Chapter 1
Camilla DeVil was in her room in Pirate's Bay. She was supposed to have met her crew an hour ago, but she was running fashionably late. Just like her mother had always taught her. Arrive late to a party and you're sure to make a bigger entrance then if you arrived on time with the riff raff.
She had thrown on her red leather jacket over her white off the shoulder top and pulled at the lapels that were designed with dalmatian print. Her black skinny jeans had tears in them, just enough to look stylish without looking raggedy. The heels of her pirate boots clacked against the floor as she fixed her black and white fishtail braid over her shoulder. Flinging the doors open she strutted outside and down the road.
"I'm the type of girl never had the patience, don't want to fit into the crowd." She sang as she avoided the parts of the street that were broken or missing. "The type of girl tryin' to make a statement. So turn it up and make it LOUD! Follow all the rules I'm breaking, you be the giver cuz I'm always taking, I stand above in a world that I'm making! Save your compassion cuz I'm bringing the action." She grabbed the wooden rail in front of her where the street ended and there was a drop down onto the docks. Standing on the bottom rung with one foot she was able to rise her other to the next rung and balanced there taking in the pirates working hard around the bay as she stood above them like the ruler she was, "Born brilliant, born bad! And maybe just a little bit mad. From a good girl, gone back to bad. And I'm having fun like I've always had." she hopped off and over the fence landing on the moldy wood below, "A little girl left broken hearted, is getting back and I'm just getting started. I'm born brilliant, born bad! And maybe just a little bit - mad. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!"
"So original it must be criminal." some of the pirate ladies sang as she walked by.
"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!"
"Born bad and a little bit mad." the men chimed in.
Camilla smirked, it had been a long time since she ran the Isle like this. After Mal took down the barrier things had been good in Auradon - for all of them. Until. . . she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her nose. No, she'd decided it had been enough time, and she had to put her grief behind her. That was why she came back to the Isle, specifically Pirate's Bay, there were less memories of him. And more memories of her and Uma, Gil and Harry, memories that helped her forget the pain. Like when she came around the corner and startled a few pirates selling wares at booths stuck together with rusty nails and duct tape.
"I'm the type of girl tryin' to look for trouble. I dress it up and dress to kill!" she pulled her sword from her belt and stabbed through a banner and ran the blade down the length of it. "The type of girl gonna bust your bubble!"
She laughed as she kept walking, finding some graffiti from an amateur that had spelt her name wrong. She picked up the leftover can on the ground and made a dramatic red streak under the Vil part.
"Call me the devil I say De Vil! Follow all the rules I'm breaking, you be the giver cuz I'm always taking. I stand above in a world that I'm making! Save your compassion darling I'm the main attraction." she tossed the can and kicked a pipe the cylinder emitted a white smoke so when Camilla walked out onto the end of the dock she looked like a runway model appearing through a cloud. "Born brilliant, born bad! And maybe just a little bit mad. From a good girl gone back to bad. And I'm having fun like I've always had. A little girl left broken hearted, is getting back and I'm just getting started. I'm born brilliant, born bad. And maybe just a little bit - mad. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!"
"So original it must be criminal!"
"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!"
"Born bad and a little bit mad."
She grabbed the rail where the dock turned ninety degrees and swing herself around the curve. "Darling I'm the future and you're the past. A VK under a painted mask. I'm the victor, you take the fall. Let's catch you up cuz the cruelest takes all!"
She made it to the ship, which was getting ready to set sail. Uma was already in Auradon and trusted her crew to bring her vessel to her. The ramp had already been pulled away as the ship turned out to sea slowly but Camilla still headed down the boards with confidence.
"Born brilliant, born bad. And maybe just a little bit mad. From a good girl, gone back to bad. And I'm having fun like I've always had. A little girl left broken hearted, is getting back and I'm just getting started. I'm born brilliant, born bad. And maybe just a little bit - mad." she took off in a run.
"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah." onlookers sang as they watched her with wide eyes. "So original it must be criminal!"
"Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah."
She leapt off the ramp and grabbed a loose rope, swinging toward the ship as her feet left the ground.
"Born bad and a little bit mad."
She landed on the side, sitting on the rail. She let go of the rope and gripped the wood, then lifted her feet up and over the side plopping herself onto the starboard deck of the Lost Revenge. Pirates around her bowed and tipped their hats as she walked by them, giving them each a nod. She made her way up the steps to the captain's wheel where Harry stood proudly, he'd already discarded his jacket leaving him in his sleeveless torn up undershirt.
"Were you leaving without me?" she asked far too innocently.
He smirked, "Yer an hour late beautiful."
"You can't rush this." she replied gesturing to her body as Harry's smirk turned into a smile.
...
...
"Her royal highness! Her grace! Her excellency! Her magnanimous majesty! Empress of Wonderland! The Queen of Hearts!" their court advisor announced as their queen was carried into the royal courtyard on her throne. She looked around and saw smashed black vases, destroyed red roses, petals and glass everywhere and her portrait smothered in globs of red paint. Before her the captain, Jack of Diamonds knelt before her with a look of dread on his face.
"Who is responsible?"
"We don't know your royal highness."
She growled in the back of her throat and waved off her entourage who marched off as she stood from her throne.
"I've doubled the guard, tripled the patrol and personally offered ten diamonds for any information that leads to the capture of the criminal."
"Her royal highness, Princess Red!" the Queen turned to see her daughter enter.
"Oh, I see you couldn't be bothered to dress for court." she snapped with venom in her tone. "I find that outfit. . . offensive."
"I wish being me didn't offend you." Red said with a small smile.
She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Sorry to rouse you out of bed before noon, but while you were sleeping, the royal plaza was vandalized." she gestured around them. She missed the look Red shared with the captain. Red knew Jack had seen her when she'd backflipped off the tower last night. He knew it was her. But he didn't say anything, he was risking his life for her.
"And this sorry excuse for a solider, failed to protect my portrait." the Queen explained as the paced side to side in front of Jack, "So the questions is: What. Do. We. Do? Poke thorns in his eyes? Off with his head?" she pulled out a playing card and began to flick it through her fingers one handedly. "Since you'll be queen on day, I'll let you decide."
Red looked at Jack who's eyes were pleading and desperate.
"It's up to me?" she asked, turning to her mother.
"Mm-hm."
Red took a deep breath, steeled herself and nodded, "Okay. Well, in that case." Red turned to the captain, "Off with his. . . hat." she giggled and plucked the hat from his head and put it on hers.
"Ugh." the Queen groaned, "You're such a disappointment."
She walked off as the smile on Red's face fell to an expression of almost heartache. She thought the line had been clever.
"You know I was the same way at your age." Her mother said taking a rose from the ground and examined the damage done to it, "Desperately wanting to be a queen that everyone would adore. But if I've learned anything, it's this." She turned to look Red in the eye, "It's better to be feared then loved. Love ain't it. Now try again."
Red slowly turned back to Jack who looked up at her with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen.
"For your crime. . . " she choked the words out, "You are sentenced to. . . " she took deep shaky breaths and turned to her mother with a pleading expression. But it did nothing but anger her.
"Get it right or I'll show you punishment!" she shouted her eyes going wide and enraged.
"I beg your pardon." a new voice interrupted as Maddox Hatter ran out into the courtyard breathless, "Apologies for interrupting court. Your majesty. A royal delivery."
He knelt and presented her an envelope that magically floated into the air and unfolded itself before the queen as a stranger's voice read, "Dear Queen of Hearts, Empress of Wonderland, as the new principal of Auradon Prep it is my honor to invite your daughter, Red, the Princess of Wonderland, to attend our school. I hope you'll join us for the welcome day ceremony. If you accept, this invitation shall serve as your key."
"From pirate principal." the Queen mused, "Another villain's gone soft."
"Maybe you have a future after all." Maddox whispered to Red once he had slipped to her side and the guards led Jack away to the dungeons. "If you attend Auradon Prep. You get to leave Wonderland."
Red smiled but then it died as quickly as it appeared, "Does it matter? The only thing she hates more then Auradon, is the idea of me having my own life, so. . . I'm pretty sure that's going to be a no."
"We accept!" the Queen turned with a beaming smile.
Red scoffed, "Wait, hold on, really?"
Her mom nodded still smiling.
"But you've always said Auradon is the worst."
"Hmm, well, with my daughter there, it might not always be." she turned and strutted back to her throne, her heels clacking on the ground.
"You're going to let me go?" Red asked still in shock, "You?"
"Pack your bags." her mother ordered as she took her seat and her entourage hoisted her up again.
"Am I hallucinating or did my mom just grow a heart?" she asked Maddox.
"And put on something respectable. . . for once. Don't embarrass me!" she called as she vanished back into the castle.
Red shrugged, "Okay, half a heart."
...
...
Drac missed his sister. Mal, Ben and Evie had gone off on an important dignitary mission to form alliances with distant lands. Jay and Gil had left to take their adventurous gap year. Mal and Ben had left Uma in charge of Auradon Prep and Drac, well, he was essentially running the kingdom while they were gone.
Auradon was pretty self-sufficient, all the kingdoms each had their own ruler after all, and all those heroes worked well together for the common good. That just left. . . the Isle. Most of the VK's had transferred to Auradon and were getting ready for the new school year. Some, like Mad Maddy and her crew, were still turning their nose up at the offer. Some villains like Dr. Facilier, Lady Tremaine and Mr. Smee had moved to Auradon to be with their children and most of the others, while on the Isle and too proud to make amends, weren't so bitter that they charged into Auradon declaring war. Their children were happy and getting a second chance, and a lot of the OG villains weren't evil enough to take that from their own flesh and blood.
As for the ones still living on the Isle - that's where Drac came in. He still had duties as Ambassador to Auradon and was still living in Bargain Castle as a liaison, a symbol to show those still hesitant to trust Auradon that he wasn't going to abandon them, that so long as they stayed on the Isle, he'd stay too. And it wasn't so bad, the castle was still remodeled after all and he actually had magic and wifi now. Everyone knew he was Hades' son and between that knowledge and seeing what his powers could do he was keeping the fragile peace, for now.
Madam Mim, Mother Gothel, Ursula and Oogie Boogie were among many of the villains Drac was still trying to convince but more often then not when he knocked on their doors they just ignored him.
And of course there was - a shadow fell over him just as he made it home, he looked up and there she was. His mother, Maleficent, standing at the balcony staring out towards Auradon. Scepter in one hand, Diaval perched on the other. His mother still cared for her pet, though Drac knew he could count on the raven to come find him if the Mistress of All Evil started getting up to something she shouldn't.
Taking a deep breath he opened the heavy wooden front door and headed upstairs. The room where she had first ordered them to steal Fairy Godmother's wand looked nearly the same except for fixed, reupholstered furniture and clean counters. The drapes no longer had holes and the sunlight that filtered in didn't have those little specks of dust floating around in it anymore. Drac unzipped his plum leather jacket - he tried not to wear grey or indigo around mom, knowing his parent's relationship was still rocky.
The way she saw it Drac was her nasty little boy, when Mal had betrayed her, Drac had listened. He'd listened out of fear but still, listened. And he was powerful. Mal had done a lot in terms of casting aside her mother's expectations, pursuing love, overcoming the two very different sides of herself, uniting kingdoms, making amends for past mistakes. But that was all hero stuff, and didn't mean anything good in his mother's sharp eyes. But Drac, Drac had ruled the Isle, taken back turf, excelled in magic, had been given a powerful station and title - and those things impressed Maleficent. The way Drac saw it, she wanted to have at least one child she could have a relationship with. And he wanted both his parents in his life.
"Mom?" he said walking up behind her. She barely turned her head in acknowledgement. "Something wrong?"
She smirked, "If it were going wrong, my day would be much better."
He chuckled, "You mean badder."
She turned to him as he stood beside her at the rail. Lifting her hand she cupped his face, for a moment he swore he saw a flash of sadness. It had been happening more often ever since she saved his life, like she was remembering for a moment how she'd nearly lost her nasty little boy. Her thumb rubbed his cheek twice before she pulled away and cleared her throat turning to her scepter. The Dragon's Egg glowed bright green then faded, then glowed again. Drac had used the scepter enough that he knew the pulsing magic meant something. Something bad. Bad enough to worry Maleficent.