Chapter 10 – One Month Ago
WARNING – Threat of extreme force/dismemberment – It isn't something that is dwelled on or graphic in any way, but in scene three, there is a threat of dismemberment that is never followed up on. See endnotes for details.
WARNING – Threat of death. In the final scene, a character is left in a position of peril in which they think they might die. Please see endnotes for more details.
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Present Day
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Like everything else in his life, Chad attacked the problem in pieces. He waited for Gil to drop off to sleep – the blond cradled between Harry and Uma, who had taken to letting him stay in their bed as the quest to find 'Chad' had proven more and more grim. Were Chad more capable, he would have gotten one of them to love him, broken the curse, and then returned to Sardinia, but if he hadn't managed that much by this point, it wasn't going to happen at all.
He was pretty sure he could get his dad to love him, after his dad knew who he was. Granted, Chad would have to get him past the initial hurdle of believing his son was a cat, but after that, things would be smooth sailing. Honestly, Chad should have thought of this first instead of getting greedy and wasting time trying to get Gil to love him, but there was no point in dwelling on past mistakes.
Because Ben and the others were so set on Chad's grandfather being evil, Chad turned to the two people he knew had dealt with the Enchantress before, who would likely hear him out.
It was early in the morning when he broke into Duke Adam and Duchess Belle's room. As expected, they were asleep, so Chad leapt onto one of the nightstands and turned on the lamp with his mouth before letting out a furious 'meow'.
It took a few moments to get their attention, but Chad never let up, not until Duchess Belle finally turned towards him, squinting her eyes against the light.
"What… is that?" the duke grumbled, dragging a hand across his eyes.
"It's Shadow," Duchess Belle said through a yawn, moving to sit up carefully. "He's trying to get our attention – maybe Ben's in trouble."
"… there is no way he's that smart," the duke said, but Duchess Belle ignored him, following Chad as he climbed up onto the large desk in the corner.
He grabbed a sharpie with his mouth and placed it in front of the Duchess as she drew closer, batting at it carefully.
She paused, then slowly undid the cap of the marker, handing it back to Chad.
Yes, finally, he could get some work done.
It was awkward, trying to write something with his mouth against a legal pad that was set up next to their computer, but Chad managed.
"…'keyboard'," the Duchess read, managing to decipher Chad's messy scrawl. "I think he wants me to turn on the computer for him."
"What are you talking about?" Now Duke Adam was climbing out of bed, watching his wife turn on the computer with a confused expression.
"That's what he wrote down," the duchess explained as the computer booted up, and she pet her lap, motioning for Chad to sit there.
"Wrote down?" The former-king rubbed at his eyes with an exhausted yawn. "Cats can't…" He trailed off when he caught sight of the legal pad. "Oh, so he did."
"Gilbert is always going on about how smart he is," Duchess Belle explained as she pulled up a new word document for Chad's use, tugging the keyboard closer. "Okay Shadow, what did you need to tell us?"
"This is preposterous," the duke said, and then both of them fell into silence as Chad very carefully picked out the words with his paws, going letter-by-letter.
'it's chad' he wrote, moving to the next line while the two of them gasped.
"Chad?" the duchess breathed. "What happened to you?"
'enchantress' he explained, and he didn't imagine the tension that followed, Duke Adam seeming to close in on himself while the trauma from his own cursing likely threatened him once more.
"The enchantress did this to you?" Queen Belle asked, petting his ears carefully. "On your way here? Why… why didn't you say something sooner? Did you not have the means to do so before now?"
If only it were that simple.
Chad considered lying – the only one who would understand the intricacies of his conditions was himself, but-
But, he needed to face his mistakes, not run from them. If that involved getting punished for his indulgence, then so be it.
'thought I could break it' Chad wrote. 'couldn't. liked being cat. didn't know how much they'd miss me'
"Oh…sweetheart," the duchess breathed. "Of course we'd miss you."
She was obligated to say that much, but Chad appreciated the thought, pausing to nuzzle against her hand. He wouldn't be able to do it for much longer.
"Do you know how to break the curse?" Duke Adam finally spoke up. "Maybe we can help."
'dad' Chad typed. 'need to go home. Dad can fix'
"Okay," the duchess said, nodding to herself. "Okay, we can do that. Let me just tell Ben-"
'no' Chad wrote, hissing out a meow to get her attention. 'no ben. doesn't know'
There was a pause where the Duke and Duchess shared a look. "…Ben has really missed you, sweetie," Duchess Belle said eventually. "It'd be a big relief to know you're alright."
'no' Chad typed again. 'home. dad'
"But-"
"We should respect his wishes," the duke said, his expression serious.
Of anyone, the former king understood Chad's situation with a level of intimacy few could hope to comprehend. He knew what it was like to get warped inside a body that was not his own, and while Chad had resigned himself to being a cat, Duke Adam had very much been a hostage to his situation.
"Fine," the duchess said eventually, shutting off the computer before Chad had a chance to clear the document. "But we're taking your laptop. We need some way to communicate with him when we get on the road."
"That's an acceptable compromise," Duke Adam allowed. "Get changed. I'll wake Cogsworth and get a car pulled around."
"I'm so glad you're okay, sweetie," the duchess said instead of responding, hugging Chad close to her before setting him on the bed and disappearing into her closet.
Okay, things were fine. Someone knew he was a cat and the world had kept turning.
"Chad." The duke knelt down in front of the bed, bending so that he was at eye level with the prince. "We're going to do everything in our power to help you, okay? You're not alone in this."
Because the duke had been alone before, and knew how isolating that felt, to be surrounded by a castle of lingering mistakes.
While Chad could not express his full appreciation, he meowed to show that he'd at least heard, nodding to show that he understood.
The duke watched him for a moment, and then left to call Cogsworth, leaving Chad with his nerves and the growing hope that he was doing the right thing. For Sardinia. For his future.
For once, and for hopefully many times to come, he was making the right choice.
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"We're making a pitstop," Duke Adam explained a few minutes into the drive. "But hopefully it is one that will cut our commute in half."
"Fairy Godmother has been worried about you, dear," Duchess Belle explained as she dragged a hand down Chad's back, steadying a palm against his spine. "She's done what she could to help with the investigation, but with the magic block…"
"At least we know why that is, now," the duke cut in. "The enchantress's spells are… very powerful."
"Yes," the duchess hummed, and that was all that was said before they pulled up in front of a cottage Chad had only ever seen in pictures.
It looked beautiful, though. Scenic and homey – with ivy growing up the stone on one side. It was everything a lovely country retreat should look like in the middle of Auradon City, and it was a relief to see that the front lights were on, indicating that Duke Adam had likely called Fairy Godmother the same time he called Cogsworth.
They weren't even entirely out of the car when Fairy Godmother fluttered out of her cottage, looking as though she'd dressed in a rush, her hair pulled back in a loose braid.
"Inside, inside," she ordered, waving them towards the cottage even while her gaze fixed to Chad cradled in the duchess's arms. "It's best to keep away from prying eyes."
"I hope you'll elaborate on that," the duke said, settling down in Fairy Godmother's living room at her instruction. "Is something going on?"
"Always," Fairy Godmother muttered before closing all the curtains with a flick of her finger. "But I'm afraid Chad's untimely disappearance has stirred the waters somewhat. Now." A flick of her hand and her magic wand appeared, held at the ready. "This will only take a second. I'm going to scan him to confirm that one, it is Chad – just to be safe," she added when Duchess Belle looked like she was going to protest. "And two, to see if I can break this curse somehow."
"It was done by the Enchantress," the duke said, setting up his laptop – likely in anticipation of any questions Fairy Godmother might have for Chad. "So I doubt it. Not even the Enchanted Lake would work against her."
"That's because the Enchanted Lake is hers," Fairy Godmother hummed. "But that is bad news. The Enchantress's magic is very old, and very strong. Short of recruiting a quorum of high-level magic users and inventing a new form of anti-hex, I don't think there's anything we could do to help." There was a wave of her wand, and Chad felt her familiar magic drift over him, seeming to curl against his body before disappearing with a soft burst. "It is as I feared. He'll have to break the curse himself, though the good news is that… Shadow," she said, reading his collar. "-is Chad." She aimed a fond smile at him. "I'd know that aura anywhere, Chadwick. And I'm glad to see you're okay, though I'll admit I'm a little cross at you for taking so long to come forward."
"He was trying to break the curse himself," Duke Adam explained, pulling up a fresh document before pushing the laptop in front of Duchess Belle, who had Chad cradled in her lap. "And when that failed, he… resigned himself."
"He didn't think we'd search this hard for him," the duchess murmured, sharing a weighted look with Fairy Godmother that kept her from addressing that statement.
Instead, she cleared her throat. "Chad, dear, what exactly do you need to do to break the spell?"
Chad supposed that was a fair question, so with the same deliberation as before, he tapped the answer out onto the laptop.
"…'accept love'," Duchess Belle read, her tone shifting into something undistinguishable. "Is that why you want to see you dad, sweetheart?"
Chad nodded, giving a confirmation via 'meow'. It hadn't failed so far.
"Oh, honey." Chad found himself lifted up and curled against the duchess's chest, that gentle hand stroking down his back, his head, as she gave her best approximation of a comforting hug. "Sweetheart, I don't think your dad's going to be able to help you with this one."
Chad tensed, feeling at once detached and overwhelmed, because Duchess Belle was a wise woman and she thought-
Chad struggled until she eventually set him down, allowing him to type another phrase into the computer. 'dasd loves mee'.
"Yes, sweetheart," the duchess agreed, making that tight ball of panic beginning to build in his chest simmer out before it even began. "He does. But this isn't about your dad loving you, it's about you accepting that he loves you. And you can do that anywhere."
It seemed like such an insubstantial difference. Chad could barely comprehend it. So even if his dad didn't love him, all that mattered was that Chad believed he did-
But he already believed that. His dad loved him. His dad had to love him; he was Chad's dad. Sure, Chad never really talked to him, and he always seemed out of it the few times Chad attempted to reach out to him. And sure, he never showed up to any of Chad's Tourney games like the other parents did, or any of his Sword and Shield competitions, and sure, it was his grandfather that did almost everything with Chad, but that didn't mean he didn't… that didn't mean he…
Chad was his son, but that didn't mean he liked him.
Maybe Chad had known that all along. Maybe Chad had known his family didn't love him, maybe that was why he was still a cat. His dad didn't love him and Audrey didn't love him and he knew that, deep in his bones. He knew that.
He wasn't fit to be king. How could he expect his people to love him when his own father wouldn't?
The world around him went blurry, and he realized after a few moments that he was crying – stupid cat tears as his body trembled helplessly, small croons falling out of his mouth. He found himself gathered into Duchess Belle's arms again, Ben's mom whispering soft assurances that ultimately meant nothing.
Great. He'd humiliated himself by exposing his deficiencies in front of the former king and queen of Auradon and his mom's Fairy Godmother, and he hadn't even managed to break the spell. He was useless. Useless.
"It will be okay," the duchess lied, holding him close. "It will be okay, Chad. You'll see. We'll get through this."
She was wrong, but Chad appreciated her optimism. At least he knew where Ben got it from.
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When Chad finally ran out of tears to cry and could only slump against the duchess's shoulder, Fairy Godmother cleared her throat, likely preparing to brighten the situation from the dark cloud Chad had cast over it with his deficiencies.
"Chad… sweetheart." She settled onto the couch next to Duchess Belle, running a few slow fingers down the back of Chad's head that he mostly ignored. Maybe he should savor it. Should get used to nuzzling again. He was probably going to be a cat forever. Maybe if he asked, Fairy Godmother would cast a spell to make them all forget who he was. "I know things are… rough right now, but I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay? Normally the Enchantress gives a test of some kind before she leaves a curse. She likes to think of herself as fair." She scratched carefully at his ears again. "Could you tell us what she talked to you about?"
Chad supposed it couldn't hurt. He'd already entirely embarrassed himself in front of them, what was one more confessed failure?
Duchess Belle set him down carefully, dragging the laptop closer so Chad wouldn't have to reach as far.
Chad focused, tried to remember the scattered moments of panic before he'd been changed, when he'd been doing everything he could to appease the Enchantress and show he was a well-rounded human being.
It came down to three points.
'she said jay likes me. I said he did not. She ask why I don't like ben, I said it was complex. She disagree. I said I dumb. She said no'
That last part, at least, Chad knew was true now. Too bad he hadn't known it at the time. Maybe he could have saved himself from a stupid curse.
"…you don't like Ben?" was what his mother chose to focus on, of course, and it filled Chad with such a definite swell of anxiety that he fumbled to push through it, paws shaking as he elaborated.
'ssshouldn't liike ben' he typed. 'shouuldn't like like ben'.
The box told him that much. Told him not to indulge and to grow up and to be a man and none of those things could have Ben. Chad was muddying the waters when King Ben should have someone useful, someone good – only… Chad was actually smart? Maybe his grandfather had wanted Chad to push for someone better, but who was better than a king? He supposed Audrey could give him children one day, but tearing someone down to their ability to bear a child just seemed sort of crass.
"Who told you that, sweetie?" Fairy Godmother asked, her voice sounding tense. "Who said that?"
'dduke', Chad wrote.
There was a moment where all of them seemed to be frozen with surprise, and then there was the splintering sound of the door being thrown open.
With a wave of Fairy Godmother's hand, her wand disappeared once more, just in time for Chad's grandfather to casually stroll into to the living room, flanked by four royal Sardinian guards.
Duchess Belle closed the laptop in a graceful movement, rising to her feet with Chad cradled into her arms as though she'd been expecting the Duke's arrival, when Chad very much hadn't been.
"So sorry to barge in," Chad's grandfather said, as stately as always. "But I heard you had news of my grandson's whereabouts."
"Funny," Duke Adam said, rising to his feet in a smooth movement. "I don't remember such news being shared."
"Perhaps not intentionally," the Duke allowed. "But with the Inspectors' Office so wholeheartedly throwing itself into an investigation without sharing their discoveries, it's only natural to resort to… less conventional methods of gathering information."
"You tapped our phones?" Duke Adam pressed, his face set in a grim frown.
"I did what was necessary," Chad's grandfather dismissed. "And it was fortunate I did. How else would I have learned that my poor grandson had been cursed at the hands of your Enchantress?"
"The Enchantress belongs to no one," Fairy Godmother said, her voice sounding terribly tight. "Least of all Auradon. She has no allegiance and sees no borders."
"A likely story," the duke drawled. "When he was cursed on your property."
"An unfortunate coincidence," Duchess Belle explained.
"Is it?" the Duke's brows rose in a doubtful expression. "Was it also a coincidence that you neglected to inform me of my grandson's wellbeing the moment you discovered it?"
"We were on our way to your castle," Duchesse Belle replied calmly. "We merely stopped with Fairy Godmother-"
"So she could corrupt him too," the duke said, narrowing his eyes at the fairy. Chad knew his grandfather didn't like magic, but his vendetta against Fairy Godmother had always seemed so unnecessary, and she had never corrupted Chad's mom. "Enough of this. Hand over my grandson or I will turn in a plea to the king."
The king, their son, who would be placed in a terrible position of intense scrutiny if forced to place verdict against his own parents.
"Now, wait just a minute," Fairy Godmother spoke up, bristling despite the warning looks given to her by the duke and duchess. "You're the one who broke down my door-"
"To rescue my grandson." It was then that the duke's gaze finally fell to meet Chad's, looking at him with an intense hatred that he'd never seen before. As discomforting as that expression was, it got worse when the Duke switched into old Sardinian, a language only used by the highest-ranking Sardinian scholars. "Come with me now. Do not make me ask again."
"What are you saying?" Duchess Belle asked, clutching Chad closer to her, feeling his tension. "Fairy Godmother?"
"I will declaw you," the duke said. "Cut off your fingers and leave you with stubs if you do not cooperate."
Chad didn't doubt him for a second, knew in that moment that the duke didn't love him either, that the man was as evil as Ben thought he was and he'd- he was threatening to cut off Chad's-
Chad was so overwhelmed with terror that he lost control of everything, of his senses, his throat, his bladder, leaving him to wet himself in Duchess Belle's arms, which was humiliating in itself, and then she was pulling him closer.
"Whatever it is you're saying, you're not taking him," the duchess declared, cradling the wet mess that was Chad against her. "You've terrified him."
"Enough of this," the duke declared when he realized the extent of Chad's uselessness, turning towards the guards. "Grab my grandson. We must take him home at once."
"Chad," the duchess whispered, dragging him close to eye level as she carefully backed away, towards her husband. "Sweetie, I know this is very hard. I know that you're scared but please, know that we love you very much. That the weeks you've been missing-"
"Silence her!" the duke yelled, and that was the last thing the duchess said before she was hit with a stun blast, knocking her unconscious where she stood. One of the guards managed to catch her, lowering her to the ground while another grabbed Chad by his scruff, something none the others had ever done. He felt so awkward hanging there, scared as he looked on the unconscious bodies of Ben's parents and Fairy Godmother. He'd gotten them in trouble. They were in trouble because he was useless and the duke knew it. Had known for years.
'We love you' she'd said, said it and looked like she meant it. 'We love you'. It had been everything he'd been waiting for but Chad was still a dumb cat.
"Put him in the crate," the duke ordered, readjusting his tie. "We have a long drive ahead of us."
"You were right to stay near the castle, your lordship," one of the guards murmured as they trudged out of the cottage, Chad shoved into a crate that seemed too small. The door was gated, though, he could still see and he could still breathe and that mattered because he was fine.
At least, for the moment.
"Of course it was the right thing to do," the duke scoffed. "Now be quiet and get us to Sardinia. We need to put this mess behind us."
'We love you' she said, but it wasn't enough.
'We love you', 'We love you' - but who would love this?
No one.
No one.
-:-:-:-:-:-
One Month Ago
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Audrey didn't take Ben's engagement well.
She was never going to, because no matter how hard he tried, Chad wasn't Ben. Chad couldn't be as amazing and steadfast and kind as Ben was, he couldn't be effortlessly charming or reassuring or sure. He was just Chad, who worked really hard and mostly came up short, and aside from those meager qualities, the only thing he could offer Audrey was his eternal devotion.
"That should be you," Queen Leah whispered as Chad was trying to get Audrey back on her feet – Audrey who was so pretty with her blonde hair and perfectly tailored clothes, who just had to watch the love of her life propose to someone else.
"She did her best," Chad said, needing to offer Audrey some kind of protection, and wasn't surprised when this earned him a hard look.
"Her best wasn't good enough," the Queen said, leaving them standing there amongst the crowd, their classmates cheering Ben's engagement to someone other than Audrey, who was standing right there.
"This is bullshit," Audrey hissed, her hands curling into fists against her side. "I did everything right. She cheated."
"I'm sorry, Audrey." Just like every other time Chad said it, the words were empty, and Audrey knew it.
"Whatever," she huffed with a toss of her hair. "I'm leaving. Don't follow me."
"Yes, Audrey." Chad stayed, even though it hurt to see her leave without him, because he wanted to show her how good he was at following orders. He turned back to where everyone was giving Ben and Mal their well wishes, Chad reflexively swallowing down the urge to vomit at Ben's peaceful expression because he was such a dumb failure.
Chad knew, as a prince, he had to congratulate them or it would look bad on Sardinia and his grandfather would get angry again. He knew he had to do it even though the sight of Ben made it feel like the walls were closing in on Chad, like he had no air left to breathe. He waited and waited until finally Ben got pulled away from Mal. That was when Chad ducked in, knowing that if he could say his piece to the Lady of the Court, it would technically count. No one would call Chad on snubbing Ben if he was obviously busy.
"Hey, Mal," Chad said, forcing an air of casual interaction that they'd lost over a year ago. "Congratulations on your engagement."
There. See? That was easy.
Mal blinked at him with wide eyes, as though she hadn't been expecting the attention. "Thanks, Chad."
"Um- wish you all the best," Chad offered, which seemed like a solid enough goodbye as he took a step back, and he'd maybe made it one pace before Mal was grabbing his wrist.
"Wait." Her fingers held him tight, which was bad, because Ben could be back any moment now. "We're throwing a birthday party for Jane at the Enchanted Lake on Friday. You should come."
"Um." Though Chad wasn't looking at him, he caught the moment where Ben must have seen Chad because his head was turned in their direction, and he was beginning to move back.
"One o'clock," Mal said. "It's um- summer casual chic?"
Chad was pretty sure Jane didn't want him there – if she had, she would have invited him herself, but he also really didn't want to/couldn't talk to Ben so he just nodded his head and hoped his smile looked relaxed and not at all panicked.
"Cool, I will totally be there," he promised, and knew he'd have to see it through because there were too many people present who would notice if he snubbed an invite from the future queen. "See you, Mal."
"Chad-"
"Mal!" Ruby cut in brightly, deftly transferring Mal's hand from Chad's wrist into her own. "Congrats on your engagement! That's so cool, are you going to have a purple wedding dress?"
Chad made a tactful retreat while Ruby was busy pumping Mal's hand, and even though Chad knew he shouldn't interact with the princess anymore, he couldn't help but find himself entirely grateful for her intervention. That could have gone a lot worse.
It could have also gone better, but it could have been worse.
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Jane's birthday party was, predictably, full of Jane's friends, meaning there were classmates present that Chad rarely if ever spoke to, and then Jane herself waiting down by the Enchanted Lake for Carlos and the others to appear. Chad killed the minimally polite amount of time he could with her before ducking into the woods to gather himself. Once the others arrived – the VKs and the new VKs, Chad would probably have to talk to them at least once even though he really didn't want to. The only good news was that as king, Ben would likely be too busy to come to the party, and if he did he would most definitely be late, so Chad just needed to make an early exit before then. He could always use cheering Audrey up as an excuse. She was feeling really down lately, and while that caused her to be snappier than usual, Chad knew it was well warranted.
While Audrey was kind and popular enough to get invited to this party several times over, she'd decided to hang out in her castle instead so she wouldn't have to see Mal, which was why Chad was surprised to see her stroll into the party as though she owned the joint, her hair dyed a pinkish purple and… yeah, that was definitely Maleficent's scepter in her hand.
Okay. Wow. That was- was that a prop recreation?
Chad was pretty sure no such thing existed, which meant that was the real deal.
That was what had him backing further into the woods, his hand fumbling for the phone he still hadn't returned, despite the fact that he shouldn't contact Corona anymore.
The line picked up after two rings. "Chad?" Queen Rapunzel's voice carried through the phone. "Is everything okay?"
"A-Audrey has Maleficent's scepter," Chad gasped, the words feeling tight in his chest. "I- I don't know how she got it. And I know- I know I shouldn't call you but I didn't know what else to do-"
"Chad," the queen interrupted, keeping her voice firm. "Sweetheart, breathe. You need to breathe, okay?"
"Okay," Chad whispered, then did just that, matched her commands to inhale and exhale in turn, nice and slow until he didn't feel like he was going to pass out.
"That's better," the queen said when he finally managed what most people did on instinct. "Now, are you and Audrey still close?"
"Sort of?" Chad hoped so. "She lets me hang out with her, and I hold her hand sometimes."
"That's good," the queen said, even though that was both a stupid and unnecessary comment. "Okay honey, I'm going to ask you to do something really difficult right now, but I know you can do it."
"Okay," Chad said, a slight feeling of dread creeping into his stomach.
"I need you to find a way to stay close to Audrey," the queen said. "We need someone who can keep an eye on her movements, someone who could potentially talk her down from something she can't take back. Right now, that person is you, Chad. Do you think you can do it?"
No. No. A million times no.
But.
Chad wanted to create a better Auradon. He also wanted to help Audrey, so maybe he should stop being useless for two seconds and actually do something.
"I… I can do it," Chad said, hoping if he said it confidently enough, his brain would buy it. "I'll um- call you as soon as I can."
"Be careful," the queen warned, and that was all the pep talk Chad got before he was throwing himself into being Audrey's henchman, which he really didn't want to do but at least Audrey wouldn't be alone, now. That might count for something, maybe.
It had to.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Chad did his best to call in all of Audrey's movements. He texted and took pictures and tried to keep her in a happy frame of mind, even though he felt like he was going to shake apart the entire time.
He wouldn't learn until after the fact, but thanks to his updates Queen Rapunzel was able to organize the few proficient magic users outside of Central Auradon – like Genie and Merlin – to protect the outer kingdoms, keeping the damage of the sleeping curse and the statue affliction minimized to Central Auradon.
It was all going as well as it could be until Audrey locked him inside the closet.
It was too small. Bright, due to the window but not bright enough. He couldn't open the door and he couldn't undo the window and he couldn't do anything but feel the walls get smaller and smaller. His legs crumpled beneath him, leaving him to shudder helplessly against the wall as his mind traveled back to a worse place, to the cramped, dark box that stole his air and kept him hungry and sore and dirty – he was gonna get dirty and stay dirty because he was a dumb, useless prince.
He wasn't sure how many times his phone had buzzed before he managed to answer it, fumbling with numb fingers because at least that was a distraction, until he could shove the thing against his ear.
"H-H-Hel-lo?" he whispered, words barely audible.
"Chad?" It was the queen again, her words a strong contrast to the chaos that seemed to consume him. "What's happening? Talk to me, baby."
"C-C-Closet," he hushed, dragging in a breath of air that physically pained him. "T-Trapped."
"Did Audrey do that to you?" the queen asked, and Chad could only sob his response, tears pouring down his cheeks and chest heaving because he felt so very small. "Chad. Chad? It's going to be okay, alright? We're tracking your phone now and we're going to come find you." They could- they could do that because even if the phones were untraceable to anyone else, they still had a special hookup for Corona Castle. "Just listen to me," the queen continued. "Listen to my voice, and keep breathing, alright? That's your only job right now. You've done so well, Chad, you just need to hold on for a bit longer."
It felt like a lie, but Queen Rapunzel had always tried to do right by him, so Chad surrendered, listening to her and trying to breathe so slow his lungs ached from the effort. It got better when she started singing, her voice a gentle lilt in his ears, and it was so nice that it hurt in its own way, because he'd often wondered how his mother's voice would have sounded. They said she'd been a lovely singer. He wondered if she would have liked Queen Rapunzel and her long hair and goofy husband, he wondered if she would have liked Chad.
She sang until the world felt a little bit bigger, until Chad thought he might be strong enough to stand. At some points she traded out with King Eugene, and his voice was just as grounding, bold but certain, and Chad wished he was like that, wished he could hum along without fear of losing himself. He was okay. It might – this would be okay, he hoped.
At least, that was what he thought before the singing stopped abruptly, and when he fumbled for his phone, he realized that the battery was dead.
Dead, as in- he was alone. He was alone and they couldn't track him. He was stuck here, Audrey had trapped him and at least Chad had gotten some songs but if he'd been better, he wouldn't have needed them-
He was mostly out of his mind with panic by the time the door opened, and when he looked up at his savior, hoping for the queen and seeing Ben-
He bolted, as fast as his legs could carry him, sprinting through the woods with tears running down his face while laughter echoed out behind him.
What a useless prince he was.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Chad was no stranger to walking.
Eventually, when he could run no further, when he knew help wasn't an option, he forced himself to walk, maintaining a slow trudge through the woods as night fell. He'd gotten back to the Auradon Prep campus (and the room he hadn't yet moved out of because he had one last session of summer school) a few hours after darkness came, just in time to watch Dragon-Mal battle it out with Audrey on the roof of the school.
And, of course, there was Uma, huddling against her brave and daring first mate, if the hook was anything to go by. Uma, in all her ferociousness, using her shell like a heartsong, saving the day like the true captain she was.
Chad watched for a few minutes before trudging back to his room, knowing they had things well in hand. He plugged his phone in, sent a text to the queen letting her know he was alright and apologizing again for bothering her before tossing the phone in the trash (too much of a temptation) and flopping onto his bed – passing out into mind-numbing exhaustion.
If he was a better prince, he would have stayed to check on Audrey, but she would probably do better with Mal and Uma anyway.
For the moment, it was better for Chad to do what he did best, and stay out of the way.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Present Day
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The ride back to Sardinia Castle felt longer than Chad remembered. It felt like it could stretch on for centuries, and he spent the entire time curled near the front of his cage, swallowing down low mewls whenever he caught one of the guards looking his way. This was his life, now. His father didn't care about him, his grandfather hated him, he had no friends and only a handful of associates dedicated to tracking down his location in order to save the Isle agenda that he had inadvertently threatened, and even if they did find him, they wouldn't be able to do anything for him, because Chad was still a dumb little cat and would likely stay that way for the rest of his life.
Which would be like, ten years. Maybe twelve. Unless he was a magic cat doomed to live forever.
He didn't know what his grandfather had in store for him by the time they got back to the castle, but he could feel his pulse begin to race as they descended into horribly familiar depths of the castle, past the dungeon and into the secret basement, towards that horrible space where no one would ever find him, down, down, down and dark, dark, dark.
Chad was too out of his mind with fear to fight the guard when they opened the gate to the carrier, the soldier grabbing him by his scruff and holding him over the box his grandfather had shoved him in before, the one he had always locked Chad in when he had been a particular failure.
"Chadwick." His grandfather's voice cut through the rising haze of his hysteria. "This will be the last time I have to look upon you." He didn't mean, he couldn't mean, but he meant- "And for that, I am forever grateful. That I will never have to deal with the burden of your presence ever again." He motioned to the guard while Chad starting moaning, helpless croons that spilled from his mouth unbidden. "Lock him in."
The guard hesitated. "But… if this is the crown prince-"
"It's not, you fool." The duke rolled his eyes. "It's a cat. One that Fairy Godmother will no doubt retrieve shortly. Now, lock him in."
There was another beat, and then Chad was getting lowered into the box, which seemed so much bigger but no less dark, no less all-consuming and he wanted to jump out but the lid slammed into place and it was dark-dark-dark and he was small-small-small and he didn't know how much air he had, only knew that he'd be in here forever, only knew that this was the place where he died.
Small and stupid and unimportant – that was his life. He wondered if Mal and the VKs would ever find his body, and then terror overtook him.
And he didn't think much else after that.
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Endnotes:
For the record, the 'obligation' Chad forced on someone that was mentioned in the first chapter – that was this, him calling Queen Rapunzel and her talking him through his panic attack.
WARNING – Threat of Extreme Force – In the third scene, Chad's grandfather threatens to declaw him. While it is not followed up on, Chad is still appropriately terrified by the threat. If you would like to skip this and Chad's reaction, look for:
"What are you saying?" Duchess Belle asked, clutching Chad closer to her, feeling his tension. "Fairy Godmother?"
You can jump back in at:
"Whatever it is you're saying, you're not taking him," the duchess declared, cradling the wet mess that was Chad against her. "You've terrified him."
WARNING – Threat of Death – in the final scene, Chad is trapped in his box for what he believes will be forever. If you would like to avoid his terror response, look for:
Chad was too out of his mind with fear to fight the guard when they opened the gate to the carrier, the soldier grabbing him by his scruff and holding him over the box his grandfather had shoved him in before, the one he had always locked Chad in when he had been a particular failure.
You can skip the rest of the chapter. The short of it is that Chad gets locked back into the box.
Until next time