Chapter Text
Red
Everything had changed for Red when they got back. She hadn't known what to expect honestly, would changing that tiny event really change her life that much? The answer had apparently been a resounding yes. Her mom was… loving, kind and a completely different person to the mom Red had grown up with. It was amazing. But it was also a little scary, she found herself in a sort of waiting state, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting to do the one wrong thing that would bring her old mom back. But… it hadn't happened, not yet at least.
She also had a sister now! Which was…. Okay she supposed. She wasn't used to such an upbeat attitude and she didn't entirely know how to be around this person who had known her her entire life but that she had practically just met. She'd been keeping a healthy distance and she could tell Pink noticed. She knew they all noticed she was acting different even though she tried to be and act happy and content. It wasn't helping her feel more at ease in this new old home.
Back in her original timeline she would, in moments where she needed someone to talk to, seek out Maddox. But she hadn't run into him yet. She supposed he probably wasn't living in the castle in this timeline. It made sense. Still she missed him and even though she now felt very comfortable talking with Chloe, something they'd both been doing a lot lately, it was just not the same. She wanted to see him, know he was okay. So at breakfast before heading off to the school she decided to finally ask.
“Hey, is Maddox still a teacher?” she wanted to be subtle with her question, she didn't know for a fact if he had even been a teacher in this time but she figured chances were pretty high. Perhaps he was a teacher at Auradon prep here! Unfortunately as soon as she uttered his name, silence rang out over the table.
Not only was her mom and sister staring at her, so was the guard and staff. She felt her heart beating faster, like the only audible thing in the room. Was this it? Was this the question that would bring it all crashing down?
“Sweetheart, I… I'm not sure,” her mother's voice brought her back from her spiral. Looking up at her she couldn't see any of the expected anger, just… sadness and something else she couldn't really read.
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh uhm, just curious…”
“His son will be entering Auradon prep this year,” Pink spoke up, looking a little nervous. “I overheard the guards talking about it,” she poked at her food, looking unsure as to whether she should have brought it up or not.
Before Red could inquire further her mother sighed. “Yes it's true, I was going to speak to you about it later but I might as well do it now,” she straightened her back a bit, a serious look on her face, Red was used to it but it still somehow looked foreign.
“I understand if you're worried but trust me when I say that Auradon prep is safe.” she looked at both Red and Pink while she continued carefully. “I have spoken to both the fairy godmother and to the principal, Miss Uma, about the matter. They have assured me that precautions will be taken to ensure your safety. Furthermore, even if his son is attending, Uma was very clear about the fact that he is not his father and that he deserves a chance to receive the same education as we do,” as she finished her sentence her face regained its previous light.
“And I agree with Uma, I think it's absolutely wonderful that he and all the other children from the island will eventually attend the school. Now…-” the unfamiliar familiar smile resettled on her face. “-who wants more pancakes?”
—
Red
The conversation played in Red’s head as she put down her bags in her shared bedroom at the school. Max was from the isle of the lost? But how could preventing her mom from… well from becoming a villain turn Maddox into one instead? Unless the reason for being sent to the isle had changed, but that seemed unlikely with the way her mom spoke about it earlier.
They'd arrived at the school just after breakfast and even though she had kept an eye out she hadn't seen the younger teen yet. Pink had been ecstatic when they arrived, talking with everyone and asking Red about every tiny detail they saw. Apparently in this timeline Red had already been attending the school for a year with Chloe whom she was now sharing a room with. It had been annoying to say the least, she wanted to keep an eye out for Max and she didn't actually know much about the school but she could at least tell Pink about some of its history which she seemed to enjoy.
“Hey, looks like we're roommates!” Chloe expressed happily as she walked into the room, interrupting Red's thoughts.
“Yeah… hey you haven't noticed any other changes than my mom have you?” Red turned towards Chloe and watched her scrunch her face up the way she always did when she was thinking, it was cute.
“No not really, except for the fact that your mom and mine are lifelong friends here and that we're apparently childhood friends now, why?”
“It's Maddox, you know my teacher and-” she hesitated. “-my only friend before I met you…” she could see Chloe's face turn a bit red at that before she eventually turned serious, sensing Red's feelings.
“I don't know how or why but he was sent to the isle of the lost here,” she was anxiously biting her finger. Maddox had been so kind, he couldn't have become a villain. It was simply not possible. And if he had, was it Red's fault? Had she turned her mother good just for her only friend to turn evil? A firm and calming pressure on her arm brought her out of her thoughts. Chloe had stepped towards her without her noticing and had placed a comforting hand on her.
“It's alright, whatever happened we'll figure it out together,” she smiled at her and Red could feel a smile tug at the corners of her mouth in return as she stopped chewing on her finger.
—
Max
He had just finished up packing what little he had for the trip and sat down to stare, yet again, at the letter. The letter from Auradon. He knew some kids had been allowed to attend the school and since then everything and yet nothing had changed. The physical barrier was down, yes. But there was still a barrier there. An invisible one that had prevented him from attempting to leave the island, until now that is. He hadn't expected the invite and when he got it he didn't even consider accepting, until Felix had convinced both him and Hazel that they all should. He still wasn't sure, but he felt better knowing his friends would be there with him.
He still hadn't told his dad though. He kept telling himself he would but needed the right time. A time where his dad was… stable enough to hear the news. And while there had been moments, he hadn't wanted to ruin them with the news. Justifying it by reasoning that his dad needed the moments to recover a bit and that next time he really would tell him. But… today was the last possible day he could do so. Today he was actually leaving. For the first time in his life, that he could remember, he wouldn't be on the island. One of the first things his father had made him promise as the barrier actually went down, was to stay. To not leave. And now he was about to do just that.
He contemplated unpacking his things, it would be easier to stay. Did he really need to go to that school anyways? He had plenty of knowledge about all the things you actually did need to know and then some. He knew how to distract someone while pickpocketing them, he knew how to improvise a good lie, he knew how to mend both clothes and broken tools. The last thing he was particularly proud of his skill in, you could hand him any broken tool and no matter how broken he could fix it. His dad had been proud of how he fixed up his pocket watch once, he had told him as much and ever since then he was always looking out for something broken to mend. Did he really need to sit in a classroom and listen to whatever, surely boring, subject the teacher was going on about?
A loud bang brought him out of his head and he finally looked up to see Hazel standing in his room.
“I've been yelling outside your door for ages, are you ready yet?” She was leaning on the doorframe trying to look nonchalant but he could tell she was tense. “You're not thinking about backing out right? Cuz this was a two for two deal, I've already quit my job and I am not going back there begging for it back,”
“No no of course not, I just… haven't told dad yet,” Max watched her eyes soften slightly.
“Yeah that's… you don't actually have to, I mean I didn't,”
“No I do, he's going to freak out, but it would be worse if I just left him.” He looked down at the letter again, tracing his name with his eyes. She only shrugged in response.
“Well… you better get to it then, I'll be right outside,” she said as she left. It sounded harsh, but Max knew that in the sentence there was a promise buried. A promise of having his back if he should need it.
He stood up from the bed and walked down the stairs to the basement where his dad had his workshop. The door was closed and he couldn't hear any muttering or talking from inside it. A good sign. He knocked carefully and heard his dad with a cheerful voice. “You can come in Max,” at which he opened the door to see his dad tinkering with some old clock. “You don't have to knock, you're welcome anytime,” his dad turned towards him with a soft smile, the sentiment was sweet but Max knew better.
“Sure dad, uh what are you doing?” he was stalling, Hazel wouldn't be happy.
“Ah I'm fixing this clock for Mr Gaston, do you want to help?” Max hesitated once again, moments like this, being around and helping his dad had been decreasing significantly lately. He was clutching the letter in his hand.
“Uh yeah about that, I'm…” could he really say it? Maybe he should stay, it would be easier, it would… it would be better. Surely. He'd promised his dad he would stay after all. But he'd also told Hazel he would go. Even though she had resisted at first, he knew how badly she wanted to go. Knew she wouldn't without him.
“What have you got there?” His dad asked curiously.
“It's a- a letter-” Better get it out quickly he thought. “-from auradon, they want me to attend the school, I've accepted, I've packed my bag and we're leaving today.” Silence, nothing but silence. Max slowly looked up from the spot in the ground he'd been staring daggers into to meet his dad's eyes.
He was met with nothing. His father's eyes’s unseeing but still with the smile upon his face, he could feel the warmth fade from it though. What replaced it wasn't ice, it was something else, something he was far too familiar with.
“What?” His father asked slowly and before he could even answer his father continued with a quiet “No.”
His dad jumped up from the seat, his stillness and smile suddenly gone but the unseeing still there. “No, you can't, it's not possible she sealed the Rabbits hole, you know this, if we leave the castle we'll be beheaded,”
His heart ached as his dad started rambling. He had stopped trying to get his dad to come back to reality a long time ago when he got like this. It never helped and usually just made things worse.
“Off with his head, off with his head, we can't leave, the rabbit hole, it's closed, the guards will capture us, the doors will tell her,” his father continued urgently, grabbing onto Max and looking him straight in the eyes.
“Dad it's okay, I'll be really sneaky, Hazel and Felix will both help and-”
“NO! No. Nothing gets past her and how will you get there? It's closed, it's not possible,”
“Auradon has personally sent an escort for us, that's how we'll get past her,” he really hoped he would be able to calm his dad down at least a bit before leaving. “It's waiting outside for me right now,” At that his dad stopped his rambling, but his eyes were still far away.
“Dad I promise I won't get caught, I know I promised to stay but… but maybe if I leave I can help you… get out as well.”
“...what if you get caught?” His dad asked, his hands shaking.
“I won’t get caught, none of us will, I promise dad,”
His dad suddenly let go of him and began to rifle through some boxes. Eventually pulling out a small mechanical bird. “It's not finished but it will do, if you're ever in danger just wind this up and it will provide an escape.” He was speaking more clearly, not rambling anymore but the precaution still spoke to him not being entirely there. It was probably as good as Max would receive. He put the bird in his coat's inner pocket to keep it safe and close.
“Thanks, I promise I'll write,” he said with some trepidation.
“Writing yes good, be careful with the pen though, they can spill the worst of secrets and you don't want her to get ahold of them” the small moment of clarity was gone.
Instead of giving it any more thought, he reached out and hugged his dad. Slowly his dad brought up his hands, still shaking, to reciprocate the hug. He was still murmuring silently though and Max could tell the hug was a distant one.