This takes place after D2. SPOILERS! I have read the D2 jr. Novelization so i know what happens, again SPOILERS! You have been warned. This is about Audrey, because i feel leaving her out of D2 was a mistake.
Last Warning…..
Audrey arrived hours after the cotillion. Hours later than she wanted to from the spa. Chad had come to her limo's rescue and even though he had no idea how to change a tire, he still came to help her. They were broken up, well to be honest, she had dumped him, but he still came to her rescue. When she walked into the dorms all she heard about was that Ben was spelled again, this time not by Mal but by Ursula's daughter Uma. That Mal had taken off for the isle, leaving Ben behind. That she planned to stay there but Ben crossed the dome to get her back.
Jane and Lonnie were in Mal and Evie's room. Audrey was too tired to go hear anymore tales about Mal. She headed into her room. Found that Chad had left her bags on the floor next to her bed. Audrey wondered if she should take him back, but she knew it wasn't meant to be. Grammie would be upset. She grabbed the new baby blue PJ's she had bought at the spa, put on her light pink silk robe and fluffy slippers. She headed into the hall to the bathroom.
After washing her face, brushing her teeth and brushing her hair, Audrey was ready for bed. She passed a few underclassmen, who smiled and nodded at her.
Audrey climbed into her bed and under her baby blue comforter. And turned on her music. As she closed her eyes, a thought crossed her mind. Why Mal always came out ahead? She left for the isle, walked away from Ben yet she still won. She is the daughter of the thing that put her family to sleep for 100 years? How come she gets a happily ever after? Why does she deserve one? Why?
Audrey found herself at the front of the school. She wasn't sure why she was out here on a non school day. Then she heard her name. "Audrey dear, how are you?" She turned to see her old Nanny. But that couldn't be, she was dead. She had died when Audrey was 10.
"Nanny, but how are you here?"
"Oh, good you do see me. That's good dear. Well you didn't answer my question now did you? How are you dear?"
"Fine?" She stammered out. "You didn't answer my question either, how are you here?"
"Oh, well I am here to answer the other question you had."
"Other question?" Audrey wasn't sure what Nanny meant. "I only asked you how you were here?"
"No the one you asked before you fell asleep. Why?"
"Why? Oh you mean why does Mal always come out winning. Good you have an answer, thanks."
"I am going to show you a few things Audrey. I am going to show you things from your past, and Mal's. I can not lie to you, so what you see is the truth. Shall we go?"
"No thanks, I really don't care about her past, and I remember mine just fine."
"IT'S NOT A CHOICE!" Nanny yelled at her. That was when she remembered why she disliked Nanny, she was mean. She was hand picked by Grammie.
"Whatever." She said standing up from bed. The ghost of Nanny took her hand and they reappeared in her bedroom. She could see her younger self looking at a list she was about 6. Nanny walked in well the Nanny from the past. "Have you gone over your list Audrey?"
"Yes, Nanny. I guess I have no choice since Grammie wants me to invite all these kids whose parents are royals. Why can't I have my friends."
"They are all your grammie will allow."
"I don't even know these kids."
"You will, she is making you go to school with all the royal kids in Auradon City. You will be going to Royal Prep. (yes I kind of borrowed it from Sofia the First). And once you graduate there, then onto Auradon Prep. so you will invite these kids and you will get to know them."
Audrey had forgotten that her Grandmother had taken away her chance to go to Auroria Elementary with the kids she went to daycare with. The only friends she had ever made. And she only made them because her mother had insisted that she go to preschool. She had heard that other royal children had gone. King Adam's son, Queen Cinderella's son to name a few. So on the rare occasion that Aurora spoke up to her mother, she did win this battle.
The scene in front of her faded away and she was in a dark, dank room. As the light came up in the window, Audrey realized where she was, Mal's room on the isle. And there on a tattered bed, lay a little girl in ripped clothes. "What time is it?' Audrey asked the ghost of Nanny.
"Morning, Mal is just getting up."
"But she is wearing clothes I think."
"She doesn't have much.' Nanny said opening Mals closet, inside, one small jacket and a dress hung there. Then Nanny opened the drawers, nothing.
"Well poor her, maybe her mother shouldn't have tried to kill my mother."
"Yes and maybe your grandfather should have been nicer to Maleficent in the first place. They were friends once."
"I doubt that."
"Do not believe everything your Grammie tells you Audrey. She has her own way of seeing things and it can be a little biased. Just watch."
"Why should I, what will I see? I am sure nothing that will make me like her."
"I took you to see you, getting ready for your 6th birthday, well this is Mal's 6th Birthday. Watch."
Just then Mal's door flew open and in walked Maleficent. "Wake up you worthless burden."
"Morning Mom." Mal groaned.
"Don't morning me, need I remind you what today is?"
"My birthday?" Mal asked, there was a hint of worry, not happiness in her voice. Audrey actually noticed that. Birthday mornings for her meant tons of presents, and lots of surprises, why should Mal be unhappy about it being her birthday.
"Yes, it is hell day. So get up and be down stairs for a little surprise." Maleficent left, and Mal looked shocked. Just then Audrey heard a weird noise at Mal's one, rather cracked window. Mal ran to the sound before there was another rock thrown at it.
"Jay, Carlos, Harry are you three trying to get me in trouble?" Audrey could see through the window, the three boys on the street, Jay and Carlos looked so little, and the third boy she didn't know.
"No, just help you escape Hell Day." Jay pointed out. Poor Carlos looked scared to be anywhere near Maleficent's house.
"Forget it, if I am not there in less than 5 minutes her little surprise she claims to have for me will turn into something way worse. Thanks but no thanks. Hell Day is bad enough." She said closing the window. Being cracked, Audrey could still hear the boys while the young Mal brushed her hair. "Jay?" a nervous Carlos asked. "Why does Mal call her birthday Hell Day?"
"Matey, you don't want to know." The other boy said. "It's...it's not good. Why the heck do you think we are here to save her?"
"I...ok." Carlos shut up, and the three voices stopped.
Audrey turned her attention back to Mal as she went down stairs. They followed her. "I was just about to go find you." Maleficent glared at Mal. She held a belt in her hands, and snapped the leather. "You had a surprise for me so I did my best to get here as soon as I could."
"Not soon enough." Maleficent said, snapping the belt across Mal's hip. Audrey flinched at the cracking of the leather. "Now shall we go over what happens on Hell day so that we don't have to do anymore of that."
"Yes, Mother. I caused you a great deal of pain being born, I was a horrible pregnancy and made you ill. So I owe you my life, so on my birthday I give you a gift, and that is my undivided attention all day to do as you wish."
"Very good. So first off, I want you to go grab me something fresh off the boats to eat. Then…" The room faded away.
Next Audrey found herself in Mal's bedroom, but this time Mal was older. That boy Harry was in her room. "OOO" Audrey thought wait till she tells Ben, Mal had a boyfriend before him. Harry was sitting on Mal's bed, holding her hand. "Mally, me girl, you have to run away from her. Your birthday is around the corner, and you know every year she gets worse."
"I can't Harry, you know that. Look what happened last year when I tried it. The goons found me hiding on your dad's boat and look." It was then Audrey finally noticed the scar over Mal's eye. It is much smaller now.
"Nanny when was this?" Audrey asks.
"Mal is 12 here. And before you say anything Harry Hook isn't her boyfriend. He is a part of Mal's gang. Any kid with a brain on the Isle, follows Mal, for fear of Maleficent."
"The scar?"
"Mal decided to follow Jay's advice and finally hide on her birthday, Maleficent's goons, her henchman, searched the entire isle for Mal. They found her at sunset on Captain Hook's Boat. Dragged her through the streets by her hair. Her head scrapped on a rusty nail on the Captain's deck boards. It got infected. Mal was sick for weeks, because Maleficent wouldn't allow her medical attention. She stopped because Maleficent busted open the door.
"If I were you Hook, I would be gone right now, and if you, Mal, dear, think you are going to hide on Hell day you are mistaken." Harry ran from the room, but turned to see Maleficent use rusty handcuffs to handcuff Mal to her bed.
"Mother, how will I get up, and use the bathroom, eat?"
"Hold it until I decide to let you up to use it, or feed you." Audrey looked at Nanny, who was crying. Nanny was tough, Audrey had never seen her cry, and this was hard on her, even if this were a ghost and not real.
"I can't watch this anymore. Please take me back." Audrey pleaded, and the ghost did so.
Once back in her room the ghost of Nanny proceeded to tell Audrey what happened next to Mal. "Mal was left alone in that room for three days and nights, right through her 12th birthday. She was lucky, Jay was good at sneaking in, he let her out of the cuffs, and brought her food. He thinks of her as his little sister, he takes care of her, and Carlos too. Maleficent came back hoping to find her either weak from hunger, or wet. She was shocked she wasn't either. But she let her out. She followed her, and found her with Jay and Carlos. Maleficent went off on the boys, how dare they defy her and feed and help Mal. They boys never confessed which one of them helped Mal."
"I...I have no friends like that." Audrey stated.
"There are many reasons for that Audrey, try letting people get to know you, and the real you not the you Grammie wants you to be. Try reading the story of your mother, cause Grammie is stretching the truth a lot. Try talking to the good fairies. They tell a different story about the night your mother met Maleficent the second time." And with that the ghost of Nanny faded away.
Audrey climbed back into bed, blaming the nightmare on a long stressful day. Around 1 am Audrey was woken up again. This time by a ghost she was less familiar with her Grandfather. Audrey tried to scream, not recognizing the elderly man. "Scream all you want no one will hear you Auddie." HE used the old nickname he had for her. She was only 3 when he died.
"Poppie?" Audrey asked.
"Yes, dear. How nice to see you again, you have grown into a lovely young woman. Pretty like your mother."
"Thank you. But how?"
"How, isn't your main concern Auddie. We need to take a little trip. I want you to see what happened here while you were off licking your wounds about not getting to be queen."
"I was heart broken that Ben left me the way he did."
"You were a little embarrassed, but not enough to grab Chad Charming and go after him, five minutes after Ben sang to Mal. No dear, I think you were more dreading calling Grammie and telling her you weren't dating Ben anymore. Am I right?"
"Well yes, but…"
"That's what I thought."
(Gonna skip this for now just incase you people are still reading this even though I claimed spoilers! Will add in after you all have had time to see the movie)
So her grandfather showed her what Mal went through, feeling overwhelmed by the press, not using her magic, and her adventure returning to the isle, including losing Ben to Uma, twice.)
Audrey watched in silence. She had no idea Mal was feeling so scared and frightened. Overwhelmed and anxious about being in the public eye. She just assumed she was tough and she could handle it. "Do you know why I showed you this?"
"Cause I missed the gossip?" Audrey asked sarcastically.
"No foolish girl. You were basically bred by Grammie and Nanny to be a lady of the court. You were made to go to the royal schools on purpose to meet Ben. That was Grammie's plan from the moment you and Ben were born. I am not a fan of arranged marriages, that one between your parents was her idea. Anyway. You have got to look outside your little window, and see that there are others out there. Others who were brought up differently than you. And not just the kids from the isle, but Jane, Chad, Lonnie and even Ben. You need to open your eyes and experience life Auddie. You need to see what life would be like in the future, if you had gotten what you wanted." And with that her grandfather left the room and a cloaked figure walked into the room. It never spoke, it just pointed, and she followed.
Audrey followed the figure out her door and they appeared in Beast Castle. There Audrey saw a little blond haired boy running through the halls. "My little boy?" She asked, and the figure nodded. "But I wanted a girl." Audrey whined. The figure, obviously angered by her attitude, tapped it's cane and Audrey knew to stop talking and watch.
Ben came chasing the little boy. The boy squealed in delight. Audrey smiled, "well at least he is a good happy boy." She commented. The figure just pointed to a door. The door flew open and Audrey and another lady walked out. Audrey was dressed in all black. "BENJAMIN, my Grammie has been dead just a few days, there will be no happiness. Nanny take Stephan to his room." And the scared nanny scooped up the little boy and took him away.
"Audrey, I don't understand why you need to deny me time with our son. I miss your grandmother too, but, that's not his fault."
"We are in mourning Benny Boo." She cooed at him. "Now let us go over your paperwork."
Ben quietly followed her into his study, but it was obvious to Audrey that she had taken it over. "Ok, I see you still haven't done what I asked you about Mal and her friends. They need to go back."
"Audrey, they have all moved away from Auradon City. They have done nothing wrong to warrant a trip back to the isle."
"And I believe you promised me at my grandmother's side, as she lay dying, that you would send them back."
"I did no such thing. And I will not send them back. Isn't it bad enough we are making them pay back their tuition from AP. They have done nothing wrong. Mal works in a museum, Evie works in a seamstress' shop, Carlos is a teacher in Corona and Jay is in security. They all have good jobs, pay their bills, and are excellent members of society."
"And you know this how?"
"Because I keep an eye on them. They were our friends."
"Your friends Benny Bear, never mine. I want them gone. Even if you leave the others Mal must go."
"She flirted with me 10 years ago Audrey. Let it go. I haven't spoken to her since graduation."
"GONE!" She slammed her fist onto the table.
The cloaked figure pointed to the door and Audrey walked through it. She came out the other side in a tiny apartment somewhere in Corona. In the apartment was an older looking couch, a small easel, a sewing machine, and a computer. Mal walked in. She was tired. Audrey barely recognized her. Her purple hair pulled back into a messy bun, her work clothes, looked worn. She flopped onto the tattered couch. Evie came out of the back room. "Oh Mal, thank the faries your home, please tell me you have your paycheck."
Mal didn't speak she just handed the stub to Evie.
"Well, that's it. We finally have the last payment, I got mine too. We will finally make the last payment on our education at Auradon Prep. I still can't believe Audrey made them charge us for our education."
"Yes well she made Ben do a lot. I'd rather not talk about it. I want to sleep, but I can't I need to change for my night job, otherwise we won't eat this week."
"I have two dresses I am making tonight for side jobs, they will give us enough to pay the rest of the rent."
"Good. At least after we pay this last payment we will have that money to finally improve our lives."
"I know. We need to celebrate. The boys paid theirs off last week. Maybe we can go out tomorrow to celebrate."
"All depends on how much I get in tips tonight."
"Mal, ever wonder what life on the isle would be like for us if we were still there?"
"HELL. I'd rather not. This might not be anything like our lives were in Auradon Prep, but it is still a millions times better than the isle. So let's not even talk about it. Have you heard from Doug?"
"Yes, he will be back this way next week."
"I hate how, because he was made the royal jeweler by Queenie, that he isn't allowed to marry you."
"Yes, well….about that, he….he's quitting. Now that we are finished paying for AP. He...he wants to marry me." Evie admitted.
"Oh, Evie why didn't you tell me, that's wonderful."
"But i'm going to have to move, and well you can't afford this place alone, and what are you going to do, I can't leave you." Evie cried.
"Look, E I will figure it out. I don't need a bedroom. I am sure I can find a studio apartment somewhere and be just fine. You get the happily ever after you deserve."
"You deserve one too."
"Yes, well we know where mine ended, so go have yours!. Look I have to go to work."
Mal grabbed her apron and headed out the door. Audrey was forced by the ghost to follow. "Why. So she isn't living it up. She is still happy to be here and not on the isle, so what." But the cloaked figure just pointed for Audrey to follow.
The next place Audrey was in was what looked to be a place just like the isle. "Where are we? Are we on the isle?" the figure shook its head, no, and pointed. Audrey watched as Mal waited tables in a horrible biker bar. She was slapped, called names and endured hours of name calling every night, but the guys here, once they got drunk enough, became great tippers, and forgot who Mal was, but until they were drunk enough they were ruthless.
"About time you showed up Purple." One guy shouted.
"Hey look it's the king's former whore." another yelled, Mal did nothing to defend it. She just put on her apron and started tending Bar. Audrey watched and listened as Mal was humiliated. She turned to the cloaked figure. "Does Ben know she works here?' The figure nodded yes. Then she remembered what Mal said about the isle to Evie. "Does Evie know this is what she does?" The cloaked figure signaled no. "And she still thinks this….this awful place is still better than the isle?" The scene changed and the isle appeared. She saw the boy, now a man, with the hook, another man, and a girl with long teal braids. "Well she may not be queen but still Mal has it better than us. I was so close, we were so close. I had the trident, in my hand. I had Been under my control, yet she still won. But maybe not." She pointed to a poster that had been obviously covered in graffiti, it was of Ben and Audrey. "She won. And that girl whoever that Audrey is made me happy. Mark my words boys, if Mal ever sets foot on this isle she will be dead by sunset."
"Take me out of here. I don't want to see this anymore. I...I never wanted to hurt Ben. I...I see now that his future is with her. That she loves him. That he loves her. He never loved me. I need…..I want to go home. I want to make sure this doesn't come true. I want to change,"
The room went black and when the light returned, Audrey was alone in her room. The bed table clock read 3:30 am. She looked around and saw it was her room. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. Instead, she did the unthinkable, she left her room. But instead of heading to the bathroom, she headed into the library. She went over to the family history wall. She pulled out her family history and read it. Read it cover to cover, three times. She fell asleep in the library, her nose in the book.
Jane found Audrey in the library. She quickly woke her before anyone else arrived. She snuck her out the back door, and to the dorms. "What were you doing in the library Audrey, in your night clothes no less?" Jane questioned.
"I….I had this dream, and well I needed to make sure I was right, what I was led to believe was right…"
"And?"
"I am wrong. Wrong about a lot of things Janey. I...I owe Mal and her friends an apology. I am sorry for how I treated you too Jane. It was mean of me, and wrong. " Jane stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.
"Are you ok Audrey. I mean did they give you something at that spa."
"Do you think I am wrong Jane?"
"In how you treated Mal and her friends, yes. But...hey who am I to say."
"Do you accept my apology?"
"Yes, yes I do if you mean it, really mean it."
"I do. Please say we can be friends, real friends, not me using you."
"Sure Audrey. I am your friend."
"Good. Ok. I had better get dressed, I have a few more people to apologize to."
And she did. Much to the surprise of everyone who actually witnessed it, and those who heard it second hand. And Audrey did learn her lesson. She was nicer to Mal and her friends. And she was even nicer to Chad, in fact she took him back.
Ok so this came to me one night as I worked. And I wrote it out quickly. My own version of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Hope you like it. Again if I remember I will add the D2 movie part after people have had a chance to see it.
