Devil's Daughter

Prolougue

𝕺𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖚𝖕𝖔𝖓 𝖆 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊, in land full of wonder, stood a beautiful castle— the grandest castle in all the land. The castle, in all its glory, held everything its occupants could ever hope to desire: a grand throne room, vast libraries, and the most magnificent gardens. And nestled within one of those gardens was a child. A small, precious, beautiful little girl with striking black eyes and a mischievous smile. Her name: Valentina Flame, daughter of Hades and Graciela the Enchantress.

A light giggle fell out of her mouth as she shifted herself behind a large tree, her eyes locked on a small, dark haired boy. She watched his every move, until— like all three year olds do— she got distracted. "Got ya!" Ben said from right behind her. The girl squealed and immediately took off running. "What? He already got you!" His brother, Justin, shouted. "You can't catch me!!" She shouted as she kept running from the boys, Ben and Justin: the twin sons of Belle and her Beast. The two of them are her best friends in all of Auradon— in the whole world, really. All three of them were playing chase, a game they made up, when a black bus drove past them. The young girl didn't pay it any mind, after all, several vehicles often drive past the castle. The boys, being two years older, were of a very different opinion— they knew better. This bus was nothing but trouble, and the twins could see it from a mile away.

It was Ben who saw it first, "Val!!" He yelled, stopping in his tracks. Justin turned around, his brothers yells catching his attention. "We have to go back!!" Justin called, finishing his brother's sentence as he too noticed the bus. "Why?!" Val whined. "Come on!" Ben shouted, grabbing the girl's hand as he took off running. His brother followed closely behind as the three children sprinted toward the castle where Belle— the boy's mother, stood to greet them. "Inside, come on, get inside," the queen said sternly as she hastily ushered the children into the castle, "go, go upstairs— quickly!" The boys quickly made their way up the stairs, but Val didn't listen. The young girl bolted toward the main door, shrieking playfully as the queen attempted to catch her. "Valentina! Valentina this is not a game!" Belle shouted once she finally caught up with the child, her face falling as the three year old reached for the door. "Valentina Bleu Flame get away from that door," she hissed, lunging at the girl. But it was too late— the knob had already been turned.

"Mommy!!" Val screamed as Belle quickly scooped her up, trying to close the door. The brown haired woman turned around, flashing the queen a look of panic as she heard her daughter's scream. "Vally go inside!" she called desperately just as Belle managed to get the door shut. The queen slumped onto the closed door, letting out a sigh of relief as she locked it. "No one comes through these doors without a house key or a search warrant," she announced to her staff, anxiously running a finger through her hair. "Why?" Val asked tugging at Belle's dress. "Miss Potts, take Val to her room," Belle said. "Why?!" The girl repeated. "Come on child," Miss Potts said, scooping the girl into her arms as she carried her up to her bedroom.

•••

"I don't get it," Val sighed, flopping onto her bed. "That's a bad bus," Justin said. "Why?" Val asked. "That's the bus to take villains away," Ben answered. Val scrunched up her nose in confusion, "But there's no Villains," she said. The boys didn't respond and all three kids sat in an uncomfortable silence. "Boys, go to your rooms," Graciela said quietly, storming into the room. Ben and Justin hesitated for a second, their eyes flicking between Val and her mother. Justin opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but Ben nudged him, and the two disappeared down the hall without another word.

"Why?" Val asked once again. Graciela sighed, grabbing two of her daughter's biggest suitcases from under her bed. Val shot her mother a confused look as she watched the woman race around her room. Her mother looked more haggard than she'd ever seen before. Her hair was all over her face, her dress was wrinkled, and there was a disastrous mix of tears and mascara streaming down her face.