Chapter 38
There was a loud explosion in the fireplace of Hell Hall as Cruella threw a bottle of gin into the flames in rage. Jasper and Horace cowered by the couch, Jasper standing in front of his son Jace who watched the mad lady with wide fearful eyes. Cruella still had her hair in curlers and her fur robe was slipping from her bony shoulders. Her eyes looked wild and it wasn't just from her streaky makeup that she'd haphazardly put on when her minions had woken her with important news.
"If you're lying child to get my daughter into trouble I'll turn you into my next throw rug!" she shrieked pointing her cigarette holder at the boy. It had been taped back together with black duct tape but still stood with an odd bend in it as she shook it around.
"No mam." Jace said shaking his head, "I saw what I saw, I swear."
"That wretched ungrateful child! I'm sick to think we breathe the same air." Cruella shouted throwing another glass at the wall making some of the plaster chip and fall to the floor with the shards of glass.
"Perhaps, Madame –" Jasper began but was immediately cut off.
"SHUT UP!" Cruella shrieked causing both grown men and Jace to jump back, "Go! Stand somewhere until I need you." She demanded pointing her cigarette holder at the corner of the room too angry to put up with their idiocy. First her son had been taken by those ridiculous Auradon royals and now her daughter had been coerced by pirates. Even worse the pirate who had ruined her furs, her true loves!
"How could she do this to me!" Cruella shouted again hitting the wall and making small bits of plaster fall from the cracking ceiling.
- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
"Hildie!" Cruella shrieked as she entered the Castle Across the Way where her dear friend and fellow villainess the Evil Queen Grimhilde lived. Her two pet vultures circled above the deteriorating castle as the clouds above then turned red with the sunrise. They looked down on the once fancy black and white car as Cruella got out and stormed through the castle's gates and found the Queen in her grand sitting room. It had – like everything else on the Isle – seen better days. The furniture was tattered and old, the high ceilings a maze of cobwebs, the carpets run down and missing material in some places. The only thing that was perfectly put together was the Queen herself, sitting in a wing backed chair admiring her reflection in a handheld mirror. As always she had applied her makeup to perfection, placed her crown perfectly on her head and didn't have a hair out of place or a wrinkle to be seen.
"Cruella, dear. I was wondering when I would see you again." She said putting down her mirror and approaching her partner in crime. Cruella mustered up a small wicked grin as Hildie ushered her to her blue upholstered couch and snapped her fingers at Horace and Jasper who had entered after their boss. Their shoulders sagged as they realized that they were now the Queens minions by association and followed her pointing and perfectly manicured finger to a small table with bottles of various wines and dusty goblets which they began to fill and serve to the two powerful women.
"Now what brings you here after so long?" Hildie asked as they each sipped their wine.
"Well I'm sure you've heard of the trouble that came to my door the other day?" Cruella said holding out her long cigarette holder as Jasper ran over with a box of matches and lit the end.
"Oh yes, it's all over the Isle, you poor thing."
"I understand my reputation has been called into question." snapped Cruella before taking a puff of her cigarette and a sip of her wine, "You understand of course that something must be done."
"Oh absolutely, a villain without a bad reputation is like a queen without a kingdom."
"Or a Dalmatian without its spots."
"But tell me dear, who was foolish enough to cross you in the first place?" Hildie asked holding out her goblet as Horace refilled it.
"That filthy pirate son of James'." Cruella said with a sneer, her grip on her goblet tightening in her hatred.
"Harry Hook?" Hildie asked in shock, "Trying to fill his father's boots I assume."
"Oh, it's much more than that Hildie. I've just heard a distressing piece of valuable information that makes destroying my coats look like an amateur villain's work." The Queen arched a perfectly tweezed eyebrow shocked at Cruella's news and fully absorbed in her gossip while on the edge of her seat waiting for Cruella to go on. "He's got my Camilla like a worm on his hook."
There was a clatter as Grimhilde's goblet slipped from her hand and fell to the floor as she looked at Cruella wide eyed and mouth agape. "It seems both of my children are a disgrace. Carlos, weak enough to be converted to goodness and Camilla. . . I thought I'd made her so strong, she would have been a fine villainess one day, but she's let a pirate manipulate her heart and who knows what will happen when he decides to toss her aside."
"She would have been better off finding a prince in Auradon to wrap around her finger." Hildie said taking a new goblet of wine that Jasper handed her. "She could be living in a castle with all the riches in the world scheming right under Auradon's nose."
"Pirate, prince or pauper, my daughter doesn't need a man." Cruella said taking another puff of her cigarette, "But apparently the charms of a pirate were more than she could handle." She took a sip of her wine, "Now I'll have to take care of this myself."
"And how do you plan to do that? These two fools are no match for Harry Hook." Hildie said nodding toward Horace and Jasper, "He'll carve them up and feed them to Tick Tock."
"Now Queenie, did you really think I came here merely for a social visit?" Cruella asked, an evil smile forming on her red lips. "I need something far more wicked for my revenge, I was hoping you could provide some. . . inspiration."
"Well," Hildie said putting down her goblet, "Lucky for you I may have a little something." She stood from the couch and approached a bookcase, "I may have given Evie - that traitorous little Snow White wannabe - my magic mirror but I still have some tricks up my sleeve." She pulled an ornate box from the shelf, it was blood red and had a carving of a dagger through a heart on the front.
"I don't need the heart of a pig, Hildie."
"Oh this is much better than that." Hildie said with a smile, "After all they don't call me the Evil Queen for nothing." She reached in the box and pulled out a bright red sphere that fit in the palm of her hand, but it was no heart, it was a bright red apple.
"A poison apple?" Cruella questioned having not known that the Queen had any left.
"The last poison apple." The Queen said with an evil grin.
- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
Harry was making his rounds to all the shops and evil establishments that paid to avoid trouble with Uma and her crew. He avoided the Curl Up and Dye, with little Dizzy now having allies in Bore-don it wasn't worth the trouble anymore. He was cutting through alleyways heading for the pirate pub, he needed to drink some of his troubles away, avoiding Camilla was making him more irritable and everyone on the crew had noticed. Even CJ and Harriet had started to pick up that something was wrong with him.
It was late by the time he'd made it to Pain Lane and the streets of the Isle had grown dark, the only thing illuminating them was the lights that shone through the windows of the shops that were still open. From down the alley he could hear the echoing voices of the drunken pirates singing sea shanties and the smashing of bottles and furniture along with their loud laughter. Before he could even make it to the middle of the alley his head snapped to the side as a fist collided with his jaw. He stumbled back ready to keel haul the drunken fool who'd picked a fight with him when another blow came from behind. Even in his surprised state he could tell he was being ambushed, he reached for his sword but a strong grip seized his wrist and turned it at an unnatural angle behind his back as he shouted in pain. None of the lesser villains who lined the alley walls even looked up at what was happening. Harry swung his free arm and felt his fist meet one of the men's noses and he felt a surge of pride at hearing him cry out in pain. But then more men seemed to materialize from nowhere and he was quickly outnumbered. He held his own for a good long time, he kicked then spun and punched, he ducked and dodged – he would have made his father proud. Then his attackers started fighting dirty, he felt someone wrap their arms around his legs making his movement limited but he didn't fall over. One man tried to restrain his arm but Harry was able to maneuver his elbow to jab them in the throat. Another man then leapt onto his back and pulled his hat off shoving down his bandana and using it to blind him. He finally felt his balance leave him and he fell forward and smashed his face into the hard ground. He'd had enough sense to turn his head to avoid breaking his nose but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt. The men were then able to pull his arms behind his back and he felt a rough twine like rope tied around his wrists. He started cursing like a sailor as his feet were also bound and the men hoisted him to his knees, still blinded by the makeshift blindfold.
He heard a deep chuckle and his bandana was lifted from his eyes so he could see the man behind his attack. He hid his shock behind a scowl as he watched the man lean against the wall with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. He pushed off the wall of the back entrance to the Duels without Rules, which explained where so many fighters had suddenly come from and why they fought without a shred of good form.
"I'm impressed Hook, I didn't expect a pirate to put up such a good fight without his blade." Gaston chuckled again as he got in Harry's face. Harry didn't know why Gaston had targeted him, though he knew the man had always hated him since he'd become friends with Gil. Gaston believed his sons should have nothing better in their lives than their father and once Gil had seen how much better life was with a crew he'd immediately become the least favorite son, and Gaston blamed Harry for it. But he'd never purposefully sought Harry out, if they crossed paths they'd scowl at each other but other than that as long as they stayed out of each other's way there was no quarrel – nothing like the rivalry Mal and Uma had anyway. Perhaps now that his father was dead the other villains had grown some bravery, Harry thought.
"Yer makin' one hell of a mistake." He growled between his teeth pulling at his bonds.
Gaston only laughed again, "Oh, you poor boy." He shook his head, "You know Hook, you remind me of myself when I was younger. Dashing, charming, devilishly handsome, strong, courageous. . . " Gaston trailed off as if he'd forgotten that he'd been talking about something other than himself then he shook his head again, "Even foolish. I'll admit it. I let my affections for Belle cloud every other aspect of my life and now you're letting the De Vil girl do the same to you."
Harry froze at the mention of Camilla, there was no way Gaston would know about that but the fact that somehow he did know made Harry's blood run cold. Camilla was his weakness and now Gaston had him trapped, whatever came next he knew couldn't be good.
"Fools aren't born Hook." Gaston continued, "Pretty girls make them in their spare time."
So many classic villains, so little time. What do you guys think of the parents making a comeback in this story? Since they had more of the parents in D3 I figured I'd try to do as much with the other parents as well, let me know your thoughts on their reappearance.