it's an omen

Emma frowned as she felt sorry for Rowan as she wished she could help but she never really dabbled in dark magic and worried if she did it wrong she would ruin this young man’s life. “I know , times are tense and people would rather keep to themselves..” The blonde shifted in her seat before reaching out to take his hand - giving a short squeeze. “I am truly sorry for Regina’s actions and I wished I could of came sooner to help you all - just know I am willing to be here for you when no one else..” 

Rowan blanched at the sudden contact, pulling away the moment they could. They weren’t used to being touched by anyone except their family, and the touch was a shock, a surprise to the system. They glanced down at their hand and back at the Saviour, almost expecting to have burned at her touch. They were, after all, a villain themselves. “I don’t need people to be there for me,” they replied, scowl forming on their face. “I need my mind fixing. If you can’t help with that, then what use are you to me?”

Would he return if the rest of his family wanted to return to the Enchanted Forest? he wasn’t sure. He held his family close to him, they were once his everything but now he had had a taste of freedom, a taste of being away from the family that weren’t Rowan or Willow; he couldn’t deal with them.

“Yes? No?” Aspen stammered lightly and frowned as he tried to figure out if he did in fact want to return to a land that didn’t have equipment that could save a life, home was herbs and water; this realm and auradon were potions and things that increased chances of survival better than anything else. “Maybe? I’m not sure. Ro, the Enchanted Forest was run down and everything was dying or scarce; this place is amazing besides the do gooder heroes”

Ellie wanted nothing in return? his best friend could have anything; she could even demand the acceptance of the family for their friendship. And yet, she proved how good she was for him by asking for nothing in return for being there for him. “Nonsense, she should have accepted a debt” he scoffed lightly but was surprised by how relieved he was that she appreciated him enough to give up a debt.

Aspen let out a breath as he went searching for the magic within him and allowed it to slowly flow through him and into Rowan so that he could try and separate the memories and place the old ones into a box

It was concerning to see Aspen so confused over the prospect of going home, but as the man spoke, Rowan could see his reasoning. This land was lush, ripe with life and overflowing with children their mothers would be more than happy to eat. Perhaps a life here wouldn’t be quite so bad, as long as their family were there beside them. They would have to wait and see what happened. “There are elements that seem to be beneficial, I suppose,” Rowan replied tersely.

The fact that Aspen agreed with them brought a smile to their face. “I told her that too. She wouldn’t listen to me. Kept insisting that it was simply friendship and no such debt was owed or ever would be.” Quite the noble gesture, if foolish. But then that was heroes all over.

Rowan remained calm, Aspen’s magic a familiar balm to soothe their troubled mind. They were never truly keen on anyone being in their mind, not when it was such a personal space, but no one else could be trusted and they couldn’t keep going like this. It felt like someone was sorting, filing things around, and the longer Aspen worked, the calmer Rowan felt.

How long had it been since someone had called her by her true name and not Alexandra? Twenty eight years, two month, 3 weeks, 4 days and 27 minutes since she’d been called by her birth name, since she had last heard the voices of beloved family. It was truly music to her ears, though it didn’t pull her back to her usual perky mood. She just stood, staring at them, willing it not to all be a dream. She pulled herself closer. Just watching them, taking in all their features.

She opened her mouth to speak, but it occurred to her that they’d never heard her voice since she was a toddler and her throat seized with emotion.

“Rowan.” her voice was still a little hoarse from the lack of use.

The initial shock of finding their cousin was wiped away by a new kind of surprise - Willow was speaking. The last time Rowan had heard their cousin’s voice, she’d been but a child, singing her mother’s favourite song. Their aunt, a fearsome witch, their matriarch, had silenced her forever for the crime of singing when she should have been silent, and she had intended it to be forever. It seemed, however, that forever didn’t last anywhere near as long as it should in this realm.

Rowan blinked. It was... It was hoarse and it wasn’t the same sweet voice they’d last known, but it was unmistakably Willow. They took one step forward, another, and before they knew it they were in front of the blonde, a small part of them wanting to take her in their arms and never let go. The rest, however, was aware that Rowan didn’t actually enjoy such contact and they refrained. “You can talk,” they murmured instead. “What magic is so strong as to free you from your curse?”

Home was where family was, wasn’t it? He had heard a few people in Auradon say those words and yet he never believed them until now. The Sanderson house was a ruin that was overrun with cousins and his aunts and mom, it was so busy and loud that he couldn’t deal with it half the time; hence why he was in the village actually helping someone when the curse hit. 

Gathering up his courage, Aspen took a breath “I don’t want to go home and I don’t want to go back to mother and our aunts” he admitted in one breath. He wanted to stay where there was a proper place to learn medicine, where he had someone who accepted him outside of the family and where he didn’t have to act like someone who enjoyed hurting children.

Acceptable. That was high praise coming from his sibling and Aspen knew that he was now grinning like a bit of a fool “Acceptable? High praise coming from my protective elder sibling there Rowan” His face fell as Rowan tacked on the last comment. Of course, Ellie would never be able to follow him home if he were to actually go there.

Nodding quietly, he stepped forward and slowly raised his hands so that Rowan could see that he was going to touch them, his hands landing on his siblings temples “Close your eyes Ro”

Rowan blinked. Aspen had never been quite so forward as this, in their memory, and yet it seemed he’d made a decision. Whether it was due to the princess or due to his own desires remained to be seen, and Rowan couldn’t say they were thrilled about it. “And if the rest of the family wishes to return to the Enchanted Forest when we find them?” they asked. Rowan had left home due to how hectic it was, but they were always only a broom ride away and helped from a distance. Across realms... That would be more difficult.

“She has ensured your safety and wants nothing in return,” Rowan admitted. Aspen of all people would understand how important debts were - their debt to the Dark Lord was paramount, a debt for all the powers he bestowed upon them, to be repaid as he desired. So too were debts to humans important, things that needed to be repaid quickly, so they didn’t interfere. “She feels you have paid enough.”

Rowan closed their eyes as asked, allowing themselves to relax as their brother tried to help. If anyone could heal them from the family, it was Aspen.

To Ellie, Aspen was helpful; he looked after her, but when it came to everyone else he wasn’t so helpful unless he got something out of it.

Ellie reminded her friend of a family member and he got even more protective of her when she ended up getting lost in the forest that was around the school, she had fallen and cut her leg quite badly because she wasn’t paying attention. He had to give her three stitches after she had limped back to the school, it was only a week after their original meeting and he rolled his eyes and carried her to the infirmary where he scolded her about paying attention; he called her willow at one point.

“If it helps make more sense to you, Pen wasn’t really helpful to anyone else unless he got something out of it” Ellie offered to Rowan to help them come to terms with their little brothers little job in Auradon “Although I do have a little question, who’s Willow? Aspen called me Willow the first time he went into protective mode”

Ellie smiled at the last few words they spoke.

“He’s my best friend, the first and only one I have; no matter who or what he becomes, I will always care for him”

Willow. Well, that settled everything. Rowan rolled their eyes and shook their head, pondering the image presented. Yes, they could see why their brother’s instincts turned to Willow, even under the curse. “Our cousin,” they replied softly, a small smile coming to their lips. If Aspen was their favoured brother, then Willow was their favoured cousin. A Sanderson trio, the power of three and a power indeed. “Willow is... She is precious to us. We are the oldest three and due to circumstances, Willow is unable to speak, although she can communicate as well as she wishes. Yet she can become a little... distracted. Often have we had to save her from herself. I can understand why he would see that in you, if you’re as clumsy as you say you are.”

Rowan nodded. Very well. Aspen had chosen this girl to come under his protection, then, and Rowan would allow it for now. She would remain safe, unless their Dark Master or their mother bade otherwise. Aspen’s word, as strong as it might be, could not match the power of a Sanderson woman or their master. “Then I suppose I would not object to you continuing to watch for him when I cannot,” they admitted.

They couldn’t believe their eyes. Weeks, they’d been searching. Weeks, since the curse had broken, since the other realms had collapsed and they’d started worrying that only Aspen had made it through, that it would just be them and their brother. Not that such a thing would have been a hardship - they loved Aspen with the same ferocity they loved the whole family, to the point where Rowan could admit that was what it was; familial love. But going from a huge brood to just the two of them... The concept had devastated Rowan.

And yet here she was. Another Sanderson. Their admittedly favourite cousin, although Rowan would never admit such a thing.

“Willow?” they called out, hardly daring to believe their eyes.

A wave of relief washed over him at his siblings response but he hid it behind a shrug, he didn’t want to try and take over this weird little town and he was glad Rowan didn’t either but he also didn’t really want to return to Salem. Returning to Salem meant that he had to return to the adults that belittled him and cursed him for being born a boy, it also meant leaving Ellie and even Ruby considering he’d had to get along with the girl because of his friendship with her little sister. “I guess home it is then”

A noise of amusement escaped him at the mention of Ellie being known for walking into people, she wasn’t the most observant of people when it came to everything that wasn’t painting so she tended to bump into things a lot; they kept trying to tell her to stop looking for new scenes to paint and to watch where she was going but she never listened. “She’s a painter, she sees projects wherever she goes but doesn’t see obstacles in her way” Although her paintings kind of make up for the bumping into him, he had a small canvas hidden in his bag that Ellie had made him in apology for something that wasn’t important enough for him to remember.

“She understands me Ro, isn’t that enough?” Aspen feared that since the curse broke, his best friend didn’t understand him anymore but he also realised that she had talked to Rowan without fear or anger so maybe Ellie still cared?

Aspen took a breath and nodded, he needed to try and compartmentalise his siblings memories “Spell, instinctive magic or potion?”

Home. Rowan wavered for a moment, torn. Perhaps... Even with all the heroes, perhaps this was a better place for them. A land with minimal magic, where they could find a new corner to call their own and remain happy, content, whole. But no. They had to return to Salem, to find their mother and their aunts. They had a duty to their family and to their master, whom they were failing right now. It was a temptation Rowan couldn’t allow themselves. “So it seems.”

Rowan sighed once more, unsure how to respond to the whole conversation. “She is... Acceptable, for now,” they concluded with, shrugging at Aspen’s insistence that Ellie was good in a way that wasn’t detrimental to their family. They’d never seen Aspen like this, not over someone outside the family, and for a moment, the eldest of the Sanderson children felt a vague sense of grief. Aspen was growing up, finally, and part of Rowan was afraid of him leaving their elder sibling behind. “Until we figure out how to get home.”

“Whatever is speaking to you at the moment. I trust your judgement, Aspen.”

Never really been around to compare? Did that mean that Aspen and Rowan didn’t share a father? Ellie opened her mouth to ask that question before closing it, while asking which Sanderson sister was their mother wasn’t so bad to Rowan, maybe asking if Aspen and them were full blooded siblings would be a bit too much.

“Maybe, but I would rather not meet your father’s to find out, if they are the kind of people to not be around for their children” Although with the history of the Sanderson sisters, there was a high possibility that Rowan and Aspen’s father never had the chance to decide on staying for the children.

Smiling lightly at Rowan, she bowed her head at them, before shaking it. Rowan had no need to offer her the favor in return for looking after Aspen just as Ellie had no need to accept it. “Nothing. As you may have gathered from this conversation, I did not have much stable support in Auradon and I have been called ditzy and forgetful by many because of my clumsiness; but your brother. From the moment I collided with your brother, he started to look out for me; he didn’t have too but he mentioned once, in the beginning, that I reminded him of a family member and he was home sick. But that became just an excuse, for the both of us”

“Aspen learned that I tend to forget where I am and how time passes when I am reading or painting and after catching me twice due to low sugar, he took it as his mission to stop me from being an idiot and I, in turn, began to look out for him when he needed a place to hide or relax, when he needed someone to talk too about anything and everything.”

Ellie smiled fondly as she looked to the floor beside her, a blush moving up her cheeks as she realised everything that Aspen had done for her “He became my rock and I could never and will never ask for anything in return for that”

If their fathers weren’t the kind of people who stuck around... Rowan wanted to laugh, if they were honest. Laugh long and hard. Although it had never been explicitly stated, it was insinuated that their father - all of their fathers - had ended up dead. It wasn’t a surprise; the Sanderson sisters were notorious and had no qualms about sucking the life from children. Why should full grown men be spared from their wrath? “I think we can agree on that,” they chose to reply with, keeping their words careful but light. A topic best left undiscussed, it seemed.

Perhaps they truly had misjudged the young woman. Ellie didn’t appear to be lying to them. Rowan didn’t really know what to make of the blonde before them, except that they’d have to keep a closer eye on Aspen before he did something stupid, like elope with the girl and abandon the family to make hero children who would one day slaughter their distant cousins and- Rowan needed to stop right there. In truth, it sounded like Ellie had dealt with many similarly negative sentiments to what they had dealt with. Perhaps she really did understand their brother. “I remain surprised that he was so... helpful,” they admitted finally. He’d always been nurturing but Rowan had assumed that was because he had to be. 

“You truly care for him.”

“I am unable to remove memories but there are more powerful people in this town that may be able to help..” She stated as she ran her hand through her golden locks with a small sigh. The blonde was surprised how much the young people of the isle have been through yet they were all so unbelievably strong. “May I ask what you mean? You seem like a clever , charming young man to me..” 

“The powerful people of this town seem to be rather more prone to hiding than helping,” Rowan replied with narrowed eyes. They didn’t need just anybody; they needed someone with powerful magic and surely the Saviour of all people met that criteria? Dark eyes met blue ones as they replied. “I’ve been here for the whole curse, trapped with a new set of memories. My cursed self is- was- different to me. I’m sure many would say better.” They’d loved teaching the kids in the town, enjoyed listening to their inane babble... Rowan couldn’t stand it. They hated children. “Having two voices in your head is not ideal.”

So there were more Sanderson children running around this new place, Ellie knew that she was going to have to avoid the other Sanderson children because there was a chance that they would most likely hurt and belittle her rather than talk to her like Rowan was or befriend her like Aspen did. “Is it the same for your cousins? Do they look like your aunt? Is there any of you fathers in you?”

Ellie knew that she looked like her mother, there wasn’t much of her father in her, it was Ruby that looked and acted more like her father; while she her mother.

Cocking her head to the side, Ellie was surprised at the offer of having a favour owed to her by the eldest of the Sanderson children, Rowan was honourable to offer that but she didn’t need it. “That’s not needed, Aspen protected me, it was only fair that I protect him as well; it is what we have done for twenty eight years and what I will continue to do until he requests for me to stop”

Rowan shrugged at the questions, unsure how to really answer it. “We all hold a family resemblance,” they settled on after a few moments. “A few of us take more after our fathers, I assume, but they’ve never been around to really compare.” Of course, that was because Rowan was certain their fathers were dead. If a man survived the Sanderson sisters, it would be a miracle indeed. “I would think you should be the judge of that.”

She was declining their offer. The magic in the air of the town seemed to sense it, or perhaps Rowan was imagining things. It was a bond not lightly offered and she didn’t see the sense in taking it? Curious. “And you want nothing in return,” they asked, once again reassessing the girl in front of them.

It was both intriguing and nice to see Rowan laugh, from what she had gathered since they had began the conversation; Rowan wasn’t one to laugh as loud as they had nor call attention to themselves like they were doing.

Ellie didn’t know much about the sisters so she didn’t know which colouring each one of them held, she had heard about them and which one of them held certain powers or talents. Mary was the middle child from what she remembered from the teachings of the tutors that her mother brought in to inform her about the world and its dangers.She had an excellent sense of smell that was above any others, but the books also stated that she was rather dim too. 

“It may be obvious to those that know of the colourings of the sisters but I have no idea what they look like so for all I know, you could have been the children of Sarah Sanderson”

It should care more about it, Aspen could have killed someone, he could have led someone to their deaths without hesitating. But that was the Aspen before she knew him and the boy that he had gotten to know kept her safe and made sure she was healthy when she didn’t care to look after herself. “He looked after me, he kept me safe and he kept me sane. He may be a villain but the boy I got to know is worth keeping safe from those that are designated heroes”

Perhaps this girl truly was somewhat unaware of what she was dealing with and for a moment, Rowan pitied her. They had no qualms about hurting people, but she did seem an innocent. Aspen had picked a strange one indeed. They snorted. “My aunt does have children, but no. My mother is the only one of her sisters to have dark hair, and we three all take after her in that regard.” To those in the know, they really couldn’t have belonged to anyone else.

Rowan nodded in agreement. They still didn’t think Aspen should have done half of what she said he had, but he was trying to survive and that much Rowan could relate to. “Then I suppose I owe you a debt. For protecting my brother, I owe you a single favour.” Rowan, of all the Sanderson children, took their debts seriously. There was magic in such acts, and the protection of a life was one that incurred it easily. They would much prefer to owe Ellie than allow Aspen to do the same.

“Same” she muttered under her breath at the comment about staying out of the limelight, as a princess it was incredibly difficult for Ellie to do so but she tried anyway.

Since informing Rowan about Aspen and her being friends with him, she seemed to have noticed an air of both indifference but a little less hostility. They acted liked they wanted to be as far away from Ellie as possible in the beginning and still did but it wasn’t as strong as it was before Aspen was mentioned.

“Would I be out of order if I asked which sister you were born too?” Ellie asked curiously, she knew of the witch sisters that had lived in Salem and killed many children in their bid for immortality but she never really remembered their last name until now because she never thought she would possibly meet them in her lifetime.

Ellie shook her head, Rowan had the wrong assumption with her as she caught his wince; she didn’t care that Aspen had run as soon as the portal opened, she was happy that he did. Aspen was her friend, he knew her better than anyone and she knew him even if he hid the truth of his family from her. He was her best friend and she didn’t want to see him hurt by those who never understood that concept of a child being innocent of their parents crimes. “So am I. I would never want to see him hurt because of the blindness of those who think they know a child because of their parents actions, he escaped and he’s safe around here somewhere, that is all I care about”

It wasn’t Ellie so much as it was that she was people and Rowan, by nature, preferred to only be around their family and no one else. But her connection to their brother was a soothing balm, as though Aspen was nearby to make things easier. 

Rowan laughed, spreading their arms wide as though, for once, trying to get someone’s attention. “Is it not obvious?” they asked; only one of the sisters had such dark features. “Mary is my mother, and it isn’t out of order. Knowledge is power, after all.” And most wanted that kind of power. Her name wouldn’t cause them any harm, though.

Ellie’s reaction was, admittedly, unusual for a hero in the face of someone who could honestly say their mother had murdered innocents. None of them were truly innocent; Rowan had served as a lure to bring their mother what they so needed, and to this day, they felt no guilt. Their mother had asked them to act and they had done so because they loved her and that was how it worked. But it was refreshing to see someone not immediately volatile. “That’s what you care about? Even though for all you know, he could have hurt people? Could have killed?”

“At least we’re back together now Ro, we can find our sibling and cousins and then either get back to Salem or take over this quaint little town” Taking over the town didn’t sound too appealing though, their family had the reputation of killing kids and making deals with the devil to live forever and such but they weren’t as ruthless as some of the other villains that he had heard about through rumors on Auradon. The Sanderson sisters had no chance against those like the Evil Queen and the dragon shifter Maleficent.

Aspen groaned lightly as he caught the grin on his siblings face but his relief over shadowed his concern about his sibling using this information for teasing material later on. Ellie was okay and was looking for Ruby, she wasn’t trapped in Auradon when it broke apart. He smiled lightly at the comparison to Rowan, not many people said that but Aspen was always glad when he heard it because it always reminded him of the link between them. “Walked in to you? as in literally?” he snickered, he wouldn’t be surprised if his friend had bumped into his sibling like she had with him in the beginning, but his cheer disapperated a little at the small word of warning “She isn’t her family Ro, and her family did nothing to mother or our aunts”

“I can try” he frowned lightly “I don’t know if it will work though”

Rowan nodded in agreement. Yes, Sandersons were always more powerful when they were together than when they were alone. Whether it was the nature of their mother’s pact with the devil, being that she was so closely bonded with her sisters, or that it was simply a numbers situation, it was well known in Salem that more than one Sanderson spelled trouble. And, well, three was truly a powerful number. “I would prefer home,” they admitted, shrugging their shoulders. Unlike Aspen, they’d never had a real problem with their reputation, had never considered why their mother shouldn’t do as she had always done. They were just glad she hadn’t raised them all as her own personal farm to keep young.

Ah, so there was something to it. Aspen’s question made them raise an eyebrow. “Yes, literally. I take it she’s well known for such occurrences?” They sighed as Aspen defended her and made a mental note - their brother was, it seemed, a fool in love. No, perhaps her parents hadn’t done anything to them, but they were still heroes and it was only time before they tried it. Rowan just wanted to live in peace and see their siblings and cousins survive, was it so much to ask? “She’s a hero’s child. But fine, I shall reserve judgement until she proves me right.”

Rowan nodded, giving Aspen a grateful smile. “Whether it does or not, it’s worth trying.”

Aspen knew it wasn’t fair to put any disgruntled feelings onto his sibling but he was bitter that he was stuck in Auradon and Rowan was trapped dealing with the quaint little town that he had entered when he went through the portal. He knew that Ellie loved being with her sister but sometimes needed to confide in about her sibling like all children did when they were in close quarters with family members for longer than they preferred. “Maybe, guess we’ll never know; mother always did say magic came with loopholes”

Flushing lightly at the mention of his only friends name, Aspen wondered how in their masters name did Rowan know about her?

“She made it out of Auradon okay?” he questioned quickly, the last time he had seen the blonde was before the portals had opened and he’d found out that she stayed up all night painting once again, he had run before seeing her because he didn’t want to find out how she would react when she realised that his family name was infamous for it’s evil. He didn’t know about Rowan’s assumption that she was taken with him though. “She wasn’t as pampered as the others, bit stiff sometimes but she wasn’t a stuck up princess”

Mocking gasping, Aspen held his hand to his heart in mock shock “A thank you? This place must really have gotten to you. I haven’t tried to tap into it since arriving here, was too preoccupied looking for you or our sibling and cousins”

Mother. Rowan felt a small stab of guilt. They hadn’t even considered looking for their own mother because, well, she’d always been able to take care of herself. The Sanderson women were fearsome in all the best ways and Rowan’s duty had always been, first and foremost, to their siblings so their mother was free to do as she needed. Now that they considered it, perhaps they hadn’t had the best relationship. But no, Rowan wasn’t going to consider it; it was just the way it had to be. “Loopholes galore, by the sounds of it,” they murmured.

Rowan gave a wicked grin as Aspen flushed, although it triggered a mark of concern in their mind. Aspen cared about this girl; he wouldn’t ask after her if he didn’t. That was something they only did about family and yet here he was, asking if she’d gotten out alright. Rowan nodded, filing the information away for later. Interesting. “She’s fine. Looking for her sister, by the sounds of it. She walked into me and told me all about your presence. Said we even look alike.” That, at least, had made Rowan smile. It wasn’t a comment they often heard. “She’s a hero’s child, Aspen. Remember what they’ve done to our family in the past.”

The older sibling grimaced as the thank you was picked up on. Ugh, by the master, they hated this realm and this curse. “Can you try? If one of us at least has magic, it may make things simpler.”

An eventful life? What did they think was eventful in her life? The klutz in her or the past that she had.

She knew that she wasn’t the most balanced of people but she always got an entertaining first meeting when she literally crashed into people, her father could jump from roof to roof and her mother used to literally swing around her tower and yet Ellie had trouble with walking in a straight line sometimes.

“It’s entertaining to say the least” she laughed lightly, not knowing if it was an insult or an observation. She flushed lightly at the comment about Aspen looking out for her, the boy was a good friend and someone who she spent so much time with that he probably knew her better than most “In the beginning he used me as a way of hiding from the more pretentious of kids in Auradon, he never told me that but I knew why he stayed around”

She shrugged, Aspen was quiet and the amount of times she caught him glaring at everyone else was unusual to her but she accepted it because he was interesting company.

“He ran as soon as the portals opened, grabbed his bag and escaped as soon as he could” She informed them “Given the information I know now, it makes sense that he ran as soon as a possible because of the whole villain kid thing”

Ah, there it was. They’d thought it sounded strange, Aspen willingly spending time with someone who seemed about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Using her to hide from other people made much more sense, given their memories of their brother. She was clearly just delusional about why he continued to do so. Being a villain’s child in a world full of heroes would have been difficult; Aspen had done well to survive as best as he’d been able to, but now Rowan wanted to find him and reassure him that it was alright, he was out. Perhaps not in so many words. 

“He was always one who preferred to stay out of the limelight,” they admitted. So had Rowan; keeping to the shadows, being quiet but useful was what had kept all of them alive. Neither themself or Aspen had been the heirs their mother wanted - they weren’t girls, after all, they couldn’t be true witches - but they had other things they could provide to serve their mother and their master. “Our mother was demanding in many ways, and none of us are particularly sociable creatures.” 

Rowan fought back a wince. Ah, yes. “You can understand his hesitation. Our family was persecuted repeatedly, even when we did nothing, due to reputation. He wouldn’t want to risk the same happening to him, and I’m glad he had that forethought.”

Then home come there were so many siblings in Auradon and rumoured siblings within the Isle? if they could be just that little bit happy with their siblings by their side; why couldn’t he and Rowan have been one of those small groups with their cousins as well.

“Yet there were many groups of siblings dotted through that realm that weren’t us” he scowled, their sibling and cousins were often happy enough with what they had but Rowan had their own aspirations and so did Aspen so it would have truly been a hell if they had been split and remembered it on both sides rather than just Rowan forgetting. “There was only one of the pampered idiots that I could put up with half the time and I only got to know them because we collided with each other and they got me covered in paint”

Although having that one person in the pampered little land of airheads made it livable, Aspen didn’t really need more than one friend if that friend was a good one.

Aspen grimaced at the small description “Anyway I can help, you may be my elder sibling but I would like to help as much as I can”

Rowan frowned. “I didn’t make the curse, Aspen. I don’t know how it worked. I’ve met more than one child who seemed disgruntled with their siblings; perhaps it was a curse for them to be stuck together when we would have preferred it,” they retorted. Now Aspen was just being childish. The mention of paint made the older sibling recall. “Ellie, correct?” they asked, remembering their earlier encounter with the young woman. “We’ve met. She seemed quite taken with you, if you ask me. She was just a pampered idiot, was she?”

Ah, sibling teasing. Rowan had missed it so.

Rowan gave their brother another small smile and nodded. “I’ll need it. Thank you,” they replied, giving a nod of the head. “I’m simply trying to exhaust my options. I don’t suppose you have your own magic? Perhaps there could be a way to bind the memories or otherwise stop them.”

Their brother?

Her eyes lit up a bit more at the fact that she was able to meet Aspen’s sibling; her ‘friend’ never really spoke much about his family but there was a mention about his older sibling who looked out for him more than anyone else did.

“It’s no wonder you have such a strong resemblance to him then” she grinned happily, although she was now slightly more curious about Aspen because of the comment about 'one of them’ heading to Auradon; did that mean that Aspen should have ended up on the Isle? Or here in this weird place? “I covered him in paint the first time we met, funnily enough; I bumped into him as a first meeting too” she laughed softly, although she had gotten the both of them covered in paint rather than in an intriguing conversation like she had Rowan. “I sometimes forget to eat or sleep when reading or painting, the healer in him hated that”

Make her stop? Ruby was her big sister and she would always look up to her but she could never stand up to her in fear that - were her magic ever to be found out - she would lose the lifeline she had had growing up.

“I’d rather hide for now but thank you anyway”

Hearing of what had become of Aspen in Auradon was... Well, it was shocking, really. They hadn’t anticipated that their brother would be trapped with the children of the so-called heroes of their world, and yet it sounded like he’d fit in just fine. What had happened? Had he been biding his time? Had his memories been wiped like Rowan’s own had? It didn’t entirely add up but they were going to make sure they found their brother so they could ask them that question in person. “It sounds like you have an eventful life,” Rowan replied carefully, unsure of how to respond. The girl sounded like a goddamn klutz and they didn’t want to waste time on her if she was no use. “I am... pleased to hear he took care of you. He always was more nurturing than I was.”

Rowan shrugged. It wasn’t their business how Ellie dealt with her sister; it was for the girl alone and the fallout wouldn’t be their problem either. They looked up, watching her carefully before speaking again. “Can you tell me where you last saw my brother? I’m sure you can understand, given your own dilemma, how eager I would be to see him again.”