Chapter 17 – Coming Home
-:-:-:-:-:-
It seemed like whatever calm acceptance had fallen over the Isle during Mal and the others' pickup ended for this unscheduled return. Villains saw a portion of the barrier drop for what was no apparent reason and thought that now was their chance to strike.
Luckily, Chad had prepared for this eventuality and already had all of his people in the square, his guard teams armed with barrier runes he had briefed them on how to use that morning.
They placed them against the ground and activated them, creating a secondary barrier to keep the hole in the actual barrier from being accessed, and all the while other villains began throwing themselves at the invisible wall, snarling and waving their makeshift weapons.
It was Chad's duty to maintain order through the chaos, and yet, he couldn't help but have his attention dragged over towards the waving visage of Ben. Ben, who he had not seen in over a year, who was still just as goofy and smiling and waving and it was just him.
Chad found himself by the other prince's side before he even knew what was happening.
"Did you-?" Chad had to make himself stop talking, his disbelief was so strong. "Did you come without guards, you dumb asshole?"
"Chad!" Ben cheered, ever relentless and refusing to be aware of the literal battle that was brewing behind them. "It's you! Of course it's you," he continued, pulling Chad into a hug. "You're the only one who calls me stupid!"
"That's because you are stupid!" Chad snapped, and that was the reason, and not his desperate effort to make Ben stop liking him so he could live. "Did you bother to think before you came here?!"
"Nope!" Ben seemed really cheerful about this. "For once, I didn't think at all, which in hindsight was a bad idea."
"It's the Isle of the Lost-"
"Exactly!" Ben grinned like a lunatic. Why did Chad like this person? "I couldn't leave you here!"
"I've been here a year," Chad snapped. "I told you that in my note! Did you even bother to read it?"
Ben pulled himself close, burying his face in the curve of Chad's neck. "So many times."
"I hate you," Chad muttered, hugging Ben tight in an effort to squeeze some sense into him, and for no other reason. "You're the worst."
"I brought Fairy Godmother's wand," Ben said, proving Chad's statement true. "And Jane, to use Fairy Godmother's wand."
On second look, there Jane was, huddled behind the limo and looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there, but when she caught sight of Chad she smiled brilliantly, making him think the whole Cinder/Fairy God-person deal was a cycle that was just never going to end.
"Get her to make a bridge, you dolt." This was it; they were actually going to do it, what the fuck. "Wait. Get her to make a portal to Sardinia. We're going to get everyone there and let them claim asylum and then your dumbass dad can try to take them from my cold dead hands."
"So sexy," Ben muttered. Chad was pretty sure he hadn't meant to say that aloud. "I missed you. You're so vicious."
"Excuse you?" Chad sputtered. "I am charming, thanks."
"Yeah, no." Ben grinned, pressing his cheek to Chad's head like an obnoxious shit. "You're the one who politely cursed out our scout leader because you wanted to learn everything and not just what the basic outlines requested. And then you spent extra weeks training with the Huntsmen like the determined little psycho you are. And then you tried for years to stop Jane and me and Doug from being friends with you because you were scared we'd get hurt by like, your reputation or something."
"You knew that?" Ben was supposed to be dumb and charmingly happy but naïve. What the fuck was this.
"Of course I knew that, you're my favorite person," Ben declared, just like that. "I am never leaving your side again."
"Well, you're going to have to learn to share, stupid." Chad flushed, couldn't believe they were having this conversation.
"Yeah, Mal told me about that." Ben's stupid grin was so wide. "Threatened to cut off my dick if I made you cry. It was awesome. I like her."
"You would," Chad muttered. "Auradon's doomed."
"Not with you guys," Ben said, so stubbornly certain. "Be my consort?"
"Fucking shit." Chad had no words. "You can't propose if we haven't even dated!"
"Sure I can," Ben chirped. "I'm a prince."
Chad would not be wooed by his wagging eyebrows. "…I have to talk about it with the others."
"Of course!" Ben said, but the look on his face pretty much took that as a yes, and Chad sort of wanted to punch him but also wanted to kiss him so that was fun.
"Hey, guys!" Mal cut in with a frown, giving Ben a notable stink eye. "If you don't mind, we sort of have a situation here."
"You get to work on the portal," Chad ordered, needing to get away from Ben's Ben-ness. "I'll go make sure we don't die."
"Just like old times," Ben chirped, and then he pressed a kiss to Chad's mask like the obnoxious shit he was, ducking away before Chad could swipe at him.
That fuck.
"Less kisses," Mal griped, glaring at Ben's back. "More battles."
"Yeah, yeah," Chad waved her off, getting himself back in the zone. "Let's go save everyone from certain doom."
-:-:-:-:-:-
Chad and Jane didn't go through the portal until the last of the kids got through, until his barrier runes seemed like they were about to break. He switched the Isle barrier defenses back on at the last second and pulled Jane through the portal with him, the young fairy flicking the radiant portal out of existence with a twitch of her wand. With her practiced genius, it seemed that Jane was able to deliver them straight into one of the old ballrooms in the Ellasburg Castle – the one his mother and father had first danced in that had been closed off shortly after her death.
There was something hilarious about seeing a limousine parked innocently on the ancient marble, something Chad was sure his mother would have gotten a kick out of.
It wasn't something he could dwell on, however, because eventually their presence was going to be registered by security.
"Huddle up, everyone!" Chad ordered, strolling to the front of the crowd, Jane hot on his heels. "Security on the outside, everyone else in the middle! On my mark, you're going to set down the second set of barrier runes! Jane." He turned to the young fairy who already seemed so exhausted, sweat beaded on her brow. "Do you have enough energy to cast a concealment charm over them? I need all of you to stay undetected until I get a chance to clear things up."
Jane considered this for a moment, then nodded, her expression resolute. "I can do that. I will do that."
"Great." Chad nodded, turning back to the rest of his people.
"What is this?" Dizzy asked, staring around the ballroom. "Are we in Auradon?"
"We're in Sardinia," Chad explained, knowing his cousin was familiar with the kingdom her mother came from. "Listen up, everyone! We're not out of the woods yet! I'm going to go speak with our hosts. I assure you I can get everything sorted out, but you'll need to wait here and be patient." He looked around. "Is everyone in position?"
"I'm not letting you go alone," Ben pressed, crossing to Chad in stupid, large strides.
"Evie's coming with me," Chad replied, though he knew that wasn't what the other prince meant. "Ben, you technically just committed treason. I'm going to go handle the situation before things can devolve into something truly unpleasant, but until then, you have to stay here. Oh-" He motioned towards the limo. "And disable the tracking device, would you?"
"That's it?" Mal asked as Evie came up and joined Chad. "You're just taking Evie? What if they attack you?"
"They won't." Chad hoped. "Now everyone, get in the barrier."
"This is bullshit," Uma muttered.
"We don't have time for this, Captain." Chad kept his tone low and sharp to prove he meant business. "Evie and I are the only ones they can't kill on sight. The rest of you would be fair game, yes-" He said before Ben could interrupt. "Even you. Now back up."
Reluctantly, they did so, Evie following him out of the ring of security.
"On my count, everyone!" Chad yelled, backing up towards the entrance to the ballroom. "Three, two, one – initiate!"
As one, the security team pressed their runes against the ground, creating a respectable bubble around the group. With a furrow of her brow, Jane flicked her wand in elegant circles until the bubble and all its inhabitants seemed to disappear from existence, leaving the ballroom seeming as empty as before.
"Wicked," Evie murmured.
"You think that's something," Chad muttered. "Wait till we finish throwing our revolution."
With that, he tugged her deeper into the castle, towards his grandfather's office.
They had a traitor to take care of.
-:-:-:-:-:-
They used the secret passageways to travel undetected, and as fortune would have it, Chad's grandfather was in his office holding some kind of emergency meeting with Chad's father and a gentleman Chad came to recognize as a distant cousin, likely the new heir to inherit Sardinia's crown. Chad freed his head from all the clothing that had kept him hidden for the past year, running a hand through his curls and giving Evie a wink before he pushed into the office, stumbling to a crouch in front of his grandfather, who had been sitting behind his desk, holding court.
"Grandfather," Chad gasped, clutching onto the old man's wrist with both hands and swiping his lovely contact poison against the skin there. "Grandfather, it's you."
"Chad?" His father was around the desk in no time, seeming to hesitate before he could reach out for Chad, his gaze shifting between his son and Evie. "Chad, what happened?"
"I was kidnapped!" Chad exclaimed, rising to his feet so that he was beside Evie once more. "Abandoned on the Isle of the Lost! But Jane- she found me. Like mom- dad, she found me and this-" He motioned to Evie, letting his eyes get wet with tears. "This is Princess Evelyn Hatzfeld of Hanover. Queen Grimhilde had a daughter and she was trapped too!" From the corner of his eye, he could see his great cousin signal for security, but that hardly mattered, not when the sweat was already beginning to build on his grandfather's forehead. "Dad, we need to file for a special concession – Jane had to use magic to free me and she shouldn't be arrested for that."
"We will, son." It was the first time his dad had called him that in private for as long as Chad could remember, and were he not so devoted to his character of scared survivor he may have broken right then. "We'll start on the paperwork right away, but tell me," his dad swallowed. "Does Prince Benjamin's disappearance have anything to do with this?"
"I sent a note with the VKs that were chosen to go to Auradon," Chad explained. "They gave Ben my note and he immediately grabbed a limo to come rescue me. He brought Jane too, she's the one who teleported us here."
"That's good." His father nodded distractedly, mind already moving. "We can call the king-"
"Ben will need a concession too, dad," Chad interrupted. "He acted without knowledge of the crown. We can't let him get tried for treason for saving the heir to Sardinia."
"No." His father blinked. "Of course not. I'll get Ethel to request the proper paperwork immediately."
'We're going to need declarations of refugee status as well, dad." At his father's confused look, Chad added. "…I may have brought some more Isle kids back with me."
"More?" The random cousin sputtered. "You brought those ruffians here?"
"Those ruffians kept me alive for the past year," Chad shot back. "And they've committed no crimes in Auradon! Every day is a struggle to stay alive, a struggle for food and shelter – basic things we take for granted." He turned to his father. "How could I possibly leave them behind? They're just children."
"Chad's right," his father said with a certainty that surprised the prince. "The way of Sardinia is kindness. I…" He smiled at Chad, a watery thing. "I forgot that, for a while, but you didn't. Your mother taught you well."
She did, and they killed her for it, but Chad was certain that if she was anything like him, she had no regrets.
"Ethel." Chad's father talked into the secretary connection on his grandfather's desk. "Could you please bring in a stack of declaration of refugee status forms and two special concession forms? And wake the council for an emergency quorum."
"Are you serious?" the cousin said. He turned to Chad's grandfather. "Are you just going to let-?"
It was at this point that the poison seemed to finally take effect, Chad's grandfather clutching at his chest, his breath coming in rough gasps.
"Grandfather?" Chad asked, crouching next to him. "Grandfather, are you okay?"
"Ethel, call for a medic," Chad's father added, his gaze fixed to the former king.
"What's wrong with him?" the cousin asked.
"Shock, maybe?" Chad tried.
"Was this too much for him?" Evie asked, perfectly believable in her concern.
"Dad?" Chad's father said, clutching onto the former king's shoulder. "Dad? Just try to breathe, okay? The medics are on their way."
Not soon enough to do him any good, but enough to give Chad a believable timeline.
Quietly, Chad took Evie's hand, squeezing it in an effort to convey the words he couldn't share. It was the beginning of a new life for them.
-:-:-:-:-:-
The Duke was dead.
The medics pronounced time of death seven minutes after Chad had administered his poison, and by the time they ran any tox screenings on him the poison would be completely filtered from his system.
Chad played his part as the perfect, distressed grandson – struggling to survive for a year, finally getting home only to have his grandfather die of shock. He held his father as he shook with disbelief, pretending to try and swallow down tears because it was his fault, his doing – and somehow, for once his father snapped out of his grievance to actually comfort Chad the way he never had before, assuring him that Chad did nothing wrong, that it was his grandfather's time, that he'd spoken of properly retiring for months now.
Ironic that the one time something was unquestionably Chad's fault his father deigned to speak to him, but Chad had been neglected for so long that he soaked up the affection like a sponge, deciding to take what he could get.
Evie and Chad worked together to fill out the necessary paperwork for the emergency quorum and in the meantime, his father called upon the necessary psychologists to perform an evaluation on Chad to deem him fit to return to his status as 'crown heir'. He went a step further and also called Queen Snow White, who promised to arrive as soon as possible with her news crew – formatting the story on the way over.
By the time they finished with the paperwork, the quorum was fully assembled, and by the time the paperwork had been expedited and approved by Sardinia legislature, his father got the ball rolling for the United Auradon approvals – though that council meeting would be a few days off, at the earliest. Until then, Ben and Jane would be stuck under the protection of Sardinia, not that either of them would likely mind.
Sensing Chad's anxiety, his father had the psychologists interview him immediately (and as fortune would have it, these were new counselors, not ones that were firmly under his grandfather's employment), and despite his growing exhaustion, Chad delivered on all their expectations, admitting to certain hardships but weaving a story of determination and hope. Of discovering friendship and building a team to survive together against the wicked villains of the Isle.
He was declared sound of mind and fit to lead, and his father brought him into the emergency quorum just before it wrapped up to declare him crown prince again.
Distant cousin wasn't happy about the transaction, of course, and he was about to be a lot less happy going forward.
Chad made his first official decree as crown prince (again) to award the status of princess to his cousin, Elizabeth James. He hoped she saw the official change in last name as an acceptable sacrifice for her new title, and was shocked to see his father tear up in happiness as he seconded the status allocation, gripping Chad's shoulder with a distinct air of pride.
Chad should have killed his grandfather years ago, though he supposed if he had, he wouldn't have gotten all of this.
The next set of tasks was tedious, but Chad and Evie managed it. They'd already prepped the staff on how many they were to prepare accommodations for, and Chad had already reassigned the ones that were steadfastly loyal to his grandfather to other properties entirely (and informed security to escort them from the premises). He did the same with the chefs to ensure none of his charges would be poisoned, with the security team to ensure none of them would be stabbed, and basically with every household member of the castle until it was running on a diminished crew of completely loyal servants.
The relocations had already caused several necessary promotions, and Chad had already given his go ahead for the new staff leads to hire the individuals they needed – though they were to ideally hire Isle-sympathizers. He impressed the importance of this as much as he was able to, Evie sweeping in to offer smooth talk until they were working like a well-oiled machine.
It was beautiful.
It was also exhausting, but it was worth it to confirm that the children of the Isle would be safe.
The first rays of sunlight were peaking over the horizon when Chad and Evie finally made their way back to the ballroom, smiling through their weariness.
In an instant, Jane's concealment charm was lifted and his army perked up, the barrier charms long finished.
Chad decided to hold court on the grand staircase, giving him some height above the crowd as he and Evie grinned down at them.
"Long story short-" He began after an appropriate pause for dramatics. "Now we are out of the woods."
He was prepared for the thunderous applause that followed, cheers and hollers of pure joy. Kids were hugging each other, smiles stretched wide. Others were crying they were so happy, jumping up and down and pumping their fists in the air. At the base of the staircase, Ben looked up at him with an expression of pride, Mal right beside him, a certain wetness to her eyes.
"Okay, okay!" Chad lifted up a hand to quiet the din. "Now I know you all have questions, and I'm going to do my best to answer them all."
"Yeah, I got a question," Ginny Gothel called out. "Have you been hot this whole time?"
"That is a matter of opinion," Chad answered expertly, getting a groan from the crowd. "Come on, guys, do I look nearly as intimidating now as I do in my full getup?"
"He makes a point," Clay muttered, sharing a contemplative look with Jonas.
"Yes, I do," Chad agreed. "Now, as some of you may have guessed by now, my actual name is not Volker." There were literal gasps of surprise, the Isle kids staring at each other in confusion. "My real name is Chadwick James, I'm-"
"You're Cinderella's kid!" Bonnie hollered. "Didn't he die?"
"They tried to kill me," Chad explained. "I got dumped on the Isle in a poorly-conceived assassination attempt."
"We can all see how well that went," Uma muttered, forcing an air of humor, though Chad could see the confusion behind her eyes.
"Yeah, it wasn't one of their better attempts," Chad agreed. "But yes, I'm Queen Ella's son – the crown prince of Sardinia. Evie and I spent the last few hours working with my father – King Christopher – to claim all of you as Sardinian refugees under the Free Asylum Act. That means that you are officially on your way to becoming citizens of Sardinia."
"Sardinia?" Claudine Frollo echoed. "You mean, like part of Auradon? We'd be citizens of Auradon?"
"You'd be citizens under Auradon, technically," Chad explained. "Officially, you'd belong to Sardinia, which is united under Auradon."
"But we wouldn't be Isle kids," Claudine pressed. "They'd have to treat us like all the other Auradon people."
"Yes, they will." This received another thunderous round of applause, teens smiling at each other because they couldn't believe their good fortune. "As official refugees, if King Adam wants to try and take any of you back to the Isle, he will have to fight us for you."
"Really?" Hermie asked, twisting her hair between her fingers nervously. "You'd protect us?"
"You're refugees, Hermie. It would be a gross violation of duty for us not to protect you and provide the basic necessities guaranteed to our other citizens. To be clear-" He addressed the rest of the room. "All the benefits I offered when you first joined me still apply – you will have food, shelter, clothing, and protection. You will be citizens of Sardinia, which means if someone wants to get to you, they'll have to go through me. Same as before."
"Why?" Clay asked, swaggering forward. "Why are you doing this? We're not on the Isle anymore. I mean-" He looked around. "You're a prince. You don't need us."
"That's exactly why I need you," Chad said calmly, getting an intense look from Evie. "I'm a prince. As a prince, it is my duty to take care of my people to the best of my ability. The moment you swore allegiance to me on the Isle, you became my people, and I have done my best to provide for you, and will continue to do so for as long as I can."
"Fucking shit," Rick Ratcliffe hissed. "He really is a prince."
"Yeah, he is," Ginny giggled.
"Speaking of," Chad said loudly, getting them back on track. "Dizzy – come up here."
After offering a confused look, his cousin made her way up the stairs, standing beside Chad awkwardly.
"Congratulations," Chad said. "You are being promoted to princess of Sardinia."
"I get to be a princess?!" Dizzy cheered, jumping in place. "Really?"
"Yes," Chad said, unable and unwilling to stifle his fond smile. "Really."
"Oh, wow," Dizzy gushed before offering the crowd a wobbly curtsey, earning a raucous cheer from them before she skipped her way down the staircase, throwing herself into Celia's arms.
"Okay, okay!" Chad said over the roar of the crowd, trying to get them calmed down so they could continue. "Now there is some bad news."
"Knew it," Darla hissed, loud enough to be shushed by a nearby Arthur.
Chad ignored them. "Now that we're in Auradon there is a new set of rules you are going to have to follow. The bad news is that people are going to expect the worst from you because they were raised on the propaganda that Isle citizens are vicious, evil, spiteful beings – and while maybe part of that's true-" This got him some laughs. "-this will cause them to be scared. And unfortunately, scared people tend to do stupid things."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Biggs asked.
It was a fair question. "You're going to have to be better than their expectations. On the Isle-" he said over the din of protest. "You had to fight and steal to survive. Here, you don't have to worry about that." He stared down the crowd carefully. "For the time being, I want everyone to travel in pairs. I don't care who you are, have a partner. I'm going to make sure each of you gets a camera, so if something bad does happen, you can record it. For any cases tried against us, we're going to need evidence – that's how things work in Auradon. You can only fight back if you get attacked first, but without some kind of record, the courts are likely going to sway in the favor of an Auradon citizen. We're going to try to counteract that."
Harriet made a face. "That's stupid."
"That's Auradon," Chad countered. "On the bright side, if someone does try to attack you out here, we can charge them, and potentially get them sent to the Isle, which seems like fitting justice."
There was a murmur of agreement.
"Over the next few days I'm going to be sending out some forms I want you guys to fill out." Chad was already thinking ahead. "Now that you don't have to focus on surviving, you can live, like you were always meant to do. If you want to garden, you can still do that. If you want to cook, you can learn to do it better. Maybe there's something you want to do that you haven't even experienced yet. You'll all have the opportunity to learn, most of you have years before you have to figure out what you want to do with your life – and for those of you that are older, I'll campaign to get you some buffer room too. You also deserve the time to consider what you want to do for the rest of your life, and you'll get it."
"We did it," Diego De Ville murmured, eyes wide with wonder. "We really did it."
"No," Jonas chirped. "Volker did it!"
"Can we still call you that?" Hermie asked, her soft voice managing to carry over the crowd.
Chad couldn't see why not. "Of course."
"Woo!" Gonzo cheered, jumping into the air. "Three cheers for Volker! Hip, hip-"
"Hooray!" Everyone shouted, and as they continued, Chad tried not to grin in a manner that was horribly embarrassing, because he'd taught them that on accident, stupidly thinking that cheers were universal, like they'd have anything to celebrate on the Isle.
"Alright!" Chad waved them off with a laugh, riding the high of everyone's celebration. "That's pretty much all my announcements," Chad moved on. "I'll have the servants show you to your living quarters, and we'll start taking you guys on tours of the facilities in small groups so you can get to know where you'll be living for the foreseeable future. Are there any more questions?"
"Yeah, me." Mal held up a hand, commanding total silence. "Why didn't you ever say you were a prince?"
"Survival was my first goal," Chad answered honestly. "Marking myself as an obvious outsider didn't seem like a good way to do that."
"Man has a point," Clay grumbled.
Good guy, that Clay.
"If that is all, go and relax," Chad ordered. "Take a break. We'll have food later – good food."
This earned him another round of cheers.
"Alright, sweet pea," Mal muttered, slinking her way up the staircase. "You've got some explaining to do."
"Okay," Chad agreed, realizing this had sort of been inevitable.
With cautious steps, he led Ben, Jane, and his department heads towards his old bedroom.
It was time to face the music.
-:-:-:-:-:-
By the time Chad led the others to his room he was exhausted, managing to keep one foot in front of the other through sheer will alone.
"Jane," he said quietly, holding a hand up to keep the others from talking. "Could you do a magic search for bugs and cameras?"
If he had to go through the room and hunt down all the listening devices himself, he was going to cry.
"Yeah." Jane nodded, readying her mom's wand. Apparently portaling a few hundred people over a giant distance had done wonders for her confidence in regards to magic. "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo."
In a flash of magic, all the devices that had remained in Chad's bedroom appeared in a neat pile on his side table. Feeling lazy, Chad swept them all into a trashcan and shoved that out into the hallway. He could deal with it later.
"Okay," Mal cut in when her patience could last no longer. "I realize we just recently got to the part of our relationship where you let us take care of you, but why the fuck didn't you tell us you were a prince?"
"Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could get us off the Isle." It hurt to admit, but if they were being truthful, it needed to be said. "Being known as a prince would only present you with a liability. I could do more good as Volker."
"I'm not saying tell everyone," Mal snapped. "I meant us."
"What's the best way to keep a secret, Mal?" Chad asked, knowing her response would be immediate frustration.
She scowled at him, letting out an unintelligible growl before stalking away, towards Carlos. "You are such a shit, Volker," she hissed. "You drive me so fucking crazy with your bullshit martyr complex."
"I have a question," Evie began carefully, interrupting before Chad could say something that would set Mal off again. "Your trauma-"
Ben perked up, but Chad couldn't focus on him, not when he felt his expression close off. "That was real," he said quietly. "My grandfather wanted to teach me a lesson." He felt his hands curl into fists against his sides. "He did, I just don't think it was the one he wanted."
"Okay." Evie reached out, giving his shoulder a squeeze of apology. "I'm sorry, I just-"
"It's okay." Chad swallowed, didn't want to hear anymore apologies. "I lied about a lot to you. You're allowed your investigation."
"That fuck," Harry growled, flexing against Gil's hold. "I'll hook 'im through the damn eye."
"Unfortunately, he's already dead," Chad murmured apologetically. "Weak heart, you know. Couldn't seem to bear the shock of my return."
Slowly, he saw the implication register on their faces, some of them nodding in grim satisfaction.
"Wait?" Ben blinked. "You're grandfather's dead?"
"Heart attack," Evie confirmed. "Happened last night."
"Poor man," Chad added.
"Right," Jane – Jane growled, clutching her mother's wand. "Poor man who tortured you for years. I hope it fucking hurt."
"Jane." Chad's shock was genuine.
"No," Jane snapped. "How many times did he try to assassinate you? I mean, he probably assassinated your mom, he-" She turned to Ben. "I was invited for a sleepover when I was like, nine, and then he told the entire kingdom I was some gold digging abomination."
"You're not, Jane." Chad couldn't bear the agony on her features, rushed to pull her into his arms as soon as he could. "You're not that, you'd never be that."
"And the worst part was that you stopped being friends with me after that," she sobbed, shaking against his shoulder. "Because you didn't want him to h-hurt me. So instead he just hurt you."
"Alright, I'm glad this guy's dead," Uma murmured, wrapping herself around Jane's back until she was sandwiched between them. "Fuck, I didn't think people could be evil off the Isle too."
"They can be evil anywhere, Uma," Chad muttered, pressing kisses against Jane's hair. "They're just better at hiding it here."
"Well, no more." That came from Ben who joined their huddle, gluing himself to Chad's back like he was afraid he would vanish. "That's going to change going forward. When I'm king-"
"If you can survive that long," Chad muttered.
"-I'm going to fix this," Ben pressed on. "We'll fix it, together."
"Think the guy being dead helps," Uma drawled. "But yeah, we'll work together to fix the world like big damn heroes."
"You're already a hero, captain," Chad said, hugging them closer. "You took in a crew and protected it with a ferocity that couldn't be matched. And then, even though you hated me, you joined up with me and Mal because it was what was best for you crew. If you think that doesn't make you a hero, you're wrong."
"Ooh, I want to hear your speech about me!" Gil chirped. "I'm a hero too, right?"
"We're all heroes," Mal groaned. At some point, she had cradled Carlos against her chest while Jay held both of them from behind. "Fuck. So like, you do actually like us, right? We weren't just the best available?"
"What?" Chad blinked. "Of course I like you. I like all of you. And I know I'm not what you expected, not even close, but-"
"Spare me the dramatics." Uma rolled her eyes. "You're ours. That's settled."
"Not settled." Mal pouted. "Ben asked Volker to marry him."
"Ye fuckin' shit," Harry growled.
"I might have gotten caught up in the heat of the moment," Ben offered with that dumb smile of his. "Not the proposing part- that I always wanted to do, but like, the part where you were claimed by other people." Ben buried his face in Chad's curls. "I love you so damn much. Can I join you guys?"
"And me?" Jane perked up, wiping at her tears carefully. "Please?"
"What?" Chad blinked, genuinely thrown by this development. "You… you guys want to- did you see what happened? You don't even know what I've been doing for the past year. I'm not the same guy that left."
"No," Ben agreed. "You're a survivor. You survived. And you're just as bright and clever and deadly as you were before."
"Resourceful," Jane murmured. "Determined."
"Jane…" Chad said, because she could do so much better than him.
"No," she pressed, squeezing him tighter. "I know I don't have a lot to offer-"
"Fuck that bullshit," Chad hissed.
Ben following after with, "Jane, you're amazing."
"Then let me in," Jane urged, looking at the others. "I can be an asset to you-"
"Kiddo," Uma drawled, halting Jane's words with a hand against her cheek. "None of us here doubt your devotion to Kit here. You or slim's. You want in, you can have it."
"I can?" Jane echoed, the words making her tear up. "Chad?"
"Yes, Chad," Ben pressed, doting his hair with kisses. "Please, bud?"
"Um…" It was strange, having this many people who wanted to be with Chad. Weird. But definitely nice. "So, everyone, this is Ben. He's tall and stupid but he has other redeeming qualities that I can't think of right now."
"You're so mean." Ben smiled as he said it, because he was probably kind of crazy. "I love it. I missed you."
"Oh right, he's loyal," Chad said, feeling a lightbulb go off inside his head. "And generous and nice to a detrimental extent. We need to keep him to ensure he doesn't die in the dumbest way possible."
"Yes, please," Ben hummed. "Promise I'll be good."
"You're taking this well," Chad noted. Maybe Ben just hadn't realized exactly how many romantic partners he was acquiring.
"You're not dead." Ben said this as though it were a wonder, grinning like a fool. "I can pretty much deal with anything if you're not dead."
Mal dragged Carlos and Jay into Chad's line of sight. "Did you know he loved you before you got stranded on the Isle?"
"Of course he didn't," Ben replied before Chad got a chance to. "I could have told him and he still wouldn't have known."
"Yeah," Uma mused. "That sounds right."
"Shut up," Chad tried to hiss, though it came out as more of a tired drawl. "Jane?"
"You were dead," she whispered. "They said you were dead but they didn't have a body. I tried to trace you because I knew the one they buried wasn't you but Doug and I couldn't find you and I tried- I knew- I hoped you were still out there but I didn't know where you were-"
"I'm here," Chad assured, felt a certain heat of his own build behind his eyes. "I'm here, Jane. I-" He cleared his throat, letting his cheek rest against the top of her head. "Everyone, this is Jane. Her mother saved my mother, and she is my fairy god-person." Jane giggled at the distinction, tears pouring down her cheeks. "She is, quite frankly, a better deal than Ben." Behind him, Ben gave a sound of mock protest but didn't press the issue, because he knew Chad was right. "She's kind and smart and generous and willing to commit treason to save us, which I think speaks to her level of commitment."
"I also committed treason for you," Ben pointed out.
"Yeah, but you weren't aware of it, you idiot, you were just reacting. Jane knew but came anyway."
"He has a point," Evie said, forever sage.
Chad was sure they had gotten to know each other while he and Evie had been off battling paperwork, but just in case, he decided to introduce Jane to everyone.
"Jane, this is- that's Carlos." He pointed to the young De Ville. "You'll like him. He's a genius and he's super clever and kind and I spend a lot of time wanting to hug him. And that's Harry." He pointed to the first mate. "He and Jay look intimidating but they're actually both really sweet – don't let them tell you otherwise. And that-" He continued over Jay and Harry's protests. "Is Mal and Uma – who you can practice magic with and are also very fierce and frankly don't need the rest of us to get by but they keep us around anyway and that's cool. Oh-" He tilted his head back towards Ben. "We're getting rid of the magic ban, by the way. It's stupid."
"Agreed," Ben laughed, but he only looked fond, so that probably had promise.
"And um-" Chad blinked around for the others. "That's Princess Evie – she's like, the perfect diplomatic, and poised and pretty but also super smart and she can make a beautiful dress out of like, three pieces of fabric that should not go together. And um-" He lowered his voice. "That's Gil. He's sunshine." Chad frowned, couldn't think of any other way to put it. "You should hug him frequently; he's very good at it."
"Okay," Jane murmured, nodding against his chest. "I can do that."
"I know, because unlike Ben you're good at taking suggestions," Chad scoffed, Ben pressing a kiss against his shoulder for his efforts.
Belatedly, he realized he was swaying on his feet. "I think I'm gonna fall down."
"Rest, you asshole," Mal muttered, but she said it fondly, motioning them towards the bed. "Everyone, it's sleep time."
"I can take the first watch," Jay said, grabbing a chair and angling it towards the door.
"I got the window," Harry volunteered. He paused by Chad's huddle on the way and pulled him into a dirty kiss that left Chad reeling, grinning wickedly before he ducked away.
"No," Uma said before anyone else crossed to them. "We're not starting this until we know Volker's got enough energy to finish it."
"Finish it," Chad giggled, mostly to see Jane's cheeks heat up in a blush. She was so pretty.
With a few grumbles, they all piled onto the bed, Chad ending up in the middle. Mal more or less draped herself across Ben so she could be close to Chad, and Carlos took the spot next to Jane with Evie behind him. Uma and Gil were on Mal's other side, and for once Chad was grateful for his stupidly huge bed, because it could hold all his very favorite people.
"I'm gonna get you guys so many things," Chad murmured, eyelids beginning to droop under the weight of his exhaustion. "Evie, I'm gonna get you a fashion studio, and Mal's gonna get an art studio, and um- Uma can have whatever ship she wants, and Carlos can have an actual workshop-"
"We know, sugar cube," Mal soothed, rubbing at his shoulder. "You don't have to tell us now; we'll still be here tomorrow."
"…promise?" Chad asked, voice sounding terribly small.
"Just try to send us away," Uma declared, Jane humming softly in agreement, and all at once Chad knew it was going to be okay. Whatever battles came his way, he wasn't going to be alone anymore.
Now, he had an army.
And they had him.
-:-:-:-:-:-
"Did I tell you how I met this asshole?" Mal asked, staring at the ceiling. It was just a few of them cuddled in bed now, Gil curled around Chad's back with Jane tucked to his chest, Evie behind her. Uma was holding onto Carlos on the loveseat while Mal held court over on one of the couches with her harem of Jay, Harry, and Ben. "Guy storms into my castle covered in blood – after he murdered like, all of my mom's henchmen, has a rational conversation with my mother, and then slammed an axe into her throat." Chad hadn't exactly been able to go into detail about his stay on the Isle with Ben and Jane yet, but he supposed this was one way to introduce them to it. "It was beautiful. I knew I was done right there. Knew I had to have his babies and I didn't even want kids; I just knew he was mine."
"I know the feeling," Harry muttered while Chad struggled to come up with a response to that, because he genuinely hadn't realized Mal liked him so early on. "Guy sets a building on fire, throws an axe between Don Carnage's eyes and literally drags me out of there, killing anyone who got in our way one-handed. Then he dumped me on Gilly and went back so he could kill the rest of the crew."
"If that wasn't some grand courting overture, I don't know what was," Uma drawled, chuckling into Carlos' hair. "I was so mad. Everyone knew Harry was mine but then this fuck shows up from outa nowhere and single-handedly takes out a rival crew and saves my first mate. He did everything he needed to be an ally and then he wouldn't even fucking talk to me."
"…I was mad at you," Chad admitted. "For banishing Gil all the time. I understood why you did it, I just didn't want to see you."
"Thought you were playing hard to get," Uma replied. "Helping Gil all the time. Saying Harry didn't look 'half bad'. I finally give in, get Harry all dolled up and send him to you on a silver platter and then you make him carry sand all day."
Chad blinked. "…that was a sex thing?"
Mal cackled over Harry's groan. "Of course it was a sex thing. Only Uma didn't realize that your ability to register flirtation is like- nonexistent."
"It's the worst," Jay whined. "Finally get a meeting with big, bad Volker – try to work my charm but he's like, immune to it. And he cleared out the office of anything good to steal."
"I told you it wouldn't work," Mal reminded him. "He's the most practical human in the universe; you think he's going to be wowed by your puppy eyes? He's not even wowed by my puppy eyes. Or the princess's!"
"…that's part of the reason I was so mad at Harry," Jay admitted with a shrug. "Figured he must be so good that Volker didn't need to look for it anywhere else."
"This dumb shit," Uma sighed. "Harry gets 'kidnapped' by his sister – Volker saves him, pretty much pledges his devotion to Harry and just leaves. Like, who the fuck is this guy?"
"I didn't-" Chad flushed. "I didn't pledge myself to him."
"Volker." Uma gave him an unimpressed look. "You said you didn't like him and in the same sentence said that no matter what you'd always come for him. That's a declaration, stupid."
"It was so romantic," Evie mused, toying with Jane's hair. "Everyone knew about the fierce huntsman who saved his true love Harry."
"That's how I heard about you," Carlos offered. "Before you killed Gaston. Whole school was buzzing about Harry's boyfriend Volker – and then you killed Gaston and Maleficent, and you sold all those bodies to the shops – so I thought – I was just really desperate. I didn't know what you'd want."
"You to be safe, for the most part," Chad answered honestly. "But wait- did- did all of you think Harry and I were dating?"
"Those were the rumors," Mal sniffed. "But then you were so weird about touch and the pirates in general – it was dumb."
"Gil knew," Uma pointed out.
"Um…" Gil tensed behind Chad. "I um… didn't tell you because- well, I knew you weren't but also I um- wanted to be your boyfriend. So."
Mal laughed. "Join the club."
"At least he would touch you," Evie sniffed. "He refused to do that for me."
Chad sighed. "You're a princess-"
"You're a prince," she snapped. "That wasn't even a valid excuse!"
"I was a prince that was declared dead," Chad explained softly. "I had nothing. Even if I got back into Auradon, I had nothing."
"Well, you do now," Evie said. "And you are going to be making your absence up to me."
"And me," Gil murmured. "Please. I was um… really looking forward to my punishment until it was actually a punishment."
"They are actual punishments for Jay and Harry too," Chad pointed out.
"Is that an innuendo?" Ben asked, perking up. "Is 'punishment' like, code for sexy time?"
"I like this guy," Mal decided, running a hand through his hair. "I'm hoping Harry will need to be punished soon because we could definitely use Ben for that."
"Or," Chad said. "We could just have sex. That's a thing people do."
"Yeah," Mal huffed. "But it's more exciting as a punishment."
"Remember when Jay got to give Gil his first blowjob while Harry watched? Uma drawled. "That was a good punishment."
"What?" Evie blinked. "Why didn't you tell us about this?"
"Because punishments are private," Chad huffed. "And seriously, we could just have sex."
"I thought I was gonna kill Jay," Harry groaned. "It was torture having Volker hold me down all…" He shivered, both Jay and Ben straightening up in interest.
"You ready to go, Hook?" Uma asked, amusement clear in her tone.
"It's yourfault," he snapped. "Everyone wanting to practice on me all the time."
"Practice what?" Ben asked, relentless. "I like to practice."
"Put your hand down his pants and you'll find out," Mal encouraged, and this was- it was good, very good.
It got even better when Ben actually did stick his hand down Harry's pants, Uma catcalling him all the way – Mal not to be outdone and 'practicing' on Jay, who of course had no complaints.
This was the insanity he'd signed up for the rest of his life.
But he was okay with that.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Endnotes:
This is it, guys! Thank you so much for staying aboard for this ride! The outpouring of support and enthusiasm this fic has received has far exceeded my expectations, and I am truly grateful for all the support, enthusiasm, and love each and every one of you has shared. It is a privilege to write for such an excited audience, and that is not something I take for granted. So thank you! Your support has definitely inspired me to take on more 'epic' style fics like this one in the future!
After this, I will be posting the deleted scenes (there are a lot this time around) and the first chapter of my next Chad-centric poly fic, 'The Bitch of Living'. Check it out if you're interested in more Descendants good times!
Story notes:
While I refuse to call a kingdom 'Cinderellasburg', I thought it was believable to rename the capital after the late queen – hence the Ellasburg Castle.
Ethel is entirely made up for this story and no, I did not make the effort to actually research a French name this time.
Will there be a sequel? Even I do not know, but I laid the seeds for one in case inspiration ever struck, so there's that ;D
Until next time :)