Author's Note: Please tell me if my expositional dialogue feels too much like exposition and not enough like actual conversation. It's a habit I'm trying to break. This is happening concurrently with the last two chapters. Sorry for taking a break from the essential storyline, but I have plans for Annette as an OC further down the line and wanted to establish her a bit. Still don't own the rights to Descendants.

Chapter 10. Woodland Stroll.

"…And when it turned around to get Ripper off it's flank, I managed to shove my spear right in the serpent's neck and drive it to the floor. I pushed hard and pinned it down by the throat. After that it was a quick knife to the eye and I got the best kill of my career." Annette said excitedly to Jay as they continued to walk through the woods. Coming out of her storytelling she realized the tourney player was slack jawed. She nervously brushed the side of her hair, a deflecting tactic she hoped wasn't less effective because of her unprincess like decision to keep it short. "Sorry, but you did ask about hunting with Dad." Princess Annette smiled demurely as she continued their stroll through the evening woods.

The two weren't on a date. They just had the same coincidental idea to take a woodland walk and started a conversation that Annette previously thought was going well. But Jay looking a bit shocked reminded Annette that Jay probably wasn't expecting violent stories of underwater big game hunting when talking to an Auradon Prep princess. For all his VK danger and aggressive playstyle, Jay had adjusted pretty well to being a Auradon jock, and looked dashing in a school polo shirt and his black and brown custom letterman's jacket. Balancing her own exotic upbringing with the expectations of proper Auradon society may actually be trickier for her in some ways than him. Then Annette's nervousness was replaced with cheerful relief when Jay laughed back "no worries. That sounded awesome."

"You really think so?" Annette asked. "Some people get judgmental about hunting, and I forget that sometimes."

"I grew up around Clayton, McLeach, and Gaston. Hunting and fishing were the only ways to get any fresh meat. It's cool that your dad taught you how to do that." Jay said cheerful. "I just didn't expect my first conversation with a mermaid princess to be about killing sea serpents."

"Would you rather I tell you about how my cousins and I would put shells and dead starfish and flowers in our hair and then flit about fishing ports to distract sailors?" Annette asked incredulously.

"To be honest that's more what I was expecting." Jay replied. "But it also sounds boring. At least to me."

"You don't like hair decorations and flirty girls wearing sheshells?" Annette teased.

"Oh no, I'm pretty sure I'd find those interesting. Just not to talk about." Jay said, before something clicked in his brain "Do you still wear shells though?"

Dear Poseidon I should have expected that kind of question, Annette mused to herself. "a lot of us do. Me personally not much, they tend to chew into clothes and offer lousy support when you push yourself swimming. I mostly wear nylon tops except for events where we need traditional costume."

"I get that. Some guys on the isle wear baggy pants to be traditional agrabahians or pirates, but I always could run and fight better in my jeans."

"I love jeans!" Annete smiled back.

"Um Okay." Jay chuckled. "This is the first time I've seen you in them before."

Annette looked at her outfit of a flowy blue and white floral blouse and her tight jeans and favorite black riding boots. "Most days at school skirts and dresses work great. But if I want to ride or garden, or traipse through the underbrush, I prefer something sturdier than leggings. I think it's because I was used to having scales."

"That is fair reasoning" Jay remarked, brushing a tree branch out of the way as they approached the part of the trail that paralleled a pretty stream. "Can I ask a personal question?"

"You already asked what kind of bra I wear." Annette rolled her eyes. "Go for it." The two went off the path onto a sandy part of the water's edge.

"So why'd you decide to come to school on land?" Jay picked up a rock and skipped it down the stream.

Annette picked up her own rock and skipped it herself. "Officially it's the history program, and the diplomatic contacts I can make here." She looked at Jay "Unofficially, I wanted a couple years to be less important and not feel so much responsibility."

Jay questioned. "But everyone still knows you're royalty. You're pretty active in those circles. People still look up to you."

Annette shrugged. That was true. She explained "My parents are the biggest power couple under the sea. Dad's ruler of Olympia. Someday Mom will take over Atlantica. It's nice being somewhere where I'm not always the most important person in the room. Here it's Ben's kingdom, Mal is his girl, Audrey runs the princesses, and other than garden club I'm not in charge of anything. It's nice to be part of things without always being expected to be on top."

"That's pretty deep." Jay remarked.

"Well I did grow up around 50 fathoms." Annette remarked cheerfully, giving another rock a good throw.

"And besides, it's cool spending time in a totally different environment. Doing different things in different ways. And I have family here, so Its not like I'm alone."

"Arabella right?" Jay asked.

"Her and Josh. Another cousin may be transferring for the spring semester, Aurora my Aunt Adrina's eldest." Annette smiled. "You have family beside your dad?"

Jay looked puzzled before answering, "Yeah, My Aunt Nasira, and cousin Jade. Jade's cool. I hope to someday bring her to Auradon, she can do way better if we give her a chance."

"That's very sweet. I hope she'll be okay."

"I know she will be. Ben promised that he's keeping some eyes on our families." Jay started walking down the path again, preparing to circle back. "So you have a cousin Josh? Can't say he's ringing too many bells."

"You've gone here for two months and haven't run into Josh Sparrow?" Annette asked a little bit shocked.

"He's your cousin?" Jay asked stunned. Jay knew the guy, a dark-haired greaser who seemed close to Ben and had tried to befriend the VKs but didn't but in much. "He's mermaid royalty?"

"Merfolk." Annette corrected him. "And not really. He and my aunt were a fling and were never married and he was mostly raised above sea by Captain Jack. We kept in touch, but he identifies far more as human and doesn't have any responsibilities at court. He Arabella and I have gotten close since we all came here."

"Ah okay." Jay replied. He and Annette kept walking back up the path. Annette fluttered her eyes at her handsome escort, but he seemed annoyingly unphased. She kept out of her own head and tried to direct the conversation to far lighter subjects than they'd previously discussed, hoping to save the heavy stuff for future walks. He was so cute, shame that she couldn't seem to…wait. "Jay do you hear something?"

Jay stopped in his tracks and tilted his head around, "Yeah, was that a roar?" They heard the sound again. A powerful snapping roar of a great beast. "Is Ben having a really bad night? Or a really good night?" Jay asked.

"That's not Ben's roar." Annette said. She reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a folding knife that she flipped open with one hand.

"Aren't knives against school weapons policy?" Jay asked, bracing himself and listening more.

"Four inch rule. This comes in just under. It sucks as a weapon but it's better than nothing." Annette explained. Then she heard shuffling and started to smell something. Sound and scent getting louder stronger. "Come on." She said grabbing Jay. "Whatever it is it's coming this way quick." The two scurried off the beaten path. Annette could hear whatever it was coming fast, it was huge and quick. And something she'd never smelled before. What then something that confused her. was another set of sounds coming behind it? Smaller feet moving with far more strides to keep pace. And whatever had those feet smelled like…apple blossoms? Whatever it was closing in fast. "Jay Get down!" Anette ordered, and she threw the jock to the ground as her own body hit the floor.

She saw it right after they were down. Barreling through the woods was a dark brown lion heading downstream. It wasn't hunting though. It was running as though fleeing. What was a lion doing around Auradon prep? And what could be chasing it.

The answer shocked Annette and Jay when Evie came running through the woods right after the big cat. Evie's hair was flowing behind her and she was wearing leggings and a sweatshirt. Seeing Evie in casual clothes was actually a little weirder than the lion, Annette thought. But Evie was really booking it after the lion. "Come back. What's going on?" Evie shouted as she ran.

Annette and Jay exchanged looks after they saw their blue haired friend follow the cat through the woods and start heading downstream. "How weird is that?" Annette asked.

"In general? for around here? Or for Evie?" Jay answered as he got up. "Because I'm seriously going to need context."

"Should we follow her?" Annette asked.

"Oh definitely." Jay replied. And the two started running after Evie and the lion. So she finally got to talk to her crush. And now she was chasing their mutual friends through a darkening wood as said friend chased a large predator that wasn't even native to the continent. Annette realized just how weird Auradon Prep could be.

Author's Other notes: If you're wondering who I'm talking about with Annette and Jay's family. Annette's mother is Ariel's eldest sister Attina, and her father is prince Thor from episode "Marriage of Inconvenience" of the 94 cartoon. So Annette is actually higher ranking royalty than Ariel, at least under the sea. Jay's cousin Jade was mentioned in passing in the first "Isle of the Lost" book. Her family wasn't really explained in detail but Jafar's sister Nasira comes from a 2001 Aladdin video game. Arabella comes from "Rise of the Isle of the Lost" we'll meet her soon, and Josh Sparrow and Aurora (last name to be revealed) are total OC for another Descendants project I'm working o