Descendants: To Kill A Dragon

Chapter Fourteen

A/N: This chapter skips around a lot, but I promise it won't be boring. I'm setting things up for the next big obstacle :)

Contains: Magic racism and pirate politics.

• • •

"Delivery! Compliments 'a House DeVil!" Horace exclaimed as he and his cohort Jasper, carried pile after pile of fur coats into the lobby.

"What?" Evie blinked, clearly quite confused about what was going on. There was no way Cruella would give up her furs, so the only logical explanation pointed to the old hag being dead. Luckily, the henchmen had brought a note from Carlos that explained a little.

"Evie & Mal,
These are a late wedding present to you. The old lady forced my hand, but despite how much I hate those blasted furs, I'm donating them to the cause. I bet some of the longer ones will be warm on beds in the winter. Anyway, Cruella's out of the way now, and Hell Hall is my main base. The device is coming along nicely.
Your Friend, Carlos."

"Can you take a return message?" Evie asked the two, who shrugged rather densely.

"S'pose we can, miss." Jasper spoke, as Evie jotted down a quick note.

"Here. Bring this back. It isn't time-sensitive." The blue princess explained politely, before grabbing hold of some children to help her carry the furs to her workshop. The buzz of sewing machines running was like music to Evie's ears, as five workers employed by the court set to making the leather uniforms for the army. Another twenty or so were working on blankets for beds, and clothes, so that these children could have more than one functional outfit.

Mal had stated that anyone working could be paid with two daily meals. Anyone who'd been working for six months would be eligible to earn money too. Anyone who'd worked for a year or more would still be fed in the event that they got hurt or sick, and could no longer work until they'd recovered. When asked about it once, Mal had replied that one didn't gain people's loyalty by kicking them when they were down. Mal had explained that if anyone was willing to work for her with dedication, she wanted their loyalty. A good worker wasn't one to be wasted.

For the first time, the people of the Isle began to understand something they'd never grasped before; if you work hard, you reap the benefits. In Auradon, many of these people had been beggars or petty thieves, because in Auradon, you couldn't count on a steady paycheck. In some more progressive regions (New China, Maldonia, Agrabah), the rulers were enacting reforms to help the common worker if they were sick or hurt, or if they couldn't find work. In Charmington and Moorland though, as Ben had so aptly pointed out to Audrey: there were no protections in place for a bad harvest, or a debt that couldn't be repaid, or an injury. In Oceania, Ariel's domain, the cost of living was so high that the head of household often worked multiple jobs to keep a family afloat.

Mal worked her employees hard on the Isle, but on the Isle at least, there was an unspoken brotherhood. Once you were employed by House Morgana, you belonged to Mal, and Mal took care of her own, thus ensuring their loyalty in a way that Auradonian princes simply never bothered to.

• • •

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the first meeting of the Auradon Council club." Ben announced, glancing at the assembled room with pride. He'd run the idea of a council politics club by Fairy Godmother with astoundingly positive results. Every royal wanted to prepare their heirs for life after Auradon Prep, but few actually knew how to go about it. The idea of a club to prepare the students for ruling was hailed as a great idea, but for Ben, it was more than that.