﹅ ۰ ۰ ۰ 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦 ┊ ❪ 𝑨𝙲𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝑺𝙿𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚂! ❫
▍𝗜𝗡 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗛 ｡ ｡ ｡ ｡ kids from all different backgrounds,
whether that being raised by a villain, raised by a hero,
raised by a mom, raised by a dad, or raised by b...
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𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐄, a sharp chill crept through her, biting at her skin. The Isle of the Lost was colder than she remembered, a stark contrast to the warmth and light of Auradon. But it wasn't just the weather making her shiver. It was the weight of the memories and the unease of returning to a place she thought she'd left behind forever.
She glanced at Evie, who stood beside her with a small, reassuring smile. Somehow, it helped, even if just a little. Her thoughts were interrupted by Carlos, his voice cutting through the silence. "Ben, help me with the tarp," he called, gesturing toward a bunched-up pile of fabric in a basket. Ben hurried over, grabbing one side of the tarp while Carlos tugged at the other. Jay stepped in to catch the edge as Carlos tossed it over the limo.
"Here, let me help," Elizabeth offered, moving quickly to assist Evie and Jay in smoothing out the tarp. The fabric was heavy, damp from the mist that always seemed to hang in the air on the Isle.
"It's weird being back here," Evie murmured to Jay, her gaze flitting around the dark alleys surrounding them. Trash littered the ground, and the air carried a musty, oppressive scent that brought back too many memories.
Jay followed her gaze but didn't linger. "We'll get in and get out," he assured her, his voice steady.
Carlos tossed another tarp over the limo, calling out for Jay to grab it again. They all worked efficiently, the task giving them something to focus on other than the oppressive atmosphere.
Elizabeth caught a glimpse of Ben wandering off, curiosity pulling him toward a large tunnel in the distance. Her stomach dropped. "Hey, where are you going?" she called, hurrying after him with the others following close behind.
"Ben!" Jay's tone was sharp as he caught up and placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. Elizabeth sighed, stepping in front of Ben to block his view of the tunnel. "You don't want to know what's down there," she said firmly.
"Seriously, keep it chill," Carlos added, holding his hands up. "Last thing we need is for anyone back home to figure out where we are."
Reluctantly, Ben nodded, allowing Elizabeth to steer him back toward the group. They ventured deeper into the Isle, weaving through narrow, twisting alleys. The further they went, the darker and more desolate it became.
Evie's voice cut through the tense silence. "Hey! Stop!" she shouted, darting forward to grab the wrists of two boys who had just snatched her wallet. The boys froze, their wide eyes flicking nervously between Evie and the rest of the group.
"It's okay," Evie said softly, her expression softening as she glanced at the boy holding her wallet. "Just take it." She gave them a gentle nudge, watching as they stumbled away before rejoining the group.
Elizabeth let out a small sigh of relief, only for her heart to lurch as she noticed Ben missing again. "Ben," she groaned, spinning around and spotting him a few feet away, trying to shake hands with a rough-looking guy.
The guy growled, stepping forward in a threatening manner. Before things could escalate, Carlos intervened, pulling Ben back. "Ben, stop. Just stop," Evie said firmly, gripping his arm.
"Why?" He questioned, furrowing his brows.
"This isn't a parade," Evie snapped, glaring at him.
Elizabeth, standing on the other side of Ben, nodded, her tone clipped. "It's the Isle."
"Keep your hands in your pockets unless you're stealing." Jay added.
"Slouch or strut," Carlos instructed, holding his hands out to demonstrate. "And never, ever smile."
Ben nodded, rubbing his hands together. "Okay, thanks ━"
Elizabeth raised a finger, cutting him off before he could say more. "No, no 'thanks'. Just chill, drop the 'please' too." She made a zipping motion across her lips, and Ben finally seemed to understand how serious they were.
The group pressed on, but it wasn't long before trouble found them again. Ben bumped into someone — Gil LeGume, the son of Gaston. A grin spread across Gil's face as he studied Ben. "Hey, man. I know you."
Ben tried to deflect, leaning in with a smirk. "Nope. Don't know you either."
"Uh . . . yeah you do. Come on, man. Really?" Gil questioned, shaking his head as he threw his hands out. "Huh? Dude, I'll give you a hint. My dad is quick, slick, and his neck . . . is incredibly thick. Come on, man, I ━" Gil then paused, looking up at the poster on the wall behind Ben. A Royal Court poster that had Ben and Mal drawn out on the cover.
The group all turned around to look at the poster before back at Gil who pointed back and forth from the poster to Ben. "Oh! You're King Ben." Gil finally gasped, smiling.
Evie then quickly grabbed onto Ben's arm, the group quickly making their way past Gil. "You totally are King Ben. Are you're Jay, Carlos, Evie. Hey, guys. And Lizzie ━ hey, Lizzie, I missed you!"
Elizabeth froze for a moment, caught off guard by Gil's words. She glanced back at him, offering a small, tight smile before turning to follow the others.
Gil stayed behind, shouting after them, "Uma's gonna love this!"
