𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋, Descendants 3 ✓

Chapter 4

The prickly sun shines through the door of the fairy cottage, casting a radiant glow. Lyra, in pain, lets out a slight whimper as she senses the pain coursing through her. Audrey, however, is nowhere to be seen. Instead, her loyal companion Chad sits silently by the golden cage in the dark cellar of the cottage, rocking back and forth, visibly distressed.

Lyra slowly blinks her brown eyes open, her gaze landing on the young prince. With a raspy voice, she asks, "What... are you doing here?" Chad yelps, startled out of his reverie, and turns to face Lyra, observing him calmly. "I... I," he starts, but his words trail off, and he shakes his head, unable to find the right words.

Somewhat resigned Lyra briefly closes her eyes, knowing that the prince won't speak unless Audrey orders him to. Soon, the cellar door opens, and Chad lets out a whimper. Lyra blinks her eyes open again, looking to see Audrey returning. Audrey's face contorts with rage and satisfaction as she sits down on a barrel, momentarily removing her crown. She leans Maleficent's staff against her leg, taking slow breaths. Chad studies her cautiously before tentatively standing up. "Uh, do you want me to get you something?" he asks. Audrey remains silent for a long time.

Then, Audrey finally speaks, saying, "Sure, go and get some apple cider." Chad's face lights up with a smile, and he quickly scampers away, heading up to the higher level of the cottage to fetch the requested beverage.

Lyra remains silent momentarily before finally speaking, her voice low and measured. "So, it's not going exactly how you wanted it, huh?" Audrey's brow twitches with irritation. "Your friends are doing exactly what I wanted, mutt, so don't talk," she hisses. Lyra lets out a contemplative hum and shifts her amber gaze to her claws, tapping them on the ground. Tap. Tap. Tap. "I guess they aren't too fond of me after all," she says. Audrey sits up, intrigued. "What do you mean?" she asks. Lyra huffs out a dusty breath, her frustration palpable.

"I mean..." she starts, but her words trail off as Chad comes down with a silver cup of apple cider. He hands it to Audrey, his eyes fixed on her as she sips. Audrey grimaces at the taste and sets the cup aside. "You can go and sleep now," she orders Chad, who tilts his head in confusion. "I have no use for any more errands today," the princess explains, and Chad nods obediently before walking away.

Lyra yawns, fatigue evident in her voice. "As I was saying, I don't have any value to them. I'm just a shapeshifter, the daughter of the great Bad Wolf. That's all. They weren't even good friends, to begin with." Her words are laced with self-doubt, even though they are all falsehoods. But now, Lyra has started to believe them. She knows that if her friends truly wanted to find her, they would have come by nowadays. It has been a day, but then another part of Lyra's mind reminds her to be patient. Her pack is likely working diligently to discover Audrey's whereabouts. A rescue mission doesn't happen instantaneously, after all.

Audrey leans forward on her elbows, an evil grin forming in her eyes. "So... they won't mind if I kill you?" she asks after a prolonged silence. Lyra tenses up, her mind racing as she recalls all the adventures she had shared with her friends, the Core Four and the Sea Three. Then, she tightly shuts her eyes, tears welling up. For the sake of Auradon, she knows she must make a sacrifice. "No, they do not," she finally says, her voice filled with resignation. A wicked smirk appears on Audrey's face as Maleficent's scepter glows ominously.

"Very well, then. You're not good bait anyway," Audrey sneers, and in a flash of lightning, Lyra's vision is consumed by darkness. When she wakes up, she realizes she is no longer alive.