his. But Henrietia could and would handle that later.
"You need any help there?" Blade's mother asked as she walked past with her arms laden with drinks.
"I'm fine," Henrietia said as the patron shot her a glare before walking out.
"You sure?" Blade's mom said as she walked over. "You want me to have Patchy walk you back to your place when he comes by to collect Blade?"
"I still can't believe you have a kid with him and you don't know his actual name."
"Says the woman who has a kid with a man who won't claim his own son."
Henrietia sighed. "Point taken. Don't say that sort of thing around Henry though. Even if his 'father' is a piece of work…this is still the Isle. Changes or no changes."
Blade's mother nodded. She knew as much as anyone how important it was for the children to have another parent to fall back on should anything happen to them. It was why she insisted Blade's father have a relationship with his son and not raise him the way his father raised him.
"Speaking of parents, did you hear the gossip around the Isle?"
"No, what happened?" Henrietia asked as she took some of the glasses out of the other tavern wench's hands.
"Apparently Maleficent's daughter is not only Maleficent's daughter," Blade's mother said. "Young Mal has been adopted by Lady Persephone!"
Henrietia paused and looked at her coworker. "Wherever did you hear that? I don't think Lord Hades would be spreading gossip around the Isle about his wife after all."
"Someone leaked the meeting minutes of Queen Belle's council meetings," Blade's mother said. "I honestly can't believe Maleficent's still around, you know how protective Lady Persephone is of her marriage and her husband. I would have thought Maleficent to have enough brains to not want to tempt being turned into a mint plant."
Henrietia shook her head and sighed. "Well if you're talking about it, then I guess the kids are too. I'll need to talk to Henry about not spreading it around unless Mal wants him to."
"Does he spend much time with young Mal?"
"Not particularly but she does spend time with Harry Hook and Henry's 'father' is part of Captain Hook's crew." Henrietia said as she walked away from the bar. "You know full well that if young Mal got annoyed with Henry, she could ask Harry to get his father to feed Henry's father to the sharks or that pesky crocodile that swims around."
Though…that might be better for Henry in all honesty, she thought as she continued to work. Yes he'd be sad that his donor was gone but…if anything happened to me, Henry would be in the same boat regardless. At least if Hook did something about Henry's 'father', Henry wouldn't have the potential sting of rejection.
She shook her head. No, she wasn't going to think like that. She was gong to survive the Isle and see the changes take place and see her son grow up. She was going to make it so.
"Mama?"
"Henry I thought I told you to go outside?" Henrietia asked, slightly surprised at hearing her son's voice. Henry was many things but disobedient was not usually one of them.
"I did," Henry said. "I even found Derek like you told me too but then we found Ryan and he was hungry so—."
"Pause," Henrietia said, holding up a hand to pause her son's words. "Who's Ryan?"
"Oh!" Henry said and moved so that his mom could see who he was talking about. Henrietia couldn't help but smile slightly as she saw a smaller brown haired boy, with the wide innocent eyes of a younger Isle kid.
"Well I think I can scare up some bar food for you and your crew Henry," Henrietia said. "Why don't you tell me how you and Derek met Ryan? I don't think I've ever seen him around before."
"His papa's in Captain Hook's crew too," Henry explained and Henrieta had to bite back a smile as she watched both Henry and Derek help the younger boy onto one of the bar stools before clamoring up one themselves.
"Oh is he?"
"Uh huh," Henry nodded. "Ryan tried to lift my sword off me but I caught him."
Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. "I still say you cheated."
"I'm a pirate," Henry chuckled and leaned over to ruffle Ryan's hair. "Besides I also had Derek with me to point out someone trying to lift my sword from my own belt."
Derek nodded. "You did make yourself pretty obvious mate, but don't worry. Hang out with me and Henry enough and you'll be more sneaky than Harry. He's so sneaky that most of the time we don't even see him around the docks."
"That's because he spends all his time hanging around with Mal and Uma," Henry said. "And now Beastie Jr."
"Behave," Henrietia said as she handed a plate of bar food to the boys. It honestly wasn't much, just scraps they could make presentable but most of the patrons didn't really care if they were drunk enough. Besides, they had to start offering food otherwise Hades and Ursula's restaurants were going to force them to shut down.
And Henrietia might not have quite enjoyed her job but it was her's and like every Isle dweller, she was not going to let someone steal what was her's!
Even if it probably made more sense to just get a job at Lord Hades' place.
"But…we're VKs?" Ryan said, his small voice breaking into Henrietia's thoughts and melting her heart. "I…I thought we didn't behave?"
"Doesn't your mama tell you to behave? It's what all mamas do even if we're VKs," Henry said.
Ryan looked down as if trying to hide what he was feeling. "I…I don't have a mama, only a papa and a Kristy," he said. "Papa…papa said mama had to go be with Lord Hades but…she can't come back and we can't ask Lord Hades to give her back."
"…Then you can share my mama," Henry said and Henrietia looked over at her son. She hadn't expected that response from Henry if she was honest.
"Really?" Ryan asked.
"Of course," Henry nodded. "My mama's the best mama and I know we don't share on the Isle but that's for not allies. You're my ally like Derek's my ally so I get to share with you! Besides, mama already gave you food—that's what a mama's supposed to do right? So she's your mama too!"
Henry, if that was the case, I'd be half of the tavern patrons' 'mamas', Henrietia thought with an internal snort. Though in all honesty, the way some of them act, you'd think they never had any mothers or worse, that they were all raised by Gaston. I can't tell you how many of the tavern wenches wanted to applaud former King Beast for punching Gaston when we heard about it. Didn't think the puffed up shirt had it in him to throw a punch actually.
"So…is it okay mama?" Henry's voice brought Henrietia out of her thoughts.
"Is what okay?"
"If you be Ryan's mama and my mama," Henry elaborated and Henrietia sighed.
"Henry…I can't just be someone else's mama," she said, trying to keep her voice gentle because it was a sweet thought. And the last thing she wanted was to be the person who stopped the sweet thoughts that ran through her son's head.
"Why not?" Henry asked. "Lady Persephone's Mal's mama now. That's what people are saying around the Isle. So why can't you be Ryan's mama?"
Henrietia sighed once more and looked around, trying to make sure no one had heard what Henry had said. Even if it was true, there was no need to put a target on their back because Maleficent got upset with who was spreading gossip around the Isle.
Gods, she couldn't wait until they were all free of that Dragon. If that day ever came that is.
"Henry, I can look out for Ryan the same way I look out for you, or the same way I look out for Switch, Blade, or Locklyn when they're around the taverns," Henrietia said, pulling herself out of her thoughts. The daughter of Gaston was not one you'd expect to be around these parts but as Claudette had explained to her, Medusa had been Locklyn's mother.
Actually, 'mother' was a poor choice of words. She was pretty much the same thing Henry's 'father' was to him if Henrietia was honest. The woman hadn't even named Locklyn before tossing her into some rubbish by the taverns.
Thankfully, young Piper had found the baby and was able to bring her home to the Bimbettes so Locklyn was able to get the necessary resources to grow up and be strong though Henrietia knew it couldn't have been easy since Claudette was also pregnant with Gil at the time. Though at least her pregnancy made it so Gaston provided more resources to her in the event the baby was male.
And if those resources happened to find their way to the young girls in the house hold as well…well no one would actually tell Gaston that was going on.
"Why don't you boys finish up your food and then go back out?" Henrietia suggested. "Maybe see if Switch or Blade want to work on their sword work with you?"
Derek made a face. "No offense, Mrs. Henry's Mama but Switch and Blade aren't the most friendly. I'd rather stay with Henry and Ryan."
"No offense taken Derek, it was just a suggestion," Henrietia said. She knew the Stabbington boys weren't the most…welcoming of VKs but she also knew how the Isle worked. If Henry could gain more 'alliances', the safer he'd be. "If you boys are all done, why don't you go back out? No sense in you all being cooped up here all day."
"But…we can keep you safe mama!"
"Yeah Mrs. Henry's mama! Henry told us about the guy who grabbed your arm!"
"That wasn't nice of him, we could teach him why that's wrong!" Ryan joined in the cacophony of young boys' voices and Henrietia had to bite her lip to keep from smiling at how adorable the offer was. Though as Henry would have told her, VKs and pirates don't do adorable.
"Well then, I value your guard," she said and the rest of her shift was spent in the presence of three vigilant yet tiny guards; keeping an eye out for any patron who dared to treat her poorly.