Chapter 13 – Epilogue
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The Future
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The day of the wedding was a terrifying thing.
Well, mostly it was exciting for the promises of new and better that it offered – but overall it was a bit intimidating, though the presence of the others made it marginally less so. Chad had spent the night before cuddled between Jay and Uma, with Mal doing her best to reach over Jay's bulk to lay a hand on Chad, Ben smiling in amusement from his position between Gil and Harry. They'd all been together and they'd all been close, and maybe it wasn't conventional but it had been comfortable, which was the only thing Chad cared about in the long run.
"Things will change," Uma told him, squeezing his hand when he started to shiver. "But it will be a good change."
"And we'll be with you through all of it," Jay hummed, and then he finished the conversation the same way they always did nowadays, nuzzling against Chad's shoulder with a soft – "Love you."
"Aw, me too!" Gil would chirp, and then they'd all pile on until each of them knew that they loved everyone else, which was a time-consuming ritual for them, but a very good one.
It made standing at the end of the aisle next to his father in the Sardinian Cathedral all the more manageable, even if his father seemed even more nervous than Chad was, fidgeting with his dress uniform enough times to break his reputation as 'charming' until Captain Anozie had to bring him to a halt with a knowing look, one that shifted into fond exasperation when it trailed over to Chad.
Yeah, it was a pretty good day.
The room was full because royal weddings always demanded a high attendance – even unconventional ones like these – but Chad didn't feel the normal swell of terror that came from making a public appearance. He hadn't in the few years since his grandfather's incarceration. Sardinia had thrived in the Duke's absence, but Chad felt like he had thrived even more. He had friends now – friends and lovers he didn't feel like a burden on. He was on his way to graduating with honors from Auradon University, and would be entering one of the most prestigious law schools in the combined kingdoms soon after. He could stand tall and walk surely, knowing he wasn't a disappointment to Sardinia, to his father or Mal or Jay or Uma. He could finally live.
And now, this.
The music started to change, and his father tensed, hand twitching against his side as he stared at the large doors of the cathedral with wide eyes.
"It's time," Captain Anozie said, offering Chad's father a fond grin. "Shall we go, or will you honor your late wife with a chase?"
That, somehow, made Chad's father smile. "I'm afraid my shoes aren't nearly as remarkable as hers."
"Then perhaps we should go," the captain said, and with that, the doors opened wide.
Chad offered the king his arm, who took it eagerly, melting back into his public façade of charm by the time they started walking down the aisle. Captain Anozie walked ahead of them, acting as an honor guard with Fairy Godmother. When they parted at the head of the aisle, Chad felt his father truly relax, his smile go from a mask of composure to genuine happiness when he caught sight of what he had been waiting for him all along.
Ben stood at the center of the altar, looking gorgeous and composed in his king regalia, and while he was a distracting sight for Chad, the prince knew his father was more taken by his own partners.
King Eugene and Queen Rapunzel stood together on one side of the altar, looking down on Chad's father with twin smiles of joy that seemed so bright Chad thought he might melt – and knew without having to look that his father echoed the sentiment entirely, staring up at the two with a sort of wonderment he had never been able to contain.
It was there that Chad parted from his father, taking his dutiful position opposite Ruby, who offered him a grin almost as bright as her parents', her thick braid laden with flowers of light blue, lilac, and gold, to represent Corona and Sardinia.
Ben began the announcements as soon as everyone was in position, his smile knowing and proud. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite the guiding lights of Corona and Sardinia in holy matrimony. And while that sounds… very official-" That earned him a scattering of laughter. "It is more important to know that we are here today to unify the bond grown and celebrated by Eugene and Rapunzel Fitzherbert, and Christopher James – or, more officially, his royal highness, Christopher Rupert Windermere Vladimir Charles Alexander François Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory James."
Chad's father gave the two Fitzherberts a shy grin, but they had been about as put off by Sardinia's excessive naming conventions as they had about his father's depression, which was to say, they weren't.
"This is the first wedding of this kind," Ben continued. "And while there are some who may oppose the idea of celebrating this wonderful abundance of love, I personally think it is a gift. A gift I am honored to facilitate, to help solidify in the eyes of the law, so you may stand proudly together as husbands and wife. Eugene." Ben turned to the King of Corona, and heir to the Dark Kingdom. "Do you take Rapunzel and Christopher to be your lawfully wedded partners, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, until the day you are parted?"
"I do," King Eugene said with a roguish grin. "Enthusiastically."
Behind him, Ruby rolled her eyes at the sight of the king's much noted 'smolder'.
"Rapunzel," Ben continued. "Do you take Eugene and Christopher to be your lawfully wedded partners, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, until the day you are parted?"
"I do," she pledged, her eyes shining with the promise of happy tears. "I really do."
And then there was one.
"Christopher," Ben said, turning to Chad's father, who stood alone on his side of the alter for what would hopefully be the last time. "Do you take Eugene and Rapunzel-?"
"I do," the king said, quickly but without fear, smiling so wide that it made Chad's heart throb with happiness.
Ben took no offence by his excitement, and the Fitzherberts didn't either. "Then, by the power invested in me as King of Auradon, I now pronounce you husbands and wife. You may kiss-"
Queen Rapunzel wasn't one for waiting, and happily darted across the altar to grab the collar of the king of Sardinia's formal uniform and drag him down into an enthusiastic kiss. When she pulled away, King Eugene was there to follow her, shifting into a soft kiss that made Chad's father melt against him. They all ended sort of clutching each other, as though they were afraid one would vanish if they let go, and behind them, Ben looked on the exchange with an expression of joy.
"Everyone," Ben announced with shining eyes. "I am proud to introduce their royal majesties, the James-Fitzherberts!"
The crowd cheered with delight, Chad's partners and Ruby's family hollering from the front row. Fairy Godmother was crying – open, happy tears, and Jane was beaming beside her, because this was a good day. A good, wonderful thing had happened.
"You can't get rid of us now," King Eugene cheered as he took his father's far side, until Chad's father was safely boxed between his two new partners. "I'm afraid you're stuck with us, my love."
Chad's father only beamed. "There's no place I would rather be."
"I'm sure Ella agrees," Queen Rapunzel grinned, and then they were walking back down the aisle, marching into the world as Auradon's first polygamous wedded couple.
A few years ago, Chad would have been terrified by the prospect of a reception. Terrified of making a mistake, of spilling a drink or coming off as dumb or a fool. He would have been terrified that no one would want to dance with him, or that Ben would ask and Chad would have to say yes. He would have been afraid he would never be able to keep Audrey happy.
Now, Chad had a multitude of dance partners to keep him occupied all evening long, and it wasn't just his own lovers either. He had Ruby, who snagged him for their very first sibling dance while she gushed about how excited she was to have a brother, until the two of them were clinging together, teary but happy, the common theme for the evening. There was Agot – who had claimed Chad as a cousin-in-law and her twin brother Kennet, there were their cousins Tabitha and James, the daughter and son of King Tarzan and Queen Jane. There was Jane and Fairy Godmother and Duchesse Belle, there was Queen Rapunzel (his new mom – his additional mom, not a replacement, but a gift of her own) and his new grandmother Duchess Arianna. There was Princess Sophia and Amber and their mother Queen Miranda and so many other royals who he had kept up with over the years after pitching the Isle revisions to them.
There was no Audrey. While the entirety of her crimes had been committed while she was a minor, in light of her willing cooperation with the Duke's bribery and her overall poor treatment of Chad (which wasn't really a crime, but her parents were suitably unimpressed with this upon discovering it), she'd spent the entirety of her college years under house arrest, getting the therapy she needed and doing community service to reconnect with the civic obligations that all royals should prioritize.
According to Queen Aurora, things seemed to be going well, and Audrey seemed to thrive being out of the public spotlight. It turned out that some of the biggest contributions to her poor behavior could be partly attributed to the intense pressure her grandparents put on her, as well as the toxic influence of her grandmother, Queen Ingrith.
Yeah, it turned out Audrey had an evil grandparent too, only Queen Ingrith had tried to mold Audrey into a miniature version of herself instead of killing her off like Chad's grandfather, and Audrey had felt so trapped by her position that she'd lashed out at the easy target that was Chad.
That didn't make things right, but they'd had a lot of heart-to-hearts about it over the phone where Audrey apologized profusely, embarrassed for her past behavior.
"You really were a great boyfriend," she informed him with a sniff, both of them having spent a lot of time crying. "I was just so willing to buy into our grandparents' bullshit of you not being good enough because of your mother, and that's on me. That wasn't um- very princess-like of me. Or um- decent."
It wasn't okay, but Chad was willing to cut her a bit of a break because as much as Queen Ingrith had Audrey twisted around her finger, she'd also apparently abused the princess a great deal, who had taken it as her due, like that was all part of princess training.
So overall that was all kind of horrible, but it was something that got better every day. Audrey couldn't come to the wedding (and apparently she didn't want to risk it yet anyway, worried about defaulting into past behaviors), but she had sent over a selection of custom portraits she'd painted herself along with her parents' wedding gifts, which seemed to be her own way of showing support.
She'd even sent along a painting of Chad and Jay, the Agraben wrapped around Chad's back while they stared dreamily into each other's eyes, and Ben immediately demanded they hang it up in their suite at Auradon Castle, though Chad's father had commissioned another one for Corona Castle as well.
It was a lot, and Chad's heart felt so full and happy he thought he might burst with it.
Later, when he was watching his father climb into the limo with Chad's two new parents, Chad would feel a swell of gratitude instead of fear, like he used to feel when someone left. This time instead of standing alone, he had Ruby on one side and Uma on the other. He had his new bounty of grandparents and Fairy Godmother and Captain Anozie. He had Quirin and Varian and Uncle Lance (who wasn't related by blood but Ruby and Agot and the others all adored him) and Aunt Adira and their daughter who seemed to possess Lance's good humor and her mother's warrior skill.
It was such a good day and yet Chad found himself tearing up when he saw the limo door close behind them.
"I don't know why I'm crying," Chad admitted, trying and failing to maintain his composure for the photographer. "I'm very happy."
"You're crying because you're happy," Uma said sagely, squeezing Chad's arm. "You're crying because you've got so much good and you finally get to be contented with it. You've got a family and friends and lovers; you've got allies and a bright future." She brushed a kiss against his cheek, and just like every other time she did the same, Chad felt himself furiously blush. "Of course you're crying, you've got no other way to express how happy you are."
"That's sounds right," Ruby said, leaning into Chad's far side. "You should listen to your fiancé, bro."
"'Bro'," Chad echoed, grinning brightly. "I could get used to that, sis."
"The world isn't ready for you two," Uma said, sighing. "But the rest of the world can suck it, we deserve our happy ending."
"Yeah," Chad said, thinking back on the spell that didn't really start it all, just sort of kicked it off. "We really do."
Uma looked at him like he could hang the moon, like he could part the oceans if he just tried, despite the fact that she was the sorceress between them, and not him. "I'm glad to hear that from you," she said. "Now let's get back onto that dance floor, I've been wanting to squeeze your butt in those pants all night."
Chad felt himself blush down to his toes, but he was laughing along with Ruby and Jane. "Yeah," he said. "Let's do that."
So they did.
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Endnotes:
Kennet, Tabitha, and James are all OCs I made up for the sake of rounding off the young royals at Auradon Prep. You are free to use them, if you feel so inclined. I know firsthand how irritating it can be to invent people out of the blue, just give me a shoutout in the endnotes ;P
King Christopher's excessive name actually comes from the musical 'Cinderella' by Rogers and Hammerstein. The first song covers the prince's many names. In my personal canon, Sardinian princes are given their own name, followed by the names of the previous kings, which is why it is so stupidly long. So technically, the Duke's name would have been Rupert James, with Francis referring to the piece of property he would have been a Duke over. Assuming I understand that correctly, and I probably don't, lol.
I also don't watch Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures or whatever the show is now, but I did see a clip of Lance hitting on Adira so they get to be married now. Bam, badass warrior daughter. I mean, why not?
Until next time :)
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'Sunlight through the trees in summer, endless masquerading. Like a flower, as the day is breaking, the memory is fading. Touch me, it's so easy to leave me, all alone with my memory, of my days in the sun. If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is. Look, a new day, has begun' – 'Memory' from the musical 'Cats'.
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