Auradon Prep, 30 years after the formation of Auradon

This is Auradon, the kingdom where all your favorite fairy tales are true. It was formed 30 years ago, when Beast married Belle.

And how do you think they got all those characters to coexist?

Simple. By banishing the villains to the Isle of the Lost. That's where I grew up.

You might know my name. Uma, daughter of the big, bad sea witch, Ursula, and a pirate queen not to be messed with.

I helped Mal and Ben free the Isle, and now that they're on the throne, things are a lot more fair around here. But they're sailing off with Jay and Evie on a new adventure, forming alliances with distant lands.

That's right. Villains rule. And you can bet I'm gonna shake things up around here.

Fairy Godmother flitted around her former office as of yesterday, when she accepted Auradon University's invitation for her to be their new principal. Her brown hair was pulled into a simple bun, gray streaking through it.

She frowned pensively, eyeing the teapot and the three tea settings carefully, a small plate holding biscuits for dipping. The tray was neatly placed in the center of the oak coffee table.

The only thing missing was-

The door was kicked open by a singular black boot, the woman wearing it stepping into the office with a grin on her face. Her teal locks were pulled away from her eyes. Uma, former pirate queen of the Isle of the Lost, would never have her hair down where it could fall into her face and mess with her vision.

Living on the Isle for seventeen years had drilled that lesson into her.

"You know there was a doorknob right there, right?" A nine-year-old girl asked dryly, a singular eyebrow raised. Her arms crossed over her chest.

"Leave her alone, 'Thena," the man behind her rolled his eyes, a bright blue as deep as the sea itself. His dark hair was the same color as his little sister's eyes, tousled and strands hanging in front of his eyelashes. He wore a scarlet red overcoat, a white shirt and black pants under it. Harry Hook wore the same type of boots Uma did.

"Oooh, I've been to the principal's office before, but never like this," the daughter of Ursula smirked, eyes darting to the pristine desk towards the back of the room. "Harry. No sex on the principal's desk."

Athena wrinkled her nose, slapping her hands over her ears. "Lalalalala can't hear you!"

Fairy Godmother's eyebrows shot up.

"I wasn't—"

Uma cut him off. "Harry. You've been my first mate for how long now? You and I both know you were thinking about it - and if you weren't, you definitely would have - and your little princess girlfriend ain't gonna get you out of trouble if you do. And neither will Mel or Aunt Angie."

Harry huffed. "Mel would just laugh in my face while she called Jay to tell him. Mom... I don't even know. And Auds would never!"

"Audrey might not," Uma agreed, "but you definitely fucking would."

"Are you two done yet?" Athena asked, eyes flicking from Harry to Uma to the biscuits on the table and back again.

"Why are you even here, little captain?" Harry frowned slightly.

The young half-mermaid shrugged. "Mom's working on the fountains. She's trying to get the water to flow into fancy shapes or whatever. Dad... you know how he is; he never leaves Mom's side. Melly's trying to organize things in Tirulia so she could be here for the ceremony and everything... boring council talk. So I came to hang out with my brother!"

"Dad has a reason," Harry mumbled under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose gently. His little sister was kept in the dark about why their father was so overprotective of his wife and daughter, something that irked her with all the secret glances and whispers.

His cousin, Melody, thought it was "fucking bullshit."

Her words.

It was still weird for him to call Melody his cousin, no matter how many years she had been in his life. The dark-haired princess of Tirulia - shit, she's a queen now - was a few short weeks younger than he was.

"I... made us tea," Fairy Godmother said hopefully, gesturing to the table. "I wasn't expecting another guest, unfortunately."

"Mmm," Uma hummed, eyeing the couch and then back up to Harry. She looked back at the couch dubiously. Years of conditioning on the Isle didn't go away with ten years in Auradon.

"Sit, please."

Uma flopped onto the couch ungracefully, her booted feet crossed at the ankle on the arm of the couch. She sprawled out.

Harry scoffed lightly as he sat on the other arm of the couch. "Leave room for the rest of us, why don't ya?"

Athena went straight for the biscuits, taking three and going back to the couch. She sat on the floor and immediately devoured one of the biscuits.

"Don't choke," Harry warned absent-mindedly. "...Do I have an office?"

Fairy Godmother pointed to the wall on her right. "On the other side of that wall."

"....I can do what I want with my desk, right?" He asked hopefully, mind already picturing his hands around his girlfriend's waist, picking her up and bend-

"Harry James Hook! No mind-fucking!" Uma lifted her arm and smacked her first mate's arm jokingly. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"It's not an easy job, you two, but I hope you'll find it fulfilling," Fairy Godmother tried to get the conversation on the right track, out of mercy for the nine-year-old gradually turning green.

Uma's lips curved into a broad grin. "I've run a crew of cut-throats since I was sixteen. I think I can handle a few prep school kids." She cocked her head, almost as if she were listening for something, shouting out, "Pirates!"

The crew of the Lost Revenge came through the open doorway, lugging the knickknacks and pirate paraphernalia Uma planned to decorate the office with.

"You just enjoy retirement," Uma waved her hand lightly.

"I-" Fairy Godmother blinked. "I'm not retiring. I... are you sure you want to put that up there?"

The pirates chattered to themselves as they hung up a gigantic black flag bearing the classic skull and crossbones on a wall, ignoring the fairy godmother easily.

"Dad would definitely approve," Athena grinned, speaking through a mouthful of biscuit.

"I've been chosen as the new president of Auradon University, and to ensure a seamless transition, I have prepared a list, color-coded by priority." She smiled, hoping that the transition was, in fact, as seamless as it could possibly be.

Harry eyed the paper as if it were crawling with those little bits of glitter that were at Melody and Jay's engagement party, courtesy of Evie. Even seven years later he swore he could still find shiny flecks in his hair.

"My - well, our - first order of business will be making sure kids from all the kingdoms are welcome to attend AP," Uma declared firmly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she prepared to give her first official proclamation as principal of Auradon Prep.

Fairy Godmother cocked her head to the side, confused. "Oh, well, that's already our school policy."

"I said all." The daughter of Ursula didn't back down. "Even Wonderland."

"Wonderland?!" The older woman let out a faint, nervous chuckle. "Wonderland is hostile!"

"We've heard," Harry replied, running his index finger around the base of the silver hook clutched in his left hand. "Their queen's a tyrant."

"The Queen of Hearts refused to join Auradon when we united," Fairy Godmother explained. "She raised an army and we had to wall off the rabbit hole."

Harry and Uma looked at each other, nodding. They looked expectantly up at the mother of one of their friends.

"Oh dear, oh dear," she murmured to herself. "If only Queen Mal and King Ben were here..."

"Well, too bad they're not," Harry shrugged baldly.

Uma added, "And why do you think Mal put us in charge if she didn't wanna shake things up around here? No offense, Fairy G, but you don't know Mal and Ben like I do."

"We're second cousins," Athena informed casually, brushing the crumbs on her hands off onto the fabric of her pants.

"I used to hate Mal," Uma admitted, eyes drawn to a portrait of the two royals hanging on the wall. "I'm sure you've heard, but you know what happened? We reconciled. We saw the goodness in each other."

Harry snorted. "Your sixteen year old self would have smacked you just then."

"Good that I'm my twenty seven year old self then," Uma glared lightly, nose scrunched. Her face smoothed out as she turned back to face the fairy godmother. "When she and Ben finally opened up the Isle, they gave all villains a second chance."

"And Mom and Dad got to see each other again!" Athena cheered.

Harry's eyes widened. "...How do you know about that?"

"People talk," Athena responded unapologetically. "And it's the only reason for you being nineteen or whatever when I was born with how PDA-y they are."

"...Valid point," Harry sighed.

Uma stood up from the couch, reaching into the pocket of her teal leather jacket, designed by the daughter of the Evil Queen herself. Pulling out a crisp cream envelope, she extended her hand out to Fairy Godmother.

"It's time Wonderland got one too. This is for Princess Red."

Fairy Godmother's fingers twitched on her wand as she chewed on her lower lip. "Are you sure?"

Harry stood, resting a hand on Uma's shoulder as they both frowned and stared at a portrait of Carlos DeVil, attempting to shove the tears down.

"You cry, you die."

The motto of the Isle of the Lost.

"It's what Carlos would have wanted," Uma firmly stated. "So don't do it for me. Do it in honor of him."

A lone tear trickled down her cheek. Harry clenched his jaw, determined to not cry.

He would not fucking cry.

Fairy Godmother looked at the portrait, hand shaking as she held her magic wand. She nodded slowly, brandishing the wand at the envelope. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

The letter rose into the air almost by itself, drifting towards the open window as all four occupants of the room turned to watch the letter until they couldn't see it anymore, not even a speck.

"Harry? Uma? Athena?" A woman's voice called from the hallway.

"Melly!" Athena squealed, jumping up from her seat and jogging over to the door. She used a nickname that she coined when she was a toddler and unable to say Melody's full name. "In here!"

Queen Melody of Tirulia, the daughter of former King Eric and Queen Ariel, entered the room, pads of her fingers pressed against her temples. Her golden crown still adorned her jet-black hair inherited from her father, twisted into a simple braided crown.

"Be glad neither of you are set to inherit a throne - never mind. Harry, good fucking luck when you and Audrey get married."

Harry Hook groaned loudly. "It's gonna suck, right?"

Melody snorted, hands going up to her crown and carefully taking it off. "The crown gives you a massive headache. Both literally wearing it and figuratively ruling a kingdom."

Once the crown came off, she was just simply Mel. Daughter, friend, cousin, and wife.

"Hah!" Uma laughed. "I'm not inheriting anything!"

Athena giggled at the look on her older brother's face.

"What's going on anyway?" Harry asked, confused.

Melody let out a long-suffering sigh, tracing the bright jewels on the front of her crown with her fingertips. "Well, your parents are looking for Athena. I said I'd find you guys. Also your mom wants to know what your vision for the fountains is so she could get working on the whole water magic behind it that comes with being Queen of the Sea."

Uma canted her head to the side, pursing her lips slightly. "Uhh... whatever works?"

"Just come to the grounds and we can get that situated," Melody coerced. "Gives me a chance to vent."

"Thanks Fairy G!" Uma said, looping her arm around Melody's and heading out of her brand-new office.

Well, new to her. Auradon Prep had been standing for three hundred years before Auradon's formation.

"So, vent. What's the issue with your advisors that have the brains of goldfish?" Uma asked as the four family members made their way to the grounds.

"Or the brains of Gaston," Harry joked. "The original, not Gil or his brothers."

Melody huffed, scrunching her nose up in pain at the throbbing ache in her temples from the useless phone conversation she had spent three hours on.

"Well, Jay and I are getting married. Again."

Athena frowned, confused, as she skipped ahead of her older brother and their cousins. "Why? It sounds stupid — another dress?!"

She said the word dress as if it was a dirty word. Her father and brother were teaching her the ways of the sea and the ways of a pirate crew; a dress would just get in the way of her movement.

Harry grinned. "Exactly, little captain!"

"Because apparently a private wedding isn't bloody good enough or valid enough for my advisors and they won't FUCKING crown him unless we have a Beast and Belle esque wedding," the queen vented angrily, voice growing in volume.

"...I think Auradon would go into a chocolate drought with a cake like that," Uma snorted, knowing exactly how bad Melody's chocolate addiction was.

Even nearly dying hadn't kept her from her chocolate cake.

"Yeah, laugh it up," Melody said sarcastically, eyes glinting slightly with humor.

Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Mom and Dad's advice?"

"Uncle James told me to tell them to fuck off. I really wish I could, but not the best idea," the twenty-six year old explained. "Aunt Angelina said to just call Jay and ask his opinion but I can't do that because they're on the ocean. There's no way he has cell service right now because my phone would immediately start ringing."

She frowned. "I just miss him."

Harry shook his head. "He'd probably lose his shit if he found out he could marry you again. Jay would be all for it as long as you don't lose your mind getting everything set up."

Melody smiled slightly. "He would..."

A loud splash echoed around the grounds.

"ANGELINA!"

Uma, Harry, and Melody's heads shot up. Athena burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Captain James Hook, King of the Sea and captain of the Jolly Roger, was completely drenched from head to toe. His dark red overcoat looked black from the waterlogged cloth. The man flicked his dark brown hair out of his eyes, water droplets running down his cheeks in rivulets.

"I told you not to sneak up on me!" Angelina, cousin of the former Queen Ariel, exclaimed, trying not to laugh at the look on her husband's face. "I'm working!"

"I'm soaking wet!"

Melody snorted, the barrier broken. Harry and Uma soon followed, laughing so hard they had to rest their hands on their knees to keep upright.

"Princess Pipsqueak, glad you found our children," Hook rolled his eyes.

"Queen Pipsqueak now," Melody teased.

"I'm also twenty seven as of four days ago," Harry added dryly.

Angelina shook her head, blonde hair falling down her back in waves. "You'll always be our child, no matter how old you get."

"Oh QUEEN Pipsqueak a thousand pardons!"

"Oh you know you love me, Uncle Hook."

The black haired woman winked at her cousins, careful to not use her cousin-uncle's first name.

"We were told to come down to work on the fountains?" Uma questioned.

Angelina nodded, turning to the fountain currently spouting clear water out of the center. She waved her hands, eyes narrowing as she focused on splitting the water and forming a beautiful rose. The water shimmered in the air, the sunlight hitting it perfectly.

It was almost like painting or sketching, but with water as the paint or pencil, respectively.

She kept one hand near the water sculpture to hold it in place, turning to the other fountain and gracefully moving her hand in the air in smooth, wide arcs. A tiger began to appear from the fountain.

"Rajah!" Melody grinned, about to reach her hand out to the fountain but thinking better of it. "Aziz is going to love this, especially since... well, Rajah died four years ago."

"That was the idea," Angelina murmured, brow furrowing as she focused on holding the fountain art in their places.

"This never gets old," Hook whispered to himself, watching his wife's concentrated face as he smiled slightly.

"You're such a sappy romantic," Melody laughed as she sat on one of the benches on Auradon Prep's grounds.

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Don't, Mel," he begged, "don't mention my dad being a romantic. I already deal with the PDA."

"You don't live with them!" Athena butted in, blonde hair so much like her mother's pulled back in a simple ponytail.

Melody's phone ringing shattered the easy camaraderie as she pulled it out of the pocket of her dress, sighing softly as she put her crown on her head once more. Queen Melody was forced to come back.

"I have to take this," she apologized. "I've made sure that I don't have to take any calls during the welcome ceremony. Mom and Dad have it handled."

Melody left the grounds as she accepted the call. Before she put the phone to her ear, she grumbled to herself, trailing off, "If it's another fucking advisor insisting on a public wedding...."

Uma shaded her eyes from the sun, trying fruitlessly to find the letter that had drifted off to, hopefully, Wonderland through the boarded-up rabbit hole.

She really hoped that Princess Red would come to Auradon Prep. Uma silently swore to herself that anyone who wanted to come to Auradon would have a home here. And hellfire would rain down on those who tried to stop her.

What? Her uncle - and Mal's father - was Hades, God of the Dead. It wasn't that hard to convince the god if it was for a good reason.

That's right. Auradon may have brought down the barrier, but they still left one VK behind.

Not on my watch.

So, I'm sending an invite to the kingdom no one dares to talk about. The one that lurks right below the surface. Wonderland, a dark world of mystery and magic. And its ruler, the Queen of Hearts, well, she's got a reputation for being downright ruthless.

Or else, it's off with your head.

There's only one person who dares to resist the Queen's orders. And that's her very own daughter, Princess Red.

Word Count: 3,132