Descendants 4

13

The Holy Trinity has a tradition of giving the men they've beaten an opportunity to join the Lost Boys. If they refuse they will go down with their ship and be left to the oceans fate.

This offer is always a surprise to the defeated sailors. Some men take it and others refuse. These men in particular are the latter. They go back to their own ship and await their fate. The Holy Trinity removes the hooks from the pirates ship and sails away. 

"Fire!" Harry orders once they're far enough, all eight cannons fire simultaneously, effectively ripping the pirate ship into pieces. Gil resumes their course for Lerna.

The Boys are giddy from the fight and smile as they fix each other up. Bandages are passed around as well as alcohol. No one died and there's only a handful of severely injured Boys. They consider this a mayor win.

Ben has disappeared into his room, some yelling and a few minutes later Mal comes out, conscious once again, a frown on her face. She doesn't talk to anyone and instead sits down and heals the injured Boys. Victoria stares at Mal and wonders if she should go and talk to her but when she looks up she has such a distraught look in her eyes that she decides against it. The Boys however manage to get her to talk a little.

"Are you hurt?" Victoria asks Daniel who's made his way to her, Jeremy is busy cleaning his knives and sword.

"Not physically" Daniel sighs, Victoria conjures up another chair and he sits down, grateful.

Mal has finished healing the most inured Boys and helps bandage the others. She applies healing salve and helps stitch some cuts. She wants to keep her hands busy while her mind works incessantly, it's giving her a headache. Luckily the Boys are complete sweethearts and try to take her mind off things with simple jokes and stories. She's grateful for the distraction, however brief it may be.

"Have I changed?" Daniel asks softly after a while, he looks at Mal who still looks troubled and so does he

"Of course you have" Victoria squeezes his hand "it's what humans do"

"I mean," Daniel sighs and rubs his face with his hands "I was so different back at Auradon, I was popular and a jock, I had tons of friends. Everyone liked me and they trusted me but now" he sighs again "What Ben said about being a king, and giving Harry that order, I don't know I just felt undermined you know? The person I am know, everything is different and so much has happened these last few years I just don't know if I'm still me"

Victoria doesn't say anything for a while and it starts to worry Daniel. Before he can ask if she's okay she turns to him. The look on her face is new, he's never seen her look so sincere and completely truthful but stern as well.

"Daniel Maldaquesh-Facilier" Victoria begins "you are still popular, a jock and are well liked and trusted. It's true, the people who know trust you and like may be different than before but they still love the same qualities the people of Auradon saw in you. Have you changed? Yes of course you have, you changed when you met me, you changed when you stood by my side as I took my revenge at Auradon and kept changing as we took back Vernelle. But your core, who you truly are hasn't changed, because that's who you are Daniel, and I know you know this but I love every single part of you"

Daniel stares at Victoria and processes what she just said. She right, he rolls his eyes, she's always right. Daniel has changed but he's also stayed the same in some ways, hopefully the most important ways. Now, it's not classmates who respect and look up to him, but his own people, the citizens of Vernelle who look up to him and admire and follow him. Daniel isn't sure if he was always comfortable with the idea of killing people but he knows he's always been one to do what's right and do whatever it takes to follow his own internal moral compass.

Daniel is no longer a student at Auradon High, he's so much more than he ever thought possible. He has a wonderful wife who like him, does whatever it takes to get what she wants and follows her own justice system. Daniel couldn't be prouder of the woman she is and slowly realizes that he's proud of himself as well. Looking back on his life, he's stood by his rules and morals and he has never budged. In theory it seems like and easy thing to do but in practice it's the hardest thing he's ever had to do but he does it daily, every time he has a meeting at the castle, every time he signs a new law or approves a project, every time he holds his sword and every life he takes or spares is a choice he makes. Every adventure he has with Victoria further solidifies his values.

Daniel has changed and yet he remains the same person he's always been. Ben was right, he doesn't know Daniel. Ben has never wanted to see this side of Daniel, he's never had the strength to stand by his decisions and make the hard choice so he doesn't understand when Daniel does. Ben has made decisions that go against his own moral code in order to keep peace, or to look good for the other kingdoms, he lacks a strength Daniel sees within Victoria, so bright sometimes its blinding.

Ben also sees what he wants to see, he's done it his entire life and as Daniel looks at Mal bandaging the Boys, he knows she's just realized that as well because Mal is a an Isle kid and she's the daughter of a villain with questionable morals and a dark past, and she will always be that, there's nothing Mal can do to change these irrefutable facts. Daniel isn't sure Ben sees everything that Mal is, he doesn't know if he can see past the pretty face, purple hair and her good side, the side she has worked hard to strengthened for him.

Because Mal has a good side, they all do, but that side is balanced with a dark side, a heavier side which makes hard choices and tough decisions. You can't choose to love parts of someone and not others, Daniel wonders if Ben is realizing that right now. He hopes he'll be able to love all of Mal because she deserves to be loved are fully as Daniel loves Victoria.

"Daniel are you okay?" Victoria asks, a worried look on her face, Daniel shakes his head and smiles at her "you've been staring at Mal for a few minutes, it's getting weird" she jokes and he chuckles slightly

"I'm better thanks to you" he says

"Anytime" Victoria laughs and pats his knee. The Boys go back to their posts and they keep making pretty good time, all things considered, towards Lerna. Uma comes out of her quarters and yawns

"What did I miss?" She asks Victoria jerking her head at Daniel who stands and rolls his eyes at her but goes with Gil anyway, Uma plops down in the now empty seat.

"We got attacked by pirates" Victoria says in a bored tone, Uma rolls her eyes

"Tedious I suppose?" she asks and Victoria nods "anything interesting happen? I don't see any new faces"

"They decided to stay on their ship" Victoria says "Ben got all high and mighty when Harry was going to kill the Captain but Daniel took care of it"

"That's definitely something I would have liked to see" Uma chuckles "did they get into another fist fight?" Victoria shakes her head

"It was more of a power battle" Victoria explains "Ben used the king card" Uma wrinkles her nose and sharply sucks air in through her teeth "went about as well as you're imagining it"

"Well if Ben has a problem he can take the life boat and row back to Auradon" Uma scoffs and leans back "he's such a crybaby, can't even handle Harry gutting some guy" Victoria laughs and leans back as well

"Tell me about it"

I am so sorry for the delay! I'm currently in the process of moving and in school so it's a bit hectic for me at the moment but I am almost done writing the next chapter and will try to post it on schedule!!!! Sorry and thank you all for reading, liking and commenting it makes me so happy!