Chapter 12 – One Month Ago – Part 3

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Present Day

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Entering a room with the others after interacting with them so long as a cat was nothing less than awkward – especially with Gil and Harry, who Chad had only met in cat form

Gil didn't seem to register this anxiety though, the blond lighting up in a brilliant smile once he caught sight of Chad before he was darting across the room, bulldozing through any sort of personal boundaries so he could pull Chad into his arms and lift him like he was nothing, spinning them once before he stopped to cuddle Chad close to his chest.

"Shadow!" he greeted, nuzzling Chad's shoulder. "You're big now! And a prince!"

"We've been waiting for ye," Harry said, and Chad wasn't sure if he meant that as Shadow or if he was referring to Chad himself, could only register the spike in his pulse when the pirate reached forward to stroke his chin, looking at Chad with the same intensity he aimed at Uma. "Glad to have ye back in one piece."

"Chad." Mal bodily shoved Harry out of the way so she could cup the prince's face between her delicate hands, staring up at him with a watery gaze that glowed a brilliant green. "Chad. Chad."

"Try saying some actual words, princess," Uma drawled, sounding amused as she slid into the room, but Mal barely registered the comment.

"Missed you," Mal hushed, tilting their foreheads together. "Missed you so much. Love you."

"Mal," Chad croaked, feeling like he was going to tear up all over again. He had already cried so much that day, and yet, he still managed to find this constant source of overwhelmed sorrow.

"No," she interrupted, squeezing her hands together ever so carefully. "No. You didn't even know we were friends because I wouldn't tell you. I thought you were being kind, indulging how unused I was to having good things. I didn't realize – none of us realized you weren't used to it either." She leaned forward, and then she was kissing him- Chad, the guy who was not Ben, just as gently as she had when they used to practice. "You deserve to know," she declared when she pulled back. "Deserve to know how much I appreciated and valued and grew to love the careful, blond prince who was strong enough to admit he had been wrong and change for the better. So much so that I goaded Jay into making a move so I- so me and Ben- so we could all-" She trailed off when she seemed no longer able to articulate herself, burying her face in the curve of Chad's neck, her lips brushing the skin just under his collar. "We thought you were dead, and I hated myself, because one of the last things I did to you was laugh when you ran terrified into the woods."

Gil seemed to hug Chad closer at that, though the prince could do nothing but stare at Mal who seemed nothing but genuine. And it had hurt- that had hurt so much he never dared to think of it, but still he'd thought it was his due.

"If you date them, date me," Mal said, kissing his jaw, his cheek. "Date us, please. We need you. We need Prince Chadwick James, the guy who stealthily talked all the kingdoms into ratifying the Isle reformations. We need the guy who introduced Uma to her kingdom and the guy who helped me learn to be a queen and the guy who deserves so much good and has gotten so very little of it. Let us give you that, please." She reached down, squeezing his hands, and only then did Gil lower him to the floor, though he maintained a tight hold on Chad. "We want to, sweetheart. We'd be honored to."

"M-Mal," Chad gasped, because even with Audrey, he had never hoped to achieve more than being the guy that held her purse, and now they wanted- they thought he was special and they wanted him, they'd mourned for him. "I want- please, I'll be good."

"You are good," she said, and then she soundly kissed him again.

And then there was one. One brilliant, terrifying person who had maintained his silence, who through even the incoming euphoria of definite love had Chad's heart throbbing in his chest.

As a cat, Chad hadn't been afraid of Ben because Chad was Shadow and Shadow had few rules to live by. Avoiding Ben wasn't one of them.

It was reclaiming his human body that had old terrors clawing at his brain, even when Ben seemed so very careful and tentative in his approach.

"…Chad," he said quietly, reaching a hand out.

Chad flinched. "You can't- you're not supposed to- don't-" He turned to bury his face in Gil's chest as the overwhelming call of his conditioning screamed in his ears. "I'll taint you; I taint everything, I can't taint the king-"

"You fix things," Gil said quietly, pressing a kiss to Chad's shoulder. "Uma's plan failed and you helped fix it."

"I failed to help the Isle like I promised and you fixed that," Ben pointed out.

"You kept me from destroying some fancy boutique because I couldn't figure out a host gift," Mal said. "You taught me how to dance. Your schedule was busy, but you always honored your commitments."

"You congratulated Mal on her engagement, even though you were scared of Ben," Jay said. "You stuck close to Audrey even though she scared you too, because Queen Rapunzel asked you too."

"You do a lot of things, Chad," Ben said, and he was getting closer now but the fear hadn't increased past a manageable amount. Chad could still think. Maybe being Shadow near Ben had helped that. "Making them worse is not one of them. If this has proved anything, it's that I'm worse without you."

"We all are," Uma said, huddling close, until each of them seemed to draw near in a group hug. "You balance us, blondie."

"Your grandfather was afraid of the power my affections would grant you," Ben said. "So he hurt you. Tried to turn you away from me and… and if you can't- if you never feel comfortable around me, Chad, that's okay. We don't- you don't have to accept all of us to still be in this."

Chad's gaze widened. "But-"

Ben couldn't offer that. He couldn't offer Chad Mal, his fiancé, and Jay, his like, best friend, and he couldn't coax Chad towards Uma and her crew with the understanding that he'd have none of Chad's meager affections for himself. Even if it wasn't much, it would still look bad, and Chad didn't-

He wanted to love Ben, desperately – he was just so afraid.

"I don't want to hurt you," Chad whispered, his throat feeling so very tight. "You can't let me- you have to tell me if I hurt you, if I make things worse, I have to know, Ben, or I'll go back to the box-"

"Never," Ben growled, surging forward until he was nuzzling Chad's shoulder, his neck. "You're never going back there, no one isever hurting you again."

"But it's always there," Chad moaned, ashamed but knowing it needed to be said. "In my mind. It's lurking, waiting for me to mess up and then it'll claim me-"

"But we'll always be there," Mal interrupted, squeezing Chad's hand. "You need to understand that, Chad. You may have been alone before, but we will always be there to open the box."

"Just like your dad did," Jay added in a whisper.

It was too much. It was everything. It was not enough.

Chad started crying. "Please stay," he gasped, clinging to them. "Please. I need- we can-"

"We'll stay," Mal said, and none of them disagreed, because it was what they all wanted.

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Chad and his father were cleared to return to the castle once Captain Anozie had confirmed that every guard, employee, and person of significant political sway that had been under his grandfather's control had been arrested for the multitude of crimes they had committed over the years. Chad had been afraid this would leave them terribly short-staffed, but help came by way of Corona – and then from Arendelle and Hanover and Camelot. All their neighboring kingdoms had come to loan Chad's father staff while they worked through the mess of rebuilding their castle employee base and government from the ground up, and Chad had thought that in itself had been a generous boon, but apparently that wasn't the only reason they had come.

"Chad!" Ruby greeted when he stepped back into the castle. "You're okay!"

The blonde more or less threw herself at Chad, careful to keep the cast iron frying pan she had clutched in one hand safely out of the way. She was accompanied by two harried looking Corona guards, which likely indicated her presence in the rescue mission hadn't been intentional.

"Yeah," Chad said awkwardly, returning her hold with a swell of fondness he couldn't fight if he wanted to. "It's nice to see you, Ruby."

"Back at ya, Chad." Ruby grinned when she pulled away, giving Chad's bicep a light punch. "It's hard being the ultimate blond duo without my buddy."

Chad felt an embarrassed heat begin to flood his cheeks. "You're um- pretty 'ultimate' without me."

"Flatterer," Ruby chirped. "And wrong. And also- Uma!" Ruby was off like a lightning bolt, hurling herself at the captain who took her affections with the same look of put-upon exasperation that she always used.

Chad had the tiniest inkling that she actually loved Ruby's hugs as much as Chad did, but also had a difficult time expressing this appreciation.

"It's good to see you!" Ruby cheered when she pulled away again. "Great, even! And you must be Gil!"

Unlike Chad and Uma, Gil was all for enthusiastic hugs from people he had just met, and listening to Ruby's delighted giggles spill from her throat as he picked her up and spun her around just might be one of Chad's new favorite things.

"That's Harry," Gil said when he set Ruby down. "He will flirt with you but he's super spoken for."

"I knew that before I met him," Ruby chirped, and then she bypassed the hand Harry offered out to her (likely to kiss her knuckles) to tackle hug him with a force strong enough to send him sprawling to the floor.

"I can see why you like her," Mal drawled, and then she was slipping her hand into Chad's, tugging him deeper into the castle.

"What's happening?" Chad asked when he noticed the bustle of people, brows furrowed in confusion when he realized Mal was taking him towards the ballroom. "Are we celebrating something?"

"Yep," Mal hummed, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "We're celebrating you."

That was all the warning Chad got before the footmen opened the door to the ballroom, and Mal tugged him towards the top of the grand staircase to reveal-

Royals. A mess of them. And it wasn't just Sardinia's neighboring kingdoms, but most of the royal couples Chad had spoken to in his efforts to gain support for the Isle legislature. They were all there, in his ballroom, and when they caught sight of him they cheered, loud, inarticulate sounds of jubilation that warmed Chad down to his bones.

"Chad, buddy!" Emperor Kuzco said, climbing the stairs to meet Chad and Mal halfway because patience was not his strength. "Glad you're alright, champ. If you need to talk to anyone about magic animal transformations, me and Duke Adam have a club. We've totally got your back." Chad felt himself blush when the emperor patted his shoulder, but his comments didn't seem to be derogatory in any way, the emperor's smile nothing but the same kind support it had always been. "Also, I brought Pacha and his family along with me. Kids are ready to shower you with hugs when you get the chance."

"Pacha?" Mal asked.

"He's um- head of one of the villages in Inca," Chad said, feeling more confident with Emperor Kuzco's knowing nod. "I tried to interview the smaller towns in the kingdoms I visited to get a feel for their opinions on the Isle and to try and build up some goodwill. Mr. Pacha was very helpful."

"Mr. Pacha," Emperor Kuzco giggled, the same way he always did when Chad addressed his friend like that. "Alright, I won't hold you up, you've got a mess of other people who have been worried sick about you."

The emperor disappeared before Chad could ask what that meant, and then he was being greeted by the warm smiles of King Naveen and Queen Tiana, their voices just as warm and comforting as they had been the day they'd met.

The next few hours passed in a sort of blur. Chad was greeted and hugged and fussed over by the royals he'd apparently befriended in his quest to help the Isle. He hadn't realized they were so close, but all of them had smiles for him, all of them had rushed to Sardinia upon hearing news of his return, wanting to see the prince for themselves.

"Prince Chad!" Princess Sophia had cheered in that sweet voice of hers, the princess gladly offering him a hug that her step siblings enthusiastically echoed.

"I'm glad you returned in one piece," Princess Amber had sniffed, her head tilted in that haughty air of hers that had once made Chad worry for her, until he'd realized that for all her snootiness, she was just as kind and loving as her siblings. "We couldn't have a majestic beachside wedding if you had been stolen away forever."

"Get in line, princess," Uma had muttered when Chad had been struggling to manage a coherent response. He hadn't thought much on Amber's previous claims of their eventual marriage, but um- apparently he was 'prince goals' or something, and that was as overwhelming as it was flattering, he guessed.

"We're glad you're okay, Chadwick," Queen Miranda said, squeezing close to King Roland. "We had begun to fear for the worst."

"Yes," King Roland said gravely. "I had my sister, Tilly, reorganize Enchancia's search when our initial patrols turned up nothing."

Chad did not know what to do with this information. "…what?"

Mal elbowed him lightly in the side. "Every kingdom here organized searches to find you," she explained. "King Triton and Queen Kida coordinated the ocean searches. My dad took care of the Isle-"

"Queen Elsa took the wild magic lands in the north," Uma said. "Everyone tried to do their part."

"We couldn't search all the kingdoms," King Roland said, perhaps with a bit of bitterness as he dwelled on Auroria and Ulstead and the Southern Isles. "But we could clear our own, so that was what we did."

Before Chad could ask why, he was pulled away again, this time by Princess Elena, who on prompting had explained the searches that had been done in Avalor.

Every one of them had looked for Chad. Even after weeks of finding nothing, they'd searched. And every one of them was grateful for his return, was happy he was back, so much so that they'd rushed to greet him upon hearing news of his arrival.

Even King Triton was there, his tail transfigured into two human legs that Queen Ariel had coached him through using. When Chad had gaped upon this development, the king offered him a kind smile.

"You have made so many visits to my kingdom, despite it being far from your natural habitat," the king explained. "I thought it was time I returned the favor." He paused, tilting his head in a slight bow towards Uma. "Captain."

"Uncle," Uma said, and then they shared their quiet moment of subdued respect before Queen Ariel swept in, hugging her cousin close, much to Uma's blushing delight.

There were so many people. Mayor Esmeralda of Notre Dame and King Arthur of Camelot, Chieftain Moana of Montunui and Tarzan, king of Deep Jungle and cousin to Queen Rapunzel. Speaking of, it wasn't just the immediate royal family of Corona that had made an appearance, but the former king and queen themselves, along with the king of the Dark Kingdom – all of them happy to see Chad and Uma, all who gladly inquired on his health and demanded his visits and gave him so many hugs he thought he would start crying all over again. He probably did, but they were kind enough not to comment on it. All of them were.

"You've spent a lot of time with them," Chad's father noted halfway through the joyful reunion.

Chad shifted nervously. "Yes um… they hosted me over the summer, when I was meeting all the kingdoms, and they also invited me to Yule, so…"

For a moment, his dad looked pained, but it was immediately replaced by a grin so true Chad could never think to doubt it. "We should host them for Yule next year, then."

This was met with King Eugene's and Ruby's enthusiastic cheers, and then Princess Agot – Princess Anna's daughter – was demanding an invitation for their family as well, because she and Chad had bonded over how fun it was to polka at her coming out party when he'd visited Arendelle.

"I um… I didn't realize," Chad said to Fairy Godmother, who was one of several people who had been huddling close to him throughout the course of the night, no matter where he went in the ballroom.

"It's okay, sweetheart," she said, her voice so beautifully kind it made Chad wonder if that was how she'd addressed his mother, way back when. "We didn't do a good job showing you."

Chad began to protest. "That's not true," he said. "Everyone was very kind when I met them."

Granted, some were more hesitant than others, but none of them had been outright hostile.

She gave him a sad look. "We let you suffer, Chadwick. All of us did. We looked at a boy as hardworking and kind as you and thought there was no way you could be hurting, no way you couldn't be cherished, when we already cherished you ourselves." She placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. "By not acting, we enabled your grandfather's abuse, and that is a grave error we will likely hold against ourselves for a long time. Just… please know that we care for you very much, and we hold none of this against you."

"But…" Chad swallowed. "If I'd- if I'd just tried-"

"You did try," Fairy Godmother said, wearing a look that indicated that she would accept no arguments on this subject. "And we found you. That is what matters."

It didn't feel like enough to Chad, who still felt kind of awkward dealing with the fact that he'd essentially given up on all these people that had been incredibly invested in his wellbeing.

"Don't worry about it," Duke Adam said when Chad must have looked very unsure. "That's sort of the magic of the Enchantress. She takes these things we can't see for ourselves – because we're too close to the issue or we've been conditioned to behave a certain way – and pushes us." He turned so he could settle a hand on Chad's shoulder, looking him carefully in the eye. "Wanting to stay as you were- that's not a crime, Chad. Giving what you've experienced, being allowed that sort of constant comfort must have been a great gift. Accepting that- it doesn't make you bad. The Enchantress saw kindness in you and I think… I think she wanted you to have that choice," he said, finally. "When she cursed me it was a punishment, because I had allowed myself to become rotten and self-centered, furious at the loss of my parents instead of focusing on my kingdom. It was only with her curse that I was able to move past all that and come to get something even better. But for you, Chad…" He trailed off, his brows furrowed in thought. "I think she wanted you to see things from a different perspective, see how your loss would affect us, but in light of that, I think she also wanted you to be loved. For you to be in a position where you could feel loved, and if you wanted to keep that…" He trailed off with a soft grin. "Then that was yours to have. She wasn't punishing you, Chad, she was helping you, in the only way she knew how."

As the only other person that had knowingly been spelled by the Enchantress, Chad felt inclined to agree with Duke Adam's assessment, feeling some of his uneasiness settle in his bones. True, it made his father- made his friends and Fairy Godmother and Duchess Belle and the Fitzherberts – a little sad to know that Chad had been so lonely that he would have preferred life as a cat, but Queen Rapunzel pushed past that and requested a list of what Chad had actually enjoyed about being Shadow.

He'd given it, eventually, when Jay had wrapped his arms around his waist and cuddled Chad close from behind, acting as a solid reassurance that Chad really wasn't alone anymore.

Chad had enjoyed the constant cuddles. He'd enjoyed not having to worry about where his food would come from, or if there would be enough of it, or how he'd get it. He liked knowing that he couldn't be a bad prince, or too dumb, or a disappointment, because Shadow had always been wanted. He'd liked not sleeping alone. He'd liked not having to worry about getting locked in the box, or ruining things.

Queen Rapunzel listened to the explanation quietly, even as Chad's father grew more and more stricken (though King Eugene helped with that, pulling Chad's father into a hug of his own that he didn't seem to know what to do with). And then, just as patiently, she and the others went through all the ways those good things could still apply to his life as Chad.

His father assured him there would always be food – good food, whatever he wanted and however much he needed. When the king had started tearing up, Captain Anozie said the box would be destroyed and the under-basement sealed forever. Said that Chad would get the same furnishings as everyone else. That he wouldn't have to worry about his bed or his bathroom. Fairy Godmother said he didn't have to worry about being a bad prince because he was already a brilliant one, that the majority of the kingdoms in Auradon wouldn't have united to search for anything less, and that his updated grades already spoke to how smart he was.

Ben and the others were the ones that promised cuddles, that promised Chad would never sleep alone again. That promised he would always be wanted, that he didn't have to feel pressured into doing a single thing he did not want to do.

It was a lot. But Chad was beginning to realize it was a good a lot. It was a lot that he was allowed to have, that he deserved, that he could celebrate.

It made him realize that even though he was leaving Shadow behind, he could still have good things, that he still didn't have to worry about ruining stuff every moment of every day. He didn't have to fear that he was pathetic or stupid or dumb, because… because he wasn't those things. Mal wouldn't love any of those things.

So Chad just… let go.

From that point on, he decided he would live as Shadow in human form, with all the strength and dignity of Chad. He'd just- he'd be both.

Because he could have both.

And that was what mattered.

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1 Month Ago

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Because Chad was especially uncreative, he retreated all the way back to Auradon Prep, towards the dorm he'd be moving out of in a couple of days. The next step would be for him to move back to Sardinia before repacking for his college dorm room – which almost hadn't happened because the Duke didn't want to 'waste Sardinia's money' on Chad's poor academic track record, but if he didn't go to college he couldn't be king, so Chad had managed to win enough essay scholarships to at least pay for his first semester of school. Things would be tight, and he'd have to start the entire process all over for the Spring semester, but at least he had a start.

He'd miss this place. It had provided a lot of solace for him during his darker times. And sure, it would be difficult to get used to a new place, to leave these memories behind and start fresh, but maybe… maybe it would be good for him. Maybe if he couldn't win a great princess he could at least meet a strong, intelligent woman, like Lady Belle. Maybe even someone from Sardinia.

There was hope for him yet. Maybe.

Until then, Chad would slump atop the stairs leading up to his dorm, hiding his face in his hands and wishing the pain of losing Audrey would just go away.

Chad had lost the inevitable battle with his tears by the time he felt someone settle down next to him, a hand settling on his shoulder. "Chad?"

It was Jay's voice. Jay, the big, brave hero of Auradon, the one who'd only spoken to Chad in passing for the past year.

Chad hastily wiped at his cheeks, knowing there was no way to hide the redness in his eyes but attempting to manage a cool façade anyway, because it was Jay. "Yep, that's me."

"Right." Jay was kind enough to force a small chuckle. "Are you okay?"

Why had Jay followed him all the way back here? The celebration was happening down by the harbor, that's where all his friends were. Why was he here, wasting time with Chad? Had he traveled all the way back on foot? Maybe he was just grabbing something from the school for Ben – that was it. He'd just seen Chad being all pathetic and taken pity on him. He hadn't- he wasn't here for Chad exclusively.

"Um…" Chad sniffed, trying to swallow down his emotions. "Audrey broke up with me."

He didn't mention the part where he hadn't known they were dating, because that would be too pathetic.

Jay – whose dating plan Chad had ruined by 'breaking up' with him for Audrey – tensed, and then for whatever reason, he started rubbing small circles on Chad's back. "I'm sorry, dude. That's rough."

"T-Thanks." Chad squeezed his eyes shut again, because the mere offering of sympathy was more than he'd expected, and even though it was like – a feigned obligation, it was still really touching.

"You know what?" Jay said, tone switching into an unreadable flavor of positive. "Ben's hosting a graduation party in a couple days, and a few of us are going to stay a few weeks as a sort of end of summer celebration. You should come."

"Umm." Chad wiped at his eyes again. "You probably shouldn't invite people to parties you aren't hosting."

"So if Ben invited you, you'd come?" Jay asked, sounding thoughtful.

Chad wasn't sure why though; it wasn't like Ben would want Chad to be around.

But Chad was still a prince, and he couldn't actually turn down an invitation from the king, even if it was a hypothetical one.

"Sure," Chad said after a beat. "Who doesn't like a good party?"

Jay's only response was to slide an arm around Chad's shoulders, and it shouldn't have been as comforting as it was, but Chad was only human. It was inevitable for him to melt into the contact, wishing it could be as easy as when they had dated, and knowing it never would be again.

"You'll like this one," Jay assured him. "There's going to be some people there that I think you'll like to meet."

The sentiment would likely not be returned, but it was nice that Jay was trying. He didn't have to, and yet, here he was.

So Chad enjoyed it while it was available. He saw no reason not to.

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Endnotes:

Thanks for the reviews, guys! And thanks for sticking around with me for this crazy story. I greatly appreciate it, and if you're looking for some more Descendants goodness, I'll be posting the first chapter of my next story, 'A Curious Cat', shortly.

Story notes:

Based on some very vague research I made a while ago, I determined that the Emperor's New Groove was based on the Incan Empire in Peru, and since they don't really give him empire a name, for the purposes of this story, it is just Inca.

Agot is definitely an OC I made up to round out the young royals. Feel free to use her if you want, just give me a shoutout in the endnotes.

Princess Sophia, Amber, King Roland, Tilly, and Queen Miranda are all from the animated show 'Sophia the First'. Princess Elena is from the animated show 'Elena of Avalor'.

Arendelle sent workers to help Sardinia despite not being one of its neighboring kingdoms because I buy into the fancanon that Rapunzal and Anna and Elsa are cousins. I also believe Tarzan is Anna and Elsa's younger brother, because why not have large, sprawling royal families? ;D

Until next time :)