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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄

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Crimson paced back and forth in the small room Harriet forced her into. She didn't know how long it had been, only that night had come and gone thanks to the small window just out of her reach. She hadn't seen Finn since she was locked in there. The last time she saw him was when he was being dragged down the hall by Sammy right before Harriet slammed the door in her face. That was the last time she saw anyone. The Rose girl did her best to ignore her growling stomach and her tired body. She wasn't willing to let her guard down, knowing that's exactly what Harriet and her crew wanted.

After letting out a long sigh, Crimson sat down on the floor with her back against the wall. Her eyes were glued to the small window, silently wishing she was just an inch taller. It wasn't long before she began to think about the information she had received from Celia. It was hard for the blonde girl to believe she was a princess, especially after living alone on the Isle for so long. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

No one knew anything about her other than the woman who had raised her for eight years. Crimson never even knew her name, which was strange to begin with. Another giveaway was how people always seemed to be whispering about her as she walked by. At first, she thought it was because she was the girl no one knew anything about. But now she sees it was because they all knew the truth. However, the biggest giveaway was her necklace, the very same one she promised the woman she would never take off. It was a golden rose with a small ruby in the center. Crimson always thought it was fake but now she knows she was wrong.

Crimson was soon pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps. That alone was enough for her to jump to her feet while keeping herself against the wall behind her. Her eyes stayed glued to the door until it was pulled open to reveal Harriet and Scott. Confusion mixed with the fear flowing inside her as she stared at the son of Scar. She didn't know why they were both there and that terrified her even more. Crimson did her best not to show her feelings, but she had a feeling they could see right through her act.

The Leeu boy stared at Crimson in silence for a moment longer before opening his mouth to speak. "How do you know my sister?"

Crimson couldn't help but blink at Scott, taken aback by his question. But when she saw the irritation in his eyes grow, the blonde girl was quick to give him an answer. "I don't. I didn't even know you had a sister. I always thought you were an only child."

"What about Holly Hearts?" Harriet questioned before the son of Scar had a chance to continue the conversation, only to receive a blank stare from Crimson in response. The Hook girl couldn't help but scoff before muttering, "you've gotta be kidding me." After studying the blond girl for another moment, Harriet focused on the boy behind her. "Why would they come back if they don't even know her?"

"The King's probably paying them a lot of money," Scott responded without an ounce of hesitation in his voice while keeping his eyes glued to Crimson, "Skyler wouldn't risk her life coming back here if it wasn't for money."

"I'm sorry, am I missing something?" the Rose girl asked after the confusion within her overtook all of the fear she felt.

Crimson almost flinched when all attention landed back on her. While Scott went into the hall to blow off some steam, Harriet continued to stare at the girl in front of her as if she held all the answers. That only lasted for a moment longer before the Hook girl opened her mouth to speak. "You know, we had a good thing going here. No one knew where our hideout was and the only people we had to worry about were Quinn and her crew. But you just had to ruin all that, didn't you?"

The Rose girl simply blinked in response to Harriet's words, completely taken aback by what she said. It wasn't long after that when Crimson regained her composure and broke through the silence. "Seriously? Why are you blaming me for all of this? I didn't even want to join your pirate crew!"

After letting out an irritated sigh, the daughter of Captain Hook turned and walked out of the room, leaving Crimson in isolation once again. A tear soon slipped down the Rose girl's cheek despite her trying to lock her emotions away. Her back met the wall and she found herself sliding down it until she was sitting on the floor. As she looked up at the small window, Crimson silently wished to go back to her life two months ago. Sure, she would still be stuck as part of Harriet's crew, but she had Finn and was happy during that time. The Mullins boy was all she needed and she would give anything to see him safe again.

What felt like an eternity passed when Crimson heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Confusion flowed through her veins as she took her head off her knees to look at the door. What puzzled her wasn't that someone was coming down the hall, but the sound of their feet against the floorboards. When Harriet and Scott came to see her, they walked with determination and didn't care who heard. Their steps were loud and obnoxious, which matched them well in Crimson's eyes. But these new footsteps were different. They were soft and delicate as if they weren't trying to be heard by anyone in the house. And the Rose girl didn't know how she felt about her new visitor.

As soon as the newcomer sounded as though they were right outside the door, Crismon jumped to her feet and pushed herself as far as she could against the wall. The fear flowing without her veins seemed to double as she listened to someone messing with the doorknob. It sounded as though they were trying to pick the look, which puzzled the Rose girl once again. If it was any member of Harriet's crew, they would be able to walk right in. They all had keys, after all. Which only meant that whoever was on the other side of the door wasn't a pirate. And Crimson had no idea how she felt about that.

What felt like an eternity passed when the door finally opened, revealing two girls that Crimson had never seen before. They both looked just as shocked to see her. It was like they were not expecting to find her there in the first place. However, that moment barely lasted a second longer before the two girls gestured for the Rose girl to follow them, only for the latter not to move an inch. Crimson didn't miss the annoyance appearing in both of their eyes, making a wave of uncertainty wash over her.

"Look, do you wanna get out of here or not? Because we don't have a lot of time," the girl with pink streaks in her hair stated at the same time the Rose girl was trying to figure out why she looked so familiar.

"What are you talking about?" Crimson managed to ask while her eyes flashed between the two girls in front of her.

Not even a second after she finished speaking passed when they heard another set of approaching footsteps. The fear within the Rose girl did nothing but grow, only for it to slightly fade at the sight of Rev and Zack appearing in the doorway. The Gold girl instantly sent Crimson a smile before opening her mouth to speak. "We don't have time to explain, Crim. My sleeping powder is gonna wear off in exactly seven minutes and forty-eight seconds. If you wanna get out of here in one piece, we need to leave with Skyler and Holly right now."

Once again, Crimson just stared at them for a long moment, making Skyler and Holly's annoyance grow. It wasn't much longer after that when the blonde girl sent them a small nod and began to follow them out of the room. The four girls barely made it to the end of the hall when Crimson suddenly stopped, making everyone turn their attention toward her with questioning looks in their eyes. "We need to go back for Finn."

"Finn? Finn Mullins?" Skyler questioned, earning a small nod in response from the blonde girl before the former let out an irritated sigh, "why on earth would we go back for that pirate?"

A wave of annoyance washed over Crimson as she stared at the Leeu girl. "That 'pirate' has been by my side this whole time. I'm not leaving him to face Harriet and her crew alone."

Silence surrounded them for what felt like an eternity as Skyler and Holly continued to stare at the Rose girl with irritation in their eyes. It wasn't long after that when Zack let out a long sigh. "Fine, we'll get Finn. But we need to be quick."

A small smile appeared on Crimson's face as she followed the three girls out of the room. As they walked down the hall toward where Finn was being held, the blonde girl couldn't help but glance over at Skyler. She looked familiar to the Rose girl, but she couldn't figure out where she had seen her before. It could've been that the two of them had just run into each other somewhere on the Isle, but Crimson felt like there was something more to it. Especially with how Skyler was acting as they walked through the halls. It was as though she had been there before and didn't want to be there now. The building was familiar to her but also somewhere she didn't want to be.

Crimson was soon drawn out of her thoughts when they reached the end of the hallway. In front of them was a single door with one of the biggest locks she had ever seen. The Rose girl assumed that there was a similar lock on the room she was being kept in, but she never saw it. But what threw Crimson off the most was the large key lying on the floor near the door. Even if a member of Harriet's crew did drop it, it was too perfectly placed to be an accident. And by the looks on her saviors' faces, they were thinking the same thing. But despite the ominous feeling she felt, the Rose girl was determined to leave with Finn.

Before any of them could say a word about the key, the sound of approaching footsteps cut through the air. The next thing Crimson knew, Skyler, Holly, Zack, and Rev were standing in front of her with their swords drawn. They waited in silence while keeping their eyes glued to the only other entrance to the hallway. All of them were prepared to fight for whoever was coming, but none of them expected to see Scott appear around the corner with a sinister smirk on his face.

"You know, if you showed this much dedication before, Dad probably would've kicked you out," the Leeu boy said while keeping his eyes glued to his sister, "we could've been the family that he always wanted."

Skyler simply glared at her brother as her grip around her sword tightened. "I never wanted to be part of your family."

"That's because you're weak and spineless," Scott hissed after the smirk on his face faded, "just like our cousin."

"Simba is ten times the lion you or Dad will ever be," the Leeu girl hissed, earning a growl from the boy standing in front of them.

The next thing any of them knew, Scott charged at his sister. Even though Skyler was prepared for the strike, Zack stepped in front of her and blocked it. The Leeu boy pushed against his opponent's sword with all his might, but the Wolf boy was always stronger. It wasn't long before Zack stepped aside, causing Scott to stumble in the direction they had just come from. The redheaded boy just stared at the son of Scar for another moment before looking back at his allies. "Get Finn and get out of here. I'll meet you at the docks."

"We aren't leaving you here," Rev declared while trying and failing to hide the fear in her voice.

"I need you to. I promise I'll be okay," the redhead boy responded before placing a kiss on her lips, one that seemed to feel like it held more meaning than normal. But before Rev had time to think about it, Zack pushed her in the direction of the locked door. "Now go!"

The Gold girl hesitated for a moment before following her allies down the hall. Crimson didn't hesitate to pick up the key and plunge it into the lock. Her hands shook as she turned the key before a faint clicking sound cut through the air. A shaky breath passed over the Rose girl's lips as she pulled the door open. But she wasn't expecting Finn to lunge at her, sending them both to the floor. Panic flowed through Crimson's veins after the Mullins boy pinned her to the ground. He stared down at her with anger in his eyes, only for it to slowly fade when he realized who he was looking at.

"Rosie?"

"Hey, Finn," the blonde girl responded with a smile before Skyler and Holly forced the Mullins boy to his feet.

"Save your questions for later. We gotta get out of here before the rest of them wake up," Rev declared while pushing her allies in the direction of the back exit.

That was all it took for Finn to nod his head in response, knowing now wasn't a good time to argue. The five of them soon sprinted down the hall that would take them to the back exit. If all was going according to plan, Russell would be waiting there to take them to where the three royals were waiting with the bikes. No one said a word as they jumped over the unconscious Hook twins, who everyone knew sold them out to Harriet's crew. It wasn't long after that when they practically threw themselves out the back door. Russell greeted them with a lopsided grin before gesturing for them to follow him. Skyler and Holly's hands were on the hilts of their swords as they walked down a dark path.

They were told that only the Gold siblings and Zack knew about it, but they weren't willing to take the risk. What felt like an eternity passed when they finally reached the docks and spotted the rest of their allies. Crimson instantly stopped in her tracks when her eyes met Rudy's. She knew they had never met before, why would she have seen the prince on the Isle? But there was something about him that felt familiar to her. It was as though she were staring at her own eyes in the mirror. And that was all it took for the Rose girl to know the rumors were true. They had to be, or else she was going insane.

Rudy was snapped out of his daze by Elias placing his hand on his shoulder. The blonde boy sent his friend a small smile before turning his attention back to their allies. "The motorbikes and the remote to open the barrier are ready to go. Sapphire and Ruby can ride with me."

"I can take Finn with me," Holly announced after jumping onto her bike before looking over at Skyler, "mind taking Russell?"

"Not at all," the Leeu girl responded before grabbing Russell's wrist and dragging him toward her motorbike.

Rev just watched as her brother gracelessly got on behind Skyler, who turned on the bike and made Russell jump. Despite wanting to laugh at his reaction, the Gold girl couldn't fight the fear within her. Her attention soon moved back to the path they just used. She waited in anticipation for Zack to appear, but he never came. Rev was just about to sprint back in the direction they had just come from when Elias appeared in her path. She just stared at him with a hint of shock on her face before she noticed a look in his eyes she knew far too well in his eyes. The Frost boy was determined to get her off the island.

"I guess you're riding with me. We better hurry before the pirates show up," Elias said while gesturing toward the vacant bike behind Rev. When she didn't make a move to get on the vehicle, the Frost boy let out a long sigh. "Look, I don't know you or Zack very well, but I do know he wants you to get off the Isle more than anything. And after what you pulled back there, it isn't safe for you here anymore."

"I'm not leaving him here," the Gold girl whispered just loud enough for the blonde boy to hear without taking her eyes off the path, "he's in danger if he stays here."

Elias just studied the girl in front of him for a moment. It didn't take long for him to catch the hidden look in his eyes, one that he wished he carried with him. Rev was in love and it pained her to leave her other half behind. But they didn't have a choice. They had to leave now or else they would all be captured. So Elias said the only thing he could think of to convince the Gold girl to leave with him. "I promise we'll come back for him."

His words were enough to make Rev break her attention away from the path to look at the Frost boy. "You can't make that promise. You have no true power in Auradon."

"I am the heir of the Enchanted Forest. I may not make the final decisions, but King Ben listens to what I have to say," Elias retaliated while keeping his eyes locked with the girl in front of him, "plus I know he will want to reward you for helping us. That reward can be Zack's passage to Auradon. But we need to leave now for that to be possible."

Rev just stared at Elias for a long moment before glancing back at the path. When there was no sign of movement coming from that direction, she looked back at the Frost boy and gave him a small nod. It wasn't long after that when she jumped onto the back of his bike and they began their journey to Auradon.

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