Stealing the Black Cauldron///A Descendants Applyfic///CLOSED

Epilogue Two: The Guardians

Sahira set the scissors down and stepped back, letting Embry look at themself in the mirror. Twyla looked away from a spellbook she'd borrowed from the library and sat up. She'd noticed that the sound of blades cutting through hair had stopped. Sahira was smiling brightly, resting her elbows on the back of the chair.

"What do you think?" She asked.

Embry was quiet for a moment, their eyes flickering about their reflection. They'd finally let someone touch their hair, the blonde curls now only at their shoulders. It had originally reached all the way down their back, always tangling about whatever it was near.

They hadn't liked it, honestly, but they didn't really trust people to change things about them. But their new therapist had said something about "trust" and how it would be "beneficial to their mental health."

Sahira had been careful the whole time, making sure to cut their hair slowly and methodically.

"I don't look like my mother." Embry finally said, voice fully neutral.

Sahira paused, looking back to Twyla who raised their brow in nervous anticipation. "Is that good?"

"Does the Cheshire Cat grin?" They asked, looking back at her with a smile.

She smiled and hugged their partner around the waist. "I told you you'd look great!"

Twyla just blinked, shaking her head. "I'm assuming that's a yes?" She inquired, to which Sahira nodded excitedly.

Embry laughed a bit, leaning fully into the embrace. "I'm as pretty as the Golden Afternoon!" They tilted their head up. Their arms lifted, wrapping around the back of Sahira's neck to pull her face over theirs.

Sahira pecked the tip of Embry's nose. "You were always more beautiful than that." They said decidedly.

With that, Embry stood up and brushed the blonde locks that had fallen onto their lap off of their legs. They grabbed a white flower barrette that Gracie had gifted them and slipped it into their newly-cut hair. With a final, satisfied look at the mirror, they looked back to Sahira.

Twyla brightened, giving a clap of approval. "Lovely." She decided. She glanced at the clock and stood up. "Oh! I have to go! Tomorrow is the preparation for Halloween."She said, nodding. She hadn't realized how quickly the special day was coming with everything going on.

"Have fun," Sahira waved goodbye as Twyla grabbed the book and rushed out, disappearing into the shadows of the hallway.

"Would you join me for tea time? Maybe with some tarts?" Embry offered, looking at Sahira and smiling as they knew the answer

Sahira smiled, placing a hand on her hip. "It's a date." She nodded. "Just let me get changed." With that, she went back to her dorm. In only a few minutes, she was back in denim shorts and a lavender top with the word "Equal" printed in white.

Holding hands, the two left the dorm and headed for the cafè across the campus.

~~~

"We found your services very... effective." Mal said it almost reluctantly, not looking Ray in the eyes.

Ray felt disinterested, still lingering by the door of the throne room. "Yea. Well, my schemes usually are." He decided to not mention the ones that landed him in captivity a few times.

The silence was deafening.

Mal took a deep breath. She had been wanting to say this for years, but she had been too afraid to. But growing up meant she had to do some things a kid was too scared to do.

"I'm sorry. For what I did, all those years ago. I didn't mean for that to happen... with your sister."

Ray's lips pressed into a thin line. He'd been expecting this when he was called away from his prison friends. They'd been cheering and squinting in the sun, energized by the space opened up once more. Told that Mal wanted to speak with him, he'd just scoffed and followed along. He was too tired to protest, so he went along with it.

But it still felt... strange to hear. He never actually thought he would hear this in his life. He never even came up with a response.

The most he'd thought was when it first happened. The idea of screaming and shouting at Mal, rejecting an apology he never truly thought would come.

For a moment, he thought of doing just that.

"Thank you... for the apology..." He managed to say. Mal's shoulders untensed, like she was relieved he hadn't lashed out. "I guess that's all I can say. I'm still mad at you. At... everyone..."

A small part in the back of Ray's mind yearned for a time where he wouldn't have that. Wouldn't be so angry and hateful towards everyone. Then, he realized that there was a group of people that he didn't hate.

Maybe that was enough. Just for now.