Reckless Paradise [a descendants story]

Chapter Twenty-One | The VK

It became more and more difficult to go out in public. The way people whispered and shot glances her way reminded Quinn of high school in the worst way possible. She had started living with Chloe to be closer to the action and she missed Dad and Sherwood.

Routine set in – a depressing routine that seemed to accomplish nothing. She signed up for audiences with the king and queen every Monday – which were always refused. So, they would demonstrate in front of the palace on Tuesday or Wednesday. If the demonstrators were deemed 'too loud' or 'provoking un-goodness,' she and a bunch of others may spend the night in a cell. Then they would have a meeting at Chloe's apartment to discuss progress.

And sometimes there was actual progress: a few new people had joined from outside the Underground and Sherwood, or reports of smaller demonstrations in other regions in Auradon. Once, Prince Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, the leaders of the Lone Keep region, had issued a statement saying that although they did not fully agree with Think of the Children's message, they acknowledged that people could change. After all, Aladdin, a former thief, was proof of that.

But most of the time, they would leave the meeting less heartened than they had upon entering it.

On the weekends, Quinn would pore over the footage from the Isle crime reports on tv, trying to piece together what was going on over there. She would smile when she saw a familiar face on the grainy footage – even if it was just Fabienne Facilier or Josephine from the Queens. She knew the Crew had disabled the cameras around the docks ages ago – which she had been grateful for in her time there, but now lamented – so she had to rely on the downtown cameras to catch a glimpse of them. And she rarely did.

•••

When she was in Sherwood, Quinn had taken to sitting on the roof of their house to think at night, since it was the closest thing to the Jolly Roger's crow's nest. She hugged her knees and looked up at the stars she could see through the leaves of the trees above her. Although she spent her last month or so on the Isle sleeping alone, she missed Jax beside her.

She heard the roof creak slightly and saw Dad climbing up to sit beside her. "I see you haven't lost your climbing skills," he said.

Quinn smiled. "I was able to keep them up on the Jolly Roger's ratlines, as well as the buildings of the city."

"And how do ships and cities compare to trees?" he asked.

She thought about it for a moment. "The Isle had hardly any green, which I missed. A lot. But the seaside breezes were nice. And there's nothing quite like a thunderstorm while onboard a ship."

They sat in silence for a minute or so. "I had a boyfriend over there," she said finally. She was not sure why she had not told him yet. She and Dad had always been able to talk about everything, including romance. He was the first person she told that she had kissed Winston Scarlett and didn't want to be with him but didn't want to tell him because no story she learned about at school had a princess tell a prince that. And he had told her to tell him anyway because those princesses had lived in a very different time.

He looked over at her and said nothing, prompting her to continue.

"His name is Jax, Captain Hook's son. He was one of the first people I met on the Isle and he helped me even though I told him who my father was." Dad listened patiently as it all spilled out: the training, the kiss in the alleyway, flings on the Isle, all the way to Seamus' blackmail, how he supported her through the outbreak of whooping cough and finally helping her to come back. "I love him, Dad."

He just nodded and enfolded her in a hug. "He must be a very special guy."

Quinn nodded. "I miss him."