Chapter 3 – A Shocking Revelation

-:-:-:-:-:-

"W-Wow," Doug said later when she was curled up beside him, the two of them spent but clean now that they were finished. "I um- wow."

"Yeah." Audrey grinned. "That's one way of putting it." She hesitated for a moment, and then reached forward, curling her hand in his. "Thank you for that. I um- I always thought my first time would be with Ben, but I'm glad it was you, Doug."

"You are?" Doug asked, incredulous before his blush darkened. "I mean- thank you. I- I didn't realize. I mean, that was my first time too."

Audrey's grin widened. "Then I'm honored."

"I…" Doug trailed off with a swallow. "Me too. It's just- I can hardly believe it." He ducked his head in a familiar expression of bashfulness. "I um- I've always had a crush on you, Audrey."

"You have?" This was new information to her, but she rolled with it. "Then I guess I'm lucky Ben broke up with me." He looked up at her, startled, but she merely offered him a smile. "I think this is better," she said. "Ben was- is a great guy, but it was hard being with him, sometimes." She squeezed his fingers. "I like what we have. I like studying and playing chess and listening to your concerts."

"I'm glad," Doug whispered, voice soft like he could scarcely believe it. "Because I like that too."

"Great." Audrey lifted their hands so she could press a kiss to his knuckles. "Then let's keep that."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Audrey enjoyed dating Doug.

Well, not dating him. That was the thing. He'd explained early on somewhat bashfully when she had wanted to move into something a bit more serious, his expression properly flustered post-coitus, his hand trailing down her side almost reverently until she'd tried to broach the subject of dating.

"I really like doing this with you," Audrey admitted, shifting a bit closer so they could romantically stare into each other's eyes and shit. "Not just this, I mean," she added with a flush. "I mean- being with you. Spending time with you. Could um- would you be my boyfriend?"

Doug paused, gobsmacked by the suggestion the way she thought he would be – awed because he was sweet, because he had low self-esteem, because for whatever reason he hadn't realized he was a catch yet. "I… Audrey," he said, fumbling for his words. "I um- I would like that a lot."

Audrey allowed herself to grin wide, though it wasn't really an act since she was genuinely pleased by this turn of events. "Great-"

"It's just," he interrupted, and her stomach sank, because no good words ever followed the phrase 'it's just'. "My family is really big on doing stuff the old-fashioned way."

Audrey quirked a brow, the conversation taking an entirely different turn than she had previously expected. "What would that entail?"

Doug's flush darkened. "If um- if we were dating – publicly dating – we'd have to follow their rules of courtship," he explained. "It's just dwarf stuff, but among that would be a chaperone that would have to be with us anytime we were alone together."

That sounded fucking horrible, because if they had a chaperone, they sure as hell wouldn't be able to have sex anymore. Even without the sex it sounded horrible, because Doug was one of the few people Audrey didn't have to worry about putting up as much of a front for. He didn't want the perfect princess of Auroria and Ulstead. He wanted Audrey – smart and witty – and she couldn't give him those things if they were being followed around all the damn time.

He caught the unhappy look on her face and winced. "Yeah, exactly," he said. "That's why I hadn't asked you out yet."

"And why you haven't dated anyone," Audrey deduced.

Doug got all bashful. "Yeah," he admitted. "It's a lot to ask just for dating. So while I want to be your boyfriend, like, a lot-"

"No, I get it," Audrey soothed, carding a hand through his hair. "This is… what we have is a gift," she admitted. "It's easy and nice, and it wouldn't be if we had someone watching us all the time."

"Exactly," Doug said, his shoulders slumping with relief. "So, um…"

"So we'll just have dates," Audrey said. "But won't be dating. That should be okay, right?"

It was, after all, what they were already doing, even if they hadn't labeled it as such.

Doug considered this, chewing on his bottom lip in that bashful way of his, before he eventually nodded. "Yeah, that should be okay," he whispered, like he wasn't entirely sure. "You don't mind?"

"I like spending time with you," Audrey replied honestly. "I don't really care what we call it, so long as that keeps happening."

Doug flushed, all happy and pleased, and with a look like that, could Audrey honestly be expected not to kiss him?

Of course this presented its own variety of problems. The point of getting with Doug was to show off how grounded and humble she was, which couldn't happen if people didn't know about it. And the sneaking – well, if people found out about that, they could very easily assume that Audrey had been the one to demand it for fear of tarnishing her reputation with a non-prince.

It helped that it was Doug's request. If word got out, he would say as much, because Doug was a nice guy who wouldn't want to see Audrey get hurt. And aside from that, sneaking around to be together was unquestionably romantic. There was no way they'd be able to keep it a secret forever, so when it was brought to light to the eyes of Auradon, they would likely consider it charming, lovely. Their approval ratings would go through the roof.

And in the meantime, Audrey got to hang out with Doug without anyone judging her, which she was definitely okay with. It was nice to have some intellectual company for once.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Ben decided to bring over four more VKs.

Three months after he'd brought over the first batch – he hadn't even been coronated yet, and he was bringing over four more to make good on his promises, and on one hand, fine, Mal and the others had already taken an oath to be good. As far as Audrey knew, they were in the process of dissolving their parents' parental rights over them. They were becoming emancipated minors, had no interest in taking over Auradon, and as assumedly totally reformed individuals, had cleared the way for four more villain kids to invade Auradon Prep.

And they were big ones.

It didn't surprise Audrey. Ben didn't really do things by halves, even if it might be more strategically appropriate. Check his current relationship for example.

It turned out, the daughter of Ursula had a crew which, according to Mal, had been the second biggest power players on the Isle. Her name was Uma (or Captain, if you went by what her boys called her), and she ran with the sons of Captain Hook and Gaston – one who viewed the world with a crazy smile that reminded Audrey of her Grandma Ingrith, the other seeming like a pure puppy dog that couldn't possibly be related to the self-obsessed Gaston.

Comparatively speaking, the small daughter of one of the evil stepsisters they brought over with them to go to Auradon Junior Prep next door seemed like a mild afterthought at best.

Audrey didn't go out of her way to meet the new kids; she had no reason to. Without Ben shoving her in their direction, she defaulted on her Grandma Ingrith's order to avoid the rabble at all costs. It was nice not to have to put up a façade, and she enjoyed focusing on Doug, taking innocent, seemingly friendly walks through the gardens with him.

At least until they were interrupted by a low drawl.

"Hey, dwarf kid," the voice murmured with a flirtatious purr, and Audrey had enough time to swallow her instinctive growl before she turned to see who could only be Harry Hook descending upon them. His gaze slid to her in an appreciative stare, making no effort to hide the way he looked her over. "And who is this lovely thing?"

Audrey was not a villain. She was the bigger person, the better person. She could be polite. It wasn't like her grandmother would ever find out about this conversation.

"Audrey," she said, offering a tight grin. "Can we help you?"

"I could help ye out of yer panties," he offered with a wink, making Doug tense horribly beside her.

"Wouldn't want you to strain yourself," Audrey deadpanned, letting her hand curl around the crook of Doug's elbow. "Besides, Doug's got me covered."

That didn't really help with Doug's tension since they weren't super open about what they had, but it was worth it for the gobsmacked look on Harry's face.

"Him?" the pirate drawled. "Your standards that low?"

"My standards are higher than you could ever possibly meet," Audrey snapped, baring her teeth at him.

It made Harry smile, a delighted thing, likely because he was crazy.

Doug cleared his throat. "Was there something we could help you with, Harry?"

"Just had a question about the dorm room," Harry murmured, but his gaze was on Audrey, predatory and wide. "But I think I can figure it out on my own."

"You shouldn't overexert yourself," Audrey muttered.

"I won't," Harry laughed, and with one last look over he turned, practically prowling out of the gardens.

The tension in Audrey's shoulders didn't ease until he disappeared from sight. "Sorry," she murmured. "I um- I don't think he'll tell anyone, or if he does, they won't believe him."

"It's okay," Doug said, seeming weary.

"I just wanted to punch him in his dumb, smug face," Audrey hissed, clutching Doug closer. "Like you're not a fucking catch."

Doug startled, then slowly melted into a grin. "I'm glad you think so."

"I know so," Audrey countered. "How do you know him?"

Doug sighed. "Ben had me help out with their class schedules."

Of course. Ben was shitty at delegating things to people that were actually paid to work for him. It ended with his friends getting burdened with jobs they shouldn't have to deal with under the guise of bonding. Back then, Audrey had been the one taking the bulk of his last-minute decisions, planning parties with less than two weeks' notice, handling spontaneous interviews.

Ben meant well, but he could be a real scatterbrain sometimes.

"Are they giving you trouble?" Audrey asked, shifting so she could squeeze his hand, be supportive.

Doug shrugged. "Gil and Dizzy are sweethearts," he said, which was the common consensus. "Harry and Uma are… trickier."

"Yeah," Audrey sighed. "That sounds about right. Well-" She gave his hand another squeeze. "Let's not waste any more time on them. You were talking about your newest book find?"

"Right." Doug blinked, and then he was off again, reclaiming the thread of their conversation that Audrey was actually enjoying quite a lot.

So everything was going great.

There was no reason to think about stupid, finicky pirates.

-:-:-:-:-:-

They continued as they had been.

Audrey and Doug would study together after school, gushing when they acquired new textbooks that expanded their understanding of the ancient mystical arts of Auradon. They would do small chemistry experiments and attempt to crossbreed the few magical plants they had gathered in Doug's windowsill garden and carried out almost all of their conversations in Sindarian, which was actually a nice challenge. Audrey now had a use for learning that language that wasn't catering to Ben's whims. They'd play chess and go to museum exhibits (incognito, of course), and, on occasion, would fuck like rabbits.

It was a damn good existence.

They even worked their way up to other physical activities.

"It's just a trial of combat," Doug was explaining somewhat regretfully as they tried out new hypothetical dwarf rune combinations. "No one expects me to do well since I'm all…" He motioned to himself, as though to illustrate how his human side had won out over his dwarven one. "But it's part of my rite of passage." He let out a weary sigh. "So basically I'm going to spend a Saturday getting my ass kicked in front of all of Erebor, and then on Sunday I'll present my music portfolio to the Musician's Guild, which will hopefully be good enough that I can be considered an adult by Erebor standards."

"Is that different than Hanoven standards?" Audrey asked.

Like any other time she tried to navigate the tricky lines between Doug's home kingdom (Hanover) and his birth city (Erebor), he got an uneasy look on his face. "Yes, sort of. In Hanover, I wouldn't be an adult until I was eighteen, technically, but Queen Snow put a law into effect decades ago that honored the Dwarven rite of passage. So if I pass, within Hanover, I would be considered an adult. But outside of Hanover, I'm still a minor until I turn eighteen."

"Interesting," Audrey hummed, storing the information away. "If you're so worried about this, why don't you train for it?"

Doug let out another sigh. "Because it won't make a difference. The guys I grew up with – fighting's in their blood, even for the most scholarly among them. Whereas I-" He gestured to himself. "Was built for libraries and laboratories and recital halls. Growing up we had mandatory weapons training, and despite like, being twice the size of most of my opponents, I was terrible."

"You were probably approaching it the wrong way," Audrey mused, earning a confused blink from Doug. "I mean, you were trained by a dwarven master, right? They probably taught you dwarven techniques instead of something more suitable for your body, but aside from that-" she pressed, turning away from their work. "Combat in itself is its own kind of science. You get a certain series of inputs – your enemy's height, weight, skill level, weapon – and based on that, you can hypothesize a series of moves that they will likely utilize. Assuming they are aiming for an efficient fight, it isn't super difficult to anticipate what their next move might be based on body language."

Doug just sort of stared at her.

Audrey sighed. "My grandpa and I bonded over fencing."

Behind her grandmother's back, of course. She would have never allowed for such a thing if they hadn't, but young Audrey had wanted to be her own knight in shining armor like Queen Merida, and her Grandpa John was nothing if not indulgent. He was also a master swordsman, which had taught her a thing or two about live combat.

"You can fight?" Was what Doug got from that, his cheeks heating in a blush for some reason. "I mean, not that I doubted it-"

"Hey, I get it." Audrey waved him off. "I don't give off warrior vibes. There's no offense in that. But if you'd like to train together, I'd be happy to help boost your confidence."

Doug blinked at her. "Do you really think I could get better?"

"Doug," Audrey sighed. "Half of fighting is mental, and you've got one of the most brilliant minds I've ever seen. Once you get over your mental hurdle of believing you can't do this, I think you could kick major ass."

Doug blushed furiously, though whether it was due to the compliment or Audrey's profanity, the princess did not know. It was likely a combination of both.

"I um- I'd like that," he admitted. "Though I warn you, I might be a hopeless cause."

"You're not," Audrey urged, unwilling to tolerate such stuff. "Now get changed, we have work to do."

"What- now?" Doug sputtered, looking at their rune work.

"No time like the present," Audrey hummed, organizing their papers into something more neat. "The Swords and Shields Arena will be empty right now; we can use that."

"Um- okay, if you're sure," Doug said, still not seeming confident, but following her lead anyway.

Because he trusted her.

It was a nice feeling.

-:-:-:-:-:-

As predicted, Doug was not comfortable with combat practice at first, even though they were using the wooden practice swords used by the Swords and Shields team. Audrey was relentless, though, and determined to build up his confidence, so she made it a thought exercise, made it like chess, explaining all the different strikes that could follow through from certain positions. She built up his base understanding and it wasn't long before he was actually able to keep up with her, even when she'd throw in unpredictable shit just to see how he'd counter it and sure, he'd flail sometimes, but a lot of the time he'd counter on instinct and then give her a brilliant smile because he'd figured it out on his own.

"You know," Audrey said when they were looking over the lesser-used practice swords. "We could try duel handed combat too – lighter weapons that require more dexterity, but I think you've got the brain for it."

Doug paused, looking something like a cross between hopeful and shy. "My um- my mom uses two swords," he explained.

His mom, the human, who was a warrior like the rest of Hanover, naturally. His mom who he hadn't been trained by, because he'd been raised in Erebor with dwarves who did things in respectably dwarven ways.

That didn't mean it worked for Doug, though.

"Then it's a sign," Audrey declared with a grin. "Come on, let's shake things up. Duel-handed weapons' training begins now."

Doug stumbled at first, unused to wielding something in his left hand, but Audrey got him through that mental hang up too, until their swords were cutting through the space like lightning – rapid, fast blows that arced skillfully through the air.

This was way better than Audrey's regular exercise routines. One, she was helping Doug and two, she wasn't alone, and three, it was fun and rewarding to share this again, to remember what her grandfather taught her when she'd been forced to hide it away for so long. When she'd gone to Auradon Junior Prep she'd wanted to join the Swords and Shields team just like Lonnie, but her grandmother had redirected her into cheerleading, proclaiming that it was a more appropriate activity for a princess. She wanted boys to like her, didn't she? She couldn't have that if they thought she was just another one of them. That wasn't an attractive quality.

Doug didn't seem to feel the same way, but he was an exception to a lot of rules. It was what made their training sessions so much fun. After this they would part to get clean and meet for lunch, and then they'd review some research together and maybe play chess until they inevitably had a couple rounds of vigorous sex and it would all be way better than whatever tedious schedule her grandmother had set out for her that day.

"Keep it up!" Audrey said, deftly dancing around Doug as she advanced with a rapid series of blows, trying to throw off his balance so she could disarm him. "Focus!"

"I am focused!" Doug countered, but he was grinning, eyes wide with happiness as he lunged forward to meet her. "I am very focused-"

But not enough, because Audrey successfully executed her combination a few moments later, leaving Doug empty handed and her victorious.

"It was a good try," she said, lowering her sword with a grin. "You almost had me with that lunge-"

Their conversation was interrupted by the doors to the arena getting thrown open and slamming against the wall with a resounding thud, which was dramatic enough in itself, and that was before the abrupt action was followed by a loud, bellowing voice.

"Dili, son of Kili!" it yelled, and Audrey turned to see a well-dressed dwarven woman stroll through the doors of the dueling arena, followed by an actual entourage of eccentrically dressed people. There were other dwarves, of course, as well as a red-headed elf (which were rarely seen outside of Hanover, making Audrey fight hard not to stare because she was so fucking pretty), but what was more interesting was the way Doug tensed where he stood, his playful smile replaced with a look of dread.

"Grandma," he cheered with a palpable sort of strain. Oh, so she was- well, they always said dwarves aged slower than humans. Doug's grandma was hot, for a short, bearded lady. "It's so good to see-"

"Don't 'grandma' me!" the dwarf noblewoman snapped, instantly taking Audrey to a less savory place – the weight of her Grandma Ingrith's displeasure a palpable thing.

"That's 'your majesty' to you," she'd say when Audrey had especially fucked up, losing the privilege of being granddaughter until she could earn it back again.

Doug's family wasn't like that, though. He seemed to like them, he talked about them all the time even though he didn't give specifics, Audrey would have known if his relationship was like that.

"You know exactly what this is about," the woman spat.

Behind her, one of the younger looking dwarves with a short beard and brown hair offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Runnel. I held her off as long as I could."

"Thanks, dad," Doug sighed, and that was his dad? That was Dopey?

Why didn't any of the stories mention he was hot? Audrey felt like that was very relevant information.

"Don't thank him," Doug's grandmother growled. "Just because you don't call it courting doesn't mean it isn't courting! I had to strongarm the information out of Nori when my own grandson should have brought it up the moment it progressed to something serious."

"Grandma," Doug sighed, getting nervous. "Please, we were doing things the human way."

"You are the crown prince of Erebor," the dwarf woman snapped, grinding Audrey's mind to an immediate halt. Doug was what? "Regardless of where you get your education or how much youfeel like a prince, you are held to a certain set of standards. And you do a disservice to Princess Audrey by not paying her the respect she and her family are due."

"Grandma," Doug whined. "Please, it's not- it's just dating. It isn't like back home-"

"Runnel, sweetheart," Doug's father said, a gentle smile on his face. "You're half-dwarf, dear, and the other half is elf. It isn't a combination that does casual. We're creatures of commitment, so this… it's a very big deal."

Doug was half what, now?

Audrey's gaze flashed to the elf lady with pretty red hair, who offered her a pleasant wave because apparently that was Doug's mom. He wasn't- he wasn't half human at all, he was half elf and that was what made him tall and that wouldn't be a big deal but it actually sort of was a big deal because Doug wasn't even human and he didn't think to tell her. Did it matter?

It probably mattered a fuck-ton to her Grandma Ingrith, who hated all mystical creatures, regardless of how humanoid they might present.

Fuck.

Doug shifted uncomfortably, likely worried that Audrey would freak out over the apparent seriousness of their relationship, and she was freaking out, just not about that.

"Why don't we take a step back?" one of the other dwarf gentlemen offered. Or- was he a dwarf? He didn't have a beard like the others, his hair curly and only down to his shoulders. He wasn't wearing shoes either, which was a choice. "Calm down a bit and start things over politely."

"Thanks, Uncle Bilbo," Doug murmured, his shoulders slumping with relief.

Doug's grandma ground her teeth together. "This isn't a light offense, Dili. Once it gets back to Erebor that you've been courting this girl without going through the proper procedures, the council – petty things that they are – will call for your disinheritance. We must take action now to rectify things."

"Maybe that isn't a bad thing," Doug offered. "Gwalin would make a good king for Erebor-"

"You are a Durin," Doug's grandma urged. "The blood of our people runs in your veins. Just because it is… blessed to have that of a treeshagger's as well doesn't mean you are unworthy, and I will hear no arguments on the subject."

Treeshagger. That was- right, dwarves didn't always like elves.

What the actual fuck.

"I'm so sorry, my dear," Uncle Bilbo said, aiming the words at Audrey. "I know this must seem overwhelming, but this is a very exciting thing for our family. I know it's a lot, but Nori says you seem to really like Dili."

"Who is Nori?" Audrey asked, instead of the literal dozens of other questions that were writhing on her tongue.

Doug shifted uneasily. "He's um… the spymaster for Erebor."

"And now you're giving away royal secrets," his grandmother grumbled. "You'll have to marry her now."

That was- there was-

Audrey held up a hand, taking a slow, steady breath before she pointed it at Doug. "I think we need to have a conversation."

Doug offered her a pained smile. "Right, that's fair."

"Don't take too long," his grandma requested with a low grumble. "There are things we need to discuss as well."

"Of course," Audrey said, dipping into a curtsey on reflex before grabbing up their practice swords, marching to the equipment room with her head held high.

She heard Doug scramble behind her, which was just fucking great, but she waited for the door to the small equipment room to be shut before she turned on him.

"I know!" he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I know I haven't- I didn't tell you some things I should have."

"You think?" Audrey snapped, angrily jabbing the practice swords back in the storage chest. "You're a prince? A crown prince?"

Doug grimaced. "Just for Erebor! It isn't recognized as its own kingdom-"

"Because of racism, I know," Audrey said, familiar with the many flaws that hadn't been magiced away with the cure of King Adam's curse.

"Right," Doug stuttered. "So um- I mean, technically I'm crown prince but in Hanover-terms it's more like I'm junior mayor, so it isn't actually a big deal." Before she could snap at him, he continued with- "But it's not like I'll inherit anyway! I mean, look at me-" He motioned to himself. "No dwarf would want to follow me. I don't want to follow me!"

"Let's set your low self-esteem aside for a moment because that's not how inheritances work," Audrey said, voice tight as she tried and failed to reign in her temper. "Fucking most of us don't feel qualified, it doesn't mean we're not stuck with the job and-" She shook her head angrily when she realized she was getting sidetracked. "Do you even know how this will look when this information gets out? People will think that I targeted you to get some obscure prince because they think I'm a power-grabbing asshole, and I won't even be able to argue with them because you didn't tell me about it!"

She forced herself to walk a few steps away so she wouldn't do something unsightly, like stamp her feet.

"I mean-" She whirled back towards Doug. "You have a spymaster? Does- has he been spying on our dates?"

Doug tensed somewhat horribly, and a tendril of muted rage surged through Audrey.

"It was a compromise!" Doug said. "Since I'm crown prince and I'm in a different kingdom. They have to send someone to look after me, so I- he said he could be our chaperone, but not really-"

"Except he's definitely been watching us and I didn't know about it," Audrey snapped.

Doug winced. "I thought you would prefer it that way."

"I would have preferred if you were honest with me!" Audrey hissed. "I can't- I can't believe this. You're supposed to be nice. And I can't even get mad at you because it's my damn fault." She threw her hands up in frustration. "I just blissfully ignored all the red flags because you're Doug and I'm like, 'he can't hurt me, he's Doug', he's sweet and honest and all the things Ben wasn't but-" She rounded on him with a glare. "I was wrong! And I know better." She hung her head, overwhelmed with a sudden bout of frustration. "Fuck."

"Audrey…" Doug began, sounding genuinely regretful. "I'm so sorry, I did this all wrong. I just- I liked you so much and I- I didn't want to mess things up."

"Well, you did, Doug," Audrey said, tilting her head back when she felt a familiar heat build behind her eyes. "You fucking did."

She didn't have room to talk, not really. She lied to Doug about stuff all the time, but she'd never lied about who she was. Her entire life was on public record, he could see what she ate for breakfast if he tried hard enough, the vultures would always be circling. But she hadn't known he was a prince, that he was in line for a throne. That he was half elf or that he had a bodyguard spy on him from afar and she didn't know that dwarves and elves were super serious about courting because he hadn't felt inclined to tell her any of it.

"Don't worry about courting," she said, blinking rapidly to try and keep her stupid tears at bay. "Tell your family they don't have anything to worry about."

"Audrey," Doug said, low and wounded, genuinely pained.

Maybe this was for the best. Audrey was always going to hurt him in the long run, and he deserved so much better than her.

"We're not breaking up," Audrey declared, standing up straight and tall when she was pretty sure she had her composure back. "Because we were never dating, so…" She tossed her hair the way she used to, haughty and stuck up and like she was the damn queen of everything. "I'll come by your room Monday to pick up my things."

"Audrey, please, I know I messed up," Doug said, his eyes red and wet with unshed tears. "But I'll make it up to you. I promise, it won't be like Ben again-"

"Sure, it will," Audrey said, pressing her lips together. "Because it will just be a matter of time before you don't tell me something else." Her hands curled into shaking fists against her side. "And thus the cycle will continue."

She left before he could argue again, the dwarf kin (elf kin?) struggling to regain his composure. Audrey was brave, but she wasn't stupid, so she used the back exit of the arena to leave, striding out into the sun with her head held high. It was a good thing they had kept this secret. People would have just thought she had grown tired of what Doug could bring her before she tossed him aside. It was better like this.

It had to be.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Endnotes:

Thank you guys for the feedback! It really is very encouraging, and a great motivation to work on more Descendants nonsense. Granted, I doubt most of my future stuff will be as chaotic as this is, but a good time will be had nonetheless ;D

Story notes:

Double checked Descendants 1 and Doug is right-handed, thank Youtube for having the Chad introductory scene already uploaded.

So all of Doug's family is borrowed from Tolkien's Middle Earth, specifically 'The Hobbit'. For those familiar, I have him as the son of Kili (it tickles me to think of him as Dopey), who is the younger prince of Erebor and Tauriel, the elf captain of the Woodland Guard. Lady Dis – Kili's mother and sister to the king of Erebor, is Doug's grandmother, and the one who did most of the yelling. Technically Doug's uncle – Fili – is the current crown prince of Erebor, but as he has no heirs in this universe, Doug is next up to inherit for his generation

Nori and Bilbo Baggins are also from the Hobbit. Bilbo is married to Lady Dis' brother, making him Lord Consort of Erebor, so he's technically not Doug's uncle but it's easier just to call him that. Gwalin is very much the invented son of Dwalin for those familiar with the hobbit, who is cousins with the current reigning king.

The name Doug means 'dark stream'. Runnel is a synonym for that, which is Doug's nickname because I am not super creative.

Until next time :)