We're back! After another long semester of analyzing a Descendants movie, I have finally finished the third one. It's a bit longer than the others but I really like and I hope you do to!
Also, be sure to check out the cover art I had commissioned cause I am a nerd.
Chapter One: HK Day!
All across the Isle of the Forgotten, the prison for heroes and royalty that the heinous villains who rule Auradon had sent them to, there were static screens that flickered with the most important news broadcast since Queen Mal's coronation.
Every child of Isle sat in front of one, watching Audrey, Ben, Chad, and Jane, former Isle kids who had been sent to Auradon, as they walked up to the podium.
"Isle of the Forgotten!" Audrey announced, her voice booming out of the tinny speakers. "Hero Kid Day is coming to the Isle! A day to celebrate your heritage and what had made you you. The four of us will be visiting the Isle because…four more are going ashore!"
Melody, hiding in a closet in her family's seaside shack, gasped. Herkie and the rest of the junior knights started clapping and high fiving each other while one boy watched for their instructor's return. Winter, watching the broadcast as she stitched the Blue Fairy's newest dress, stabbed her finger with her pin in shock.
"Two weeks from now, we'll be coming back to the Isle for Hero Kid Day, collecting applications, and announcing who is joining us in Auradon!" Audrey finished.
All across the Isle, dreams began to sprout in the minds of the young kids. Dreams, that for the first time, involved them leaving their home for evil Auradon.
Two weeks later, Hero Kid Day had arrived. The Isle was decked out in decorations Audrey had shipped over. Banners with the kids' crests hung from empty laundry lines and brightly colored streamers coiled around fire escapes were hanging everywhere. Upbeat music played out of small speakers above the main roads and the youngest children ran around with paper dragons and sparklers. Decorating crumbling walls were new posters of the four original Isle kids that had left for Auradon.
The four that were now coming back.
Ben led the way down the alleys of the Isle. His blue prince vest was buttoned over a black collared shirt that was rolled up to his elbow. His dark blue pants were trimmed with gold, matching the beast crest splashed on the back of his vest, a crest he'd made his own. His eyes flickered yellow as he grinned at the streets of his childhood, feeling the cool musty breeze against his scruffy cheek, leftover from him practicing his beast transformations.
Audrey waved at every kid she passed, her deep pink and blue hair fluttering in the breeze. Despite the muggy temperature, she didn't sweat at all in her pink and black ombre leather jumpsuit decorated with a vine patter along her sharp V-collar. Her bramble half skirt whipped menacingly in the wind while her crown ring was on a chain around her neck, a reminder of her Grammie who'd never let her realize her true self.
Jane's head was held high for the first time on the Isle, her dark curls pulled back by an icy blue headband, matching her double slit lacey dress. Overtop, she wore her customary black leather vest, lined with berry pink silk and the silhouette of her family wand spray painted silver on the back. The wand itself was in a silver sheath on her thigh, displayed for all to see despite it not working due to the barrier.
Chad pulled up the rear, fist bumping his way through the crowds, laughing manically. His blond curls were nearly to his shoulders now, wild and crazy. His ripped red shorts hung low on his hips and his powder blue blazer covered his gold t-shirt with a splattered painting of a black glass slipper.
Together, they made quite an intimidating picture. Four kids who had left nearly a year ago, who had been through fire and came out stronger. They were heroes, they were villains, they were them. And now they were back, offering the same chance to four more kids from the Isle.
The Auradon anthem spilled out of speakers around the Isle and food, fresh for the first time in twenty years, was displayed, brought over from Auradon as a gift. The four walked through the alleys, finding the children and rounding them up for the announcement at the entrance to the bridge leading to Auradon at noon.
Chad scrambled up fire escapes and dashed across roofs like he had when he was younger. He found huddles of junior knight boys that were furiously filling out applications away from the prying eyes of their parents. Chad led them from roof to roof, jumping and running and flipping all the way, reveling in the adrenaline rush. His own face looked down on him from posters that he'd help Audrey design. 'Chad! Our needed role model! Chad showed us that we can take what we want!'
Audrey strolled down the market streets, watching girls fall in line behind her. Nearly all of them were daughters of ex-royalty, wearing skirts and rusted tiaras. But their smiles were edgy, and they were wearing accessories from Audrey's fashion line she'd shipped over, ones that blended dark villain aesthetics and pastel hero vibes.
As she strolled past 'The Fairest of Them All' boutique, she passed Winter, the young daughter of Snow White and Audrey's surrogate little sister, who was busy sweeping, her apron patched so much it looked more like a quilt. Posters with Audrey's face shown off the windows, all pink and blue. 'Audrey! Proof that pretty isn't everything! Audrey showed us we can be both beautiful and smart!'
When Winter looked up and saw Audrey standing next to her, she squealed with delight. The two embraced tightly before heading off to find more kids who were ready for their dreams to come true.
Jane ran through the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boys and Girls club, a home for kids that had a bad home life or needed to get away from their parents. After many of them had expressed a desire to move to Auradon, they'd been kicked out. Jane and Audrey had started these clubs to give them safe places to go and to be with other like-minded kids. Her own face looked back at her from the many posters on the wall with her icy glare. 'Jane! Wickedly Strong! Jane showed us that we have strength deep inside!'
She woke them up and yanked their pillows out of their hammocks, laughing as she went. More than one child thrust their application into her hands, their eyes wide with hope. This was their chance to finally get out of a prison that had never been designed for them.
Ben stepped into the dark stone building in the center of the Isle, the rundown school that Fairy Godmother had ran before Jane had turned her into a mouse. He walked through the halls that were lined with posters promoting goodness but he found one of him hiding in a locker. 'Ben! Our Liberator! Ben the Beast will never let us down!'
All throughout the building he found over-achieving students looking for extra study materials and ones that weren't up to snuff, forced to attend summer school. Nearly all of them accepted the application he offered, glancing over their shoulder for fairy teachers then running off. But one girl wasn't joining in the fun.
Ben walked into the library, a rush of memories rolling over him. His mother had worked so hard to maintain it, to organize the books, write stories she remembered in order to give the children the education they needed. But none of the books talked about the rulers of Auradon or anything that had happened in the last twenty years.
He shrugged off the memories, finding a young girl with brunette hair tied into a bun around a long silver pin topped with a snowflake and icy blue eyes. He reached forward, slamming the dusty book she was studying closed. She glared and grumbled but allowed Ben to drag her out of the library, into the sun.
Into a new future.
Finally, nearly all the children on the Isle were clustered around the archway decorated like a castle, the barrier just inches away, looking up at the four. Chad and Jane collected applications, placing them in bags to be kept on file for the next time they brought over kids.
Audrey stepped forward first, beaming. She had an application in her hands, the first one that had been submitted. "I can't believe this day has finally arrived!"
The kids cheered, hands clapping and feet stomping. Ben could hardly recognize the old faces he'd grown up around, seeing them act so wildly.
"I honestly wish I could take you all with us, and someday very soon, maybe we can," Audrey continued, sharing a smile with Ben.
"We're going to be back here so many times, you're going to be so sick of us," he laughed.
"Can I get a drumroll please?" Audrey called and the crowds stomped their feet. "First, I would like to begin with the daughter of Snow White. My sweet, sweet sister. My Winter."
The crowds cheered and the young girl ran up the stairs. Her long black curls were pinned back by ruby red apple pins, and her yellow dress, decorated with hand painted blue birds, rippled as she climbed. Her wide red belt was cinched tight at her waist, matching her flared ruby red glasses, but, for the first time, she had no sewing supplies with her, no chores she was late to finish.
Winter crushed Audrey in a hug, blinking back tears.
Jane unfurled the application in her hands. "Next, the son of Rapunzel and Eugene."
The crowd turned to look at Eugene Fitzherbert, the former thief Flynn Rider. He was holding the hands of his twin sons, their purple ripped shirts hanging off their bony frames, the faded sun of Corona painted on them, their light jeans full of holes and rips. All had matching brown floppy hair, but the twins had their mother's green eyes. She was notably absent, since she did not want her boys to leave. But as a former thief, a former survivor, Eugene understood why they needed to go.
Jane gestured to the boy on Eugene's right. "Come on, Ryder."
The boy glanced at his father who gave him a nod. Then he ran over, clutching Jane's hand, shaking from head to toe.
"And no way we're splitting up the twins!" Chad assured everyone, waving the application in his hand. "Get over here, Roger!"
The other boy smiled and ran over next to Chad, head held high.
"And last," Ben shouted from atop the platform, "but certainly not least. We all picked this girl because we thought she needed a chance to really let loose and live without so many rules. Give it up for the daughter of Elsa, Elise!"
Elise, the girl Ben had dragged to the announcement, was about as frozen as one of her mother's ice statues. She stood still in her long white socks and icy buckle shoes, her teal blue plaid pleated skirt buttoned extra tight around her waist, her white blouse tucked into it, with a matching floppy plaid bow tied around the collar resting on her chest. Her snowflake hair pin that her hair was wrapped around reflected the weak sunlight filtering in through the dome.
The person next to her, a freckled girl with two ginger braids and a green overall dress embroidered with tulips, cheered. She began to drag Elise over to the stairs as she started to shake.
"Ada," she hissed to her cousin. "Did you enter for me?"
"I entered for both of us," Ada explained, shoving Elise onto the platform, next to Ben.
"But I don't want-!"
"But maybe this is what you need," Ada giggled, hopping back down the stairs. "Congrats, cuz!"
Elise glared at Ben, daring him to try to embrace her like the others had. He decided not to.
Jane and Chad met the others on the platform with the twins.
"We'll be back for you guys next week, okay?" Jane told them. "So, pack all your things."
"Where are we going?" Ben and Audrey asked the kids.
"We're going to Auradon!" they cheered (Elise stayed silent).
"Auradon!" everyone below echoed.
The Isle of the Forgotten was changed and there was no going back now.
One week had passed and Ben was standing on the balcony of the dark manor that had been transformed into Auradon Prep, once belonging to Cinderella's father before Lady Tremaine had taken it over. Nearly a year ago, he had danced on this very spot with Mal after her coronation. It had been one of the best nights of his life, finally having a choice in his future.
But his mind was elsewhere. He scanned the ocean and the woods surrounding it through a pair of binoculars, looking for blue sparkles or a glimmer of a wing.
Ben was so focused, he didn't hear the sly footsteps behind him. His heart leaped as two arms grabbed him from behind in a strong hug. Ben laughed as he turned to face his girlfriend, her arms snug around his waist, a mischievous smile toying with her lips.
Mal was wearing her dragon dress, a purple leather gown with a sweeping skirt with green scales, and dark leather wings attached to her back. Her hair was short again, and longer, with dark blue mixed with the dark purple. On her thumb was a new skull ring, a graduation gift from her father, Hades.
Mal stood on her toes to kiss him, but Ben pulled back, twisting out of her arms. His eyes clouded over as he looked into the woods.
"Not a wing in sight," he sighed. His nails dug into the binoculars he was holding, their points scrapping the metal. Since he'd discovered his beast ability, bits of the transformation stayed with him. He had a beginning of a beard, his nails were pointed, and he was stronger than he had ever been before.
Mal followed his eyeline. "You'd think if Maxwell was up to something, we'd know by now."
She harbored no warm feelings for the son of Merryweather. He'd love spelled her and infiltrated Cotillion a few months ago, going so far as to attack her and try and bring down the Isle's barrier, all on orders from the head of a warrior gang on the Isle, Lonnie, daughter of Mulan. Mal hoped he'd flown into the woods after the fight (that Ben had dominated) and gotten eaten by a bat.
But Ben shook his head. "No, I know how heroes think and I don't trust Maxwell at all. He's going to wait until he's stronger or has allies. When our defenses are down, then he'll strike."
He peered through the binoculars again, peering at a village on a peninsula far out in the ocean. "Do you think you could go up, do a dragon fly over?"
"As much as I would love to," Mal said, plucking the binoculars out of his hands, "We're already late and I can't be everywhere at once. But we've got it under control."
She pointed up to the tops of the towers of the school that were lined with grey stone golems, armed with crossbows. Each one was at attention, ready to shoot down any enemy. But the tension didn't leave Ben's face.
"You're getting more guards, right?"
Mal nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm getting more guards. Now breath."
Ben rolled his eyes, but Mal poked him in his side. She took a deep breath, and he followed suit.
"We will find Maxwell and we will squash him like a bug," Mal promised, and Ben felt himself smile. "But right now, everyone's waiting for us."
So, Ben let himself be led back into the school, leaving his post behind. But in the back of his mind, worries continued blooming like flowers.