A/N: If you are reading this, then you have obviously watched Disney's Descendants. The continuity errors aside, I enjoyed the movie. When this idea first struck me, moments after the movie ended, I knew I had to start writing it down. After some time away, I've come to the realization that this needs some work. I have rewritten and reorganized the story, and I hope you enjoy this 'Version2' as much as the first! Read & Review, please.

P.S., I am not meaning to bash/villainize any Disney hero or heroine. I will preface this story by saying that Belle and Beast/Adam are my favorite Disney royals and always have been. Enjoy!

P.P.S., each chapter title is in reference to a segment or a song from a segment of the Magic Kingdom's nightly firework show Happily Ever After.

Unlock the Magic Within

Four-year-old Carlos de Vil hurried through the marketplace on the Isle of the Lost, his dark eyes darting around as he looked for the best escape route. Some of the older kids on the Isle were hot on his trail after he'd helped his friend Jayden Nagendra steal a loaf of bread, and his little legs couldn't keep up with the older boy. He'd lost Jay a while back, but the others were still after him.

"de Vil!" he heard his pursuers call after him as he skidded into a dark alleyway before finding himself trapped.

"Dalmatians!" he exclaimed, jumping as he heard his 'hunters' make their way into the alley.

"No where to run now, de Vil!" the leader, Anthony Tremaine, sneered, and the sound of thunder filled the space between them.

A bolt of lightning shot down in front of Carlos, and the figures of two children appeared in front of him as the flash faded. The girl had long, dark hair tied up in pigtails with blue ribbons; the boy had russet colored hair…all over his body. Carlos heard a low growl escape the boy's lips, and he saw as the girl began to glow with a faint pink light.

"I don't think so!" she snarked, and Anthony raised an eyebrow.

"What are you pipsqueaks gonna do about it?" he challenged, and the boy let out another growl before speaking.

"You don't wanna mess with us, Tremaine." he said darkly as he flexed his right hand, or was it a paw, showing off five sharp, black claws. "These aren't for show."

"My brother may be a beast, but he's still nicer than me." the girl said with malice as she held out her hand, palm flat in front of her body, and conjured a pink shield.

Glancing wearily at the siblings, Tremaine and his lackeys retreated from the alley in a hurry, and Carlos stared in awe as his saviors turned to him. The hair all over the boy's body began to disappear, making him look more normal as it shrunk. The girl smiled at him, an actual smile, and held out her hand.

"It's okay, Carlos, we're not going to hurt you. My name's Rose, and this is my brother, Ben. We've got to help your friends get somewhere safe, but I need to take you there first. Can you trust me long enough to get you to safety?" the girl asked, and Carlos nodded before he realized what he was doing.

"What do you want me to do, Sissy?" Ben asked, and she turned to him.

"Morph back and try to track Mal and Jay. I'm the only one who can get into the castle to get Evie, so just try to find them for now. If I'm not back before you do, get them to the safehouse, okay? We've got to get this done. If what I saw was true, we can't leave them like this." Rose replied, and Ben nodded before his hair turned into fur and covered his body once more.

Ben used his claws to scale the alley wall and disappeared over the rooftops. Rose let out a soft giggle as her brother hurried away, then she turned to Carlos again. She held out her hand to him, and he slipped his smaller one in hers. A pink glow enveloped the two of them, and Carlos closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were in an eat-in kitchen filled with light and warmth.

"Where are we?" he asked before he could stop himself, as asking questions on the Isle of the Lost was a good way to get yourself killed.

"This was where the Enchantress lived when she was sent to the Isle of the Lost. When she died, I got her powers; I live here now, and my brother is the only person I let in before you and the ones he's looking for now. Once we know my magic shield holds up against anyone trying to hurt us, Ben says he's gonna bring our parents here for me to spend time with them." Rose answered, and Carlos tilted his head to the side.

"Your mom and dad don't live with you?" he asked innocently.

"No, they don't, but they also didn't have a choice. They sent me here to keep me safe, and now I'm keeping other people safe. May I see the bread? I've got better food in the cabinets that you can eat, food that won't make you sick all the time." she answered sweetly, and he handed over the loaf without hesitating.

Rose smiled and walked over to one of the cabinet doors. She motioned Carlos over and opened it for him to see the garbage chute. He watched as she tossed the loaf into the dark chute and shut the door back. She turned to him, giggling, and held out her hand once more. He held onto her hand as she guided him to the other side of the kitchen and opened another cabinet. This one had floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with brightly colored boxes, bags, cases, and pallets of food.

"What's your favorite food, Carlos?" Rose asked, and he gaped at her.

"My favorite? Um, Jay got me some blueberries the other day, and those were the best things I've tasted!" Carlos answered, still not quite believing that this was real.

"In that case, I want you to have as many of these as you can eat. It's a blueberry muffin; it's kinda like a cake with blueberries baked into it, and I have a lot of them!" she told him, using magic to bring down a box filled with fluffy, golden-brown treats that Carlos had never seen before.

"But, if I eat these, what'll you eat?" he asked, and she gave him a kind smile.

"I have other flavors, and there's a lot more food in here than just muffins. My parents send food to me every month anyway, so I can always ask for more." Rose said before guiding him over to the kitchen table and helping him into one of the large chairs.

"So, I won't get into trouble if I eat this?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Of course, you won't get in trouble! As long as you're in my house, you don't have to worry about anything, Carlos. Now, sit here and eat; you look like you could use it. I'm going to get Evie and see about helping Ben find Jay and Mal. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" she told him, and he nodded before giving her a small smile.

"Okay; thank you, Rose!" he said before opening one of the individually wrapped muffins and peeling off the paper wrapper.

"You can toss the wrappers down the garbage chute, Carlos. If you can't reach the handle on your own, just make a neat pile of wrappers on the table, and I'll throw them away when I get back, okay? See you in a little bit, and you're very welcome!" she said before disappearing in a flash of pink light.

Hiding out in what used to be her half-sister's bedroom, six-year-old Evie Irving listened as her mother sobbed in her own bedroom down the hall. Grimhilde had locked herself away in her room and hadn't quit crying ever since Maleficent banished the two of them to their castle. All of this was because Maleficent's daughter, Mal, hadn't been invited to Evie's birthday party the week before. Evie had wanted the half-faerie girl there, but Grimhilde hadn't allowed it because she was angry that Maleficent had been chosen as leader of the Isle of the Lost over her. Now, because of her mother's jealousy issues, she'd lost her best friend. It was worse than when she'd found out that Snow White was actually her half-sister, a sister she would never know for no reason other than her being born on the Isle of the Lost while her sister lived in Auradon, because she had played with Mal until the Isle voted on a leader. It was a different type of loss, she told herself, but the hurt felt almost identical.

Just as the tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, Evie looked up to see a pink flash of light fill her bedroom. When it faded, she saw a girl about her age sitting on the end of her bed. Her dark hair was tied up in pigtails with blue ribbons, and she had a smile on her face.

"Who are you?" Evie asked quickly.

"My name's Rose. You're Evie, right?" she asked.

"Yep, I mean, yes, I am. How did you get in here? Maleficent threatened to cast a spell to keep us inside and said that no one would ever talk to us again!" Evie asked, and the dark-haired girl nodded.

"I know, but Maleficent doesn't have any power over me or my magic. It sounds like your mom cried herself to sleep already; it's not even lunchtime!" Rose said, and Evie frowned.

"Why are you here? To make fun of me?" the girl asked, but Rose shook her head.

"No, never! I'm here to get you out!" she responded, and Evie blinked in surprise.

"You can do that? Where would we go? Can I take my mom with me?" she asked rapidly, and Rose let a small laugh slip out.

"Yes, I can, and we'd be going back to my house, the Enchantress' cottage. As for your mom, my magic won't let me take her out of the castle." she explained to the other girl, but she seemed unconvinced.

"Why can I leave, but she can't?" Evie asked.

"It's because of the barrier on the Isle. The adults can't travel by magic because of it, but it doesn't keep us kids from doing it. We need to get going soon, though, because I promised Carlos I'd be back soon." Rose said, and Evie perked up at Carlos' name.

"He's at your house?" she asked, and Rose nodded.

"My brother and I saved him from Anthony Tremaine's gang earlier, and I took him back to my house, so he could get something to eat. Don't worry, Evie, it's perfectly safe, and I wouldn't hurt someone who didn't try to hurt me first." she responded as she held out her hand towards the other girl.

Slowly and unsurely, Evie accepted Rose's hand; the two disappeared in the same flash of pink light that Rose appeared in, and Evie found herself in the same kitchen as Carlos had, the only difference being Carlos himself sitting at the table eating his third blueberry muffin.

"Rose!" the boy cried out, and the brunette walked over to the table with Evie right behind her.

"I told you I'd be back soon. Has Ben got here with the other two yet, or do I have to go out again?" she asked, and the boy held up two fingers.

"It's just me here. I ate two muffins, and this one makes three. I think I'll stop after this one though." he said, and she laughed lightly.

"Good; I'll throw these away for you, get Evie something to eat, and go help Ben. Would you like some milk or juice, Carlos?" she asked, and Carlos seemed surprised at getting both food and drink.

"Juice, please!" he said eagerly, and Rose gave him a nod and a wink as she gathered the muffin wrappers and carried them to the garbage chute.

"Okay, Carlos." she said before turning to Evie. "What do you want to eat? Would you like some juice, milk, or tea to go with it?"

"What's Carlos eating?" Evie asked nervously.

"Muffins; they're like cake, and the ones Carlos is eating have blueberries in them. I like banana-walnut ones, and my brother, Ben, likes chocolate-chip ones. They also come in apple-cinnamon, lemon, poppy-seed, cranberry-orange, and pumpkin. There are tons more flavors back in Auradon City, where I used to live, and my parents send me new flavors all the time." Rose explained, still smiling, and the raven-haired girl held back a gasp at the revelation that the other girl was from Auradon.

"Could I have a pumpkin one? Please?" Evie responded, and Rose nodded.

"Like I told Carlos, you never have to worry about anything while you're here. This place is safe from everyone but the people I let in, and I want to help keep people safe like my parents are keeping me safe." she said as she brought the box of pumpkin muffins down from the cabinet magically. "Milk, juice, or tea?"

"Juice?" Evie answered, sounding uncertain.

"It's not apple, I promise." Rose said as she set the box of pumpkin muffins on the table and moved to grab two cups from the cabinet.

"How did you…" Evie began, but she trailed off as Rose used her magic again to pour a different type of juice in each of the cups.

"I promise that I'll tell you once I get back with my brother, Mal, and Jay. Right through that door is the downstairs living room, and there's a bathroom right up the stairs from there. It's the middle door on the second floor in case you need it." Rose told her as she set the cups on the table beside each of the other two children. "Carlos, that's orange juice. Evie, your cup has grape juice in it. If you don't like it, feel free to switch. It won't bother me if you do, but I like both. I'll be back soon, I promise!"

As Rose disappeared in another flash of pink, the two took cautious sips from their cups. They smiled at one another across the table, and Evie opened the first of her pumpkin muffins. Carlos watched as she lit up after taking the first bite. It was clear that she liked the taste.

"I'm glad Rose got you out of Maleficent's banishment, Eve!" he said, and she gave him another smile.

"Me, too, little man. She told me you ran into trouble with Anthony today. What happened?" Evie asked, and he sighed.

"I went with Jay to find food, and he got a loaf of bad bread from Drizzella's bag when she had her back turned. We ran from Anthony and his friends, because they're all bigger than us, but Jay got too far ahead of me. I ended up in an alley, and then Rose and Ben showed up. Ben's cool, Evie; he's a real beast, with fur and everything! He can look like us, normal and everything, too!" the smaller boy told her excitedly, and Evie began thinking, squinting as she did so.

"Do you think Ben is King Beast's son? There is a Prince Ben, after all." she said after a moment, and Carlos shrugged.

"I don't know, but he saved me from Anthony, Gaston Jr., Maddy, and Ginny. How long do you think Rose will let us stay here?" he replied, and Evie shrugged back.

"I have no idea, but we should enjoy it while we can." she told him before taking another bite of pumpkin muffin.

Appearing beside her brother within seconds of leaving Carlos and Evie with their snacks, Rose let out a horrified gasp. Ben was crouched in a dark side-street not too far from the cottage. Lying limply in her brother's arms, Rose saw a girl no older than herself with black curls and pale skin covered in blueish-purple bruises and red slashes along her forearms and legs. She knew the four children would lead horrible lives for the following ten years, but she hadn't thought that anyone could do this to a child.

"What happened?" she demanded with a growl, and Ben looked at her with tears in his hazel eyes.

"Tremaine thought we were with her, along with Carlos and Jay, so he brought Hook's oldest, CJ, with him to find them. Jay showed up not long after I did, and we got them to leave; they'd already hurt her, though, and I can't heal like you, Sissy. I told Jay we had to wait for you, and he got angry with me. He took out a knife, and I clawed at his arm to make him drop it. He's over there, moping about me beating him." Ben answered as simply as he could, and Rose nodded.

"Let me heal her, and then you run her straight to the cottage. I'll get Jay; you will be apologizing later, though, Ben. He doesn't know who we are or what we can do, so he can't get in trouble for protecting his friend." she told her brother, and he nodded.

"I know, and I will. She's gonna be okay, right, Rose?" he asked, and she made an unsure noise as she lifted her hands and enveloped the girl in pink-tinted magic.

"I think I might've just gotten here in time." she said, working healing magic on the girl until her eyes fluttered open to reveal two bright green orbs.

"W-w-what are you doing?" the girl asked nervously, and Rose made a shushing sound to calm her.

"Mal, even though your mother has told you not to trust people, you can trust me and my brother. Ben is going to take you to safety, where Carlos and Evie are, and Jay and I will be right behind you." she began before turning back to Ben. "When you get there, take her to the red bedroom in the eaves. She needs to rest some more."

"Right, red bedroom. Are you opening a portal or am I running?" Ben asked, and his sister gave him a sarcastic glance.

"Healing is a lot of work, doofus. If I was opening a portal, I wouldn't have told you to run with her, would I?" Rose replied, and he mock-glared at her before gathering Mal in his arms and standing up straight.

"See you in a bit." he said to his sister before turning his eyes on Mal. "Not that I'm gonna drop you, but you should hold on tight."

Before Mal could argue, Ben was running swiftly down the street with the girl in his arms. Rose watched until they were out of sight, then she made her way in the general area Ben had pointed to in reference to Jay. There, beside an old oil drum, she saw a boy not much older than herself. He had tanned skin and black hair that reached his shoulders. He looked up at her with amazement clear in his warm, dark eyes; wordlessly, she moved her hand over the claw marks on his forearm and began to heal his wounds.

"You saved us. You and that beast-thing saved Mal and me." he said, his voice full of astonishment and distrust. "Why?"

"My brother and I were born into privilege but with powers that could be more of a curse than a gift. His is easy to hide, but mine isn't. I'm supposed to help you, and I'm gonna do that for as long as I can. Take my hand." she offered, and he raised an eyebrow at her before doing so.

"Why?" he asked.

"The others are waiting." she said, and then the pink light enveloped them both as Rose transported them back to the cottage.

Carlos and Evie had finished their snacks when they heard a door slam open from somewhere else in the house. They both jumped at the noise and scrambled to hide in the pantry cabinet that Rose had taken the muffins from. Moments later, the pantry door was opened, and the two saw Rose and Jay looking at them curiously.

"Why're you hiding?" Rose asked, and Carlos answered her quickly.

"We heard a door open, and we got scared. Where's Ben?" he asked, and Rose gave them both a gentle smile.

"Ben's who opened the door. He brought Mal here while I healed Jay's arm. Don't worry, Ben's the one who scratched him; Tremaine and CJ Hook thought Mal was hiding all of us and hurt her. I healed her as best I could, but she needs rest. For now, we can go into the living room, and I can tell you why Ben and I brought you here, okay?" she said in an assuring tone, and Carlos gave a short nod before walking over to Jay and hugging the older boy.

"Hey, little man, I thought I lost you! I'm so glad you're okay!" Jay said as he hugged Carlos back.

"Rose and Ben saved me from Anthony, Gaston Jr., Ginny, and Maddy. CJ wasn't there then. Rose gave me blueberry muffins and orange juice, too! She's really nice! Did she tell you that she lived in Auradon?" the smaller boy babbled, and Jay turned to look at the young Enchantress upon hearing this.

"You took care of him?" he asked, and Evie cut in for the first time.

"She gave me food and juice, too. Muffins are like cake, but they're made with fruits…and sometimes nuts. I like it here!" the ebony-haired girl said excitedly.

"I'm glad to hear that." Ben said as he entered the kitchen, his only hair being on his head now. "Mal's sleeping. How long do you think she'll be out?"

"I'll check on her after lunch. Speaking of lunch, it won't get started on its own. I hope everyone likes Mulligan stew." Rose answered, and the three Isle children asked what she was talking about.

"It's a stew our Granny makes; it's got a bit of everything in it, and she likes to say it's everything in the kitchen plus peas." Ben explained with a small laugh, and Rose nodded while grinning.

"I can't promise mine will be as good as Granny's, but it's better we have some food than no food." she told Ben before aiming a burst of pink magic at the kitchen and making the cupboards to fly open.

As the three Isle children watched pots, pans, meat, potatoes, and vegetables soar through the room and begin sorting and slicing themselves, Ben began ushering them from the room. Rose followed after a few moments, and the five children sat down in the living room. Ben settled himself in a large, red armchair, and Rose curled up on the royal blue sofa. They motioned for the others to sit as well, and Carlos quickly climbed up on the sofa to sit beside Rose. Evie sat on his other side, and Jay took the remaining armchair. Once they were all settled, Rose began her story.

"If you haven't figured us out, Ben and I are a beast and the Enchantress. Our parents are King Adam, or Beast, and Queen Belle; Ben visits me through our enchanted mirrors, but Mom and Dad haven't been able to visit since I moved here. Ben's had control over his morphing into a beast since we were still in our bassinets in the nursery. I wasn't so lucky with my level of control; because I'm the Enchantress, some of the other kings and queens in Auradon were worried that I wouldn't have control over my powers at all. Some of them I do, and others I don't. One of the ones that I don't have a lot of control over is my visions." she said, and Jay spoke up.

"Visions? Like, seeing the future?" he asked, and she nodded.

"I can't control what I see, but I still see it. Right after I came to live here, I had a vision about the four of you, Ben, and me. From what I've seen, you guys aren't evil. I mean, you aren't evil at all. Evil isn't born, but it's made instead. Because of how evil and hateful your parents are to you over the next ten years, you four are good. There are other good kids on the Isle who need help and protection, and I thought we could all work together to keep them safe." Rose said, but Jay wasn't backing down just yet.

"How? We can't use magic like you!" he challenged, but she merely smirked.

"Actually, aside from Carlos, you can. Mal is half-faerie, Evie is a witch, and you are half-genie. Carlos is a genius and doesn't deserve what his mother puts him through. You all have something you can do, just like us, and the barrier doesn't stop us because it was designed to keep our parents' magic in, not ours. Magic is different for everyone, and what Fairy Godmother put into the spell to keep your parents in is useless against us. If we help keep the good kids on the Isle safe, Ben will have an easier time getting us all off the Isle and to Auradon later." she explained, and all but Ben went wide-eyed.

"There's a way out?" Evie asked, and Rose nodded, looking to Ben.

"I'll become King of Auradon just before Rose and I turn sixteen, and I'll get to make my first royal decree. I can make my decree be that the four of you, and anyone else we think deserves it, has the chance to live in Auradon. No child on the Isle of the Lost did anything to be sent here; they're only here because this is where they were born. I don't think that's fair." Ben said, and Rose nodded, her eyes flickering towards the kitchen door.

"He's right, and we do wanna help you. The stew is done and being served now; I want you all to go ahead and eat while I check on Mal. If she's feeling up to it, she can join us. If not, I'll bring her something." she told them, and Ben led the trio into the kitchen whilst his sister hurried up the stairs.

Rose sat down on the empty bed beside the one Mal rested on, her eyes scanning over the other girl. Her physical injuries had healed themselves thanks to Rose's magical help, but she knew Mal had further emotional scars that no magic would be able to heal. She waited patiently for the girl to open her emerald eyes, not fooled for one moment that Mal was still asleep.

"Am I gonna die?" Mal eventually asked, realizing Rose wasn't leaving.

"No, Mal, you'll live. You didn't deserve what Tremaine and his pals did to you; I can't even be mad at my brother for fighting him off and risking his own skin!" Rose told her, and Mal looked at her strangely.

"Your brother?" she asked, and Rose nodded.

"What do you remember about this morning, Mal?" the brunette asked.

"I was waiting for Jay and Carlos to get back with food, hoping I'd at least have something to eat today, when Anthony Tremaine showed up with CJ Hook. They kept asking me where Jay and Carlos were, where 'the witch and the beast' were, and I tried telling them I was looking for Jay and Carlos, too. They wouldn't listen to me, and CJ hit me with her hook. She kept hitting me, but then this…wall of fur got between us. I heard them run off, but I don't remember anything after that until I saw you standing over me on the street." Mal explained, and Rose nodded.

"Okay then, you remember most everything. The 'wall of fur' is my brother, Ben. We're twins, and he's the Beast, technically. He can morph into a beast whenever he wants, but it's because he was born this way instead of being cursed. I'm the Enchantress now that the last one passed away, and we're from Auradon, originally at least. I live here on the Isle now, but I have a mirror that lets me talk to my parents and lets Ben visit. He and Jay fought Tremaine and CJ off, and then he brought you here to rest. Jay's down in the kitchen with Ben, Carlos, and Evie. If you want, you can join us for lunch. If you're not ready to go downstairs, I'll bring some stew up here. Like I told the others, you won't want for anything here with me because I want to help you." Rose told her, but Mal shook her raven-black head.

"Why do you want to help me? My mother doesn't like me having help unless I can make them my minions." she demanded to know, and the other girl relented.

"Like I said, I'm the Enchantress. I have magic, and I can see the future in visions sometimes. I had a vision not too long ago, and I know that you're not evil. You, and the three downstairs, have a good heart; Ben and I can get you off the Isle, but it won't be for ten years. What we can do now, though, is train. Did you know you can use magic here even though your mother can't?" Rose responded, and Mal nodded slowly.

"I made an apple appear on accident once." she admitted, and the other girl gave her a smile.

"You can do so much more than that, Mal, and I can help you learn. The barrier isn't keyed to our magic, so it can't stop us. You, me, Jay, and Evie can practice using our magic here, and we can be ready when Ben becomes King of Auradon and brings the four of you to Auradon City." Rose said, and Mal smiled a real smile.

"You can help me?" she asked, and Rose nodded.

"How long can you stay away from the Bargain Castle before Maleficent notices you're gone?" she asked instead, and the dark-haired girl shrugged.

"Mom never really notices when I'm not there. She sleeps a lot and always locks her door. I could probably move here and only show up every few days to let her see that I'm alive, and she'd never know." Mal answered, and Rose's eyes shone with an idea.

"Why don't you? I was planning on asking Evie if she wanted me to sneak her in here after Grimhilde finishes with her lessons every day, Jay if he would rather stay here instead of with Jafar, and Carlos if he'd be okay with not going back to Cruella. I've got room for all of you." she asked the half-faerie, and Mal giggled.

"You're definitely from Auradon! No one from the Isle would ever be so nice to us!" she laughed out, and Rose shrugged.

"My dad says I'm like my mom and too stubborn to leave something or someone alone for my own safety when I see they need help." she said, smiling as she spoke to the other girl.

"I think I might be okay going downstairs now." Mal said, pausing for a moment after she reigned in her laughter, and Rose nodded before offering her hand.

"Evie will be happy to see you; she almost didn't come here until I said you'd be here, too." she told her, and Mal smiled again as the two made their way downstairs.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this, I will try to update soon, and please write a review and hit that nifty little submit button!