Auradon. 1 year before.
Ben was ready to crawl into a broom cupboard and hide.
He didn't care that it wasn't behaviour fitting of the twenty-two year old Crown Prince of Auradon. He didn't care if it made him look weak.
His ex-girlfriend had a persistence that was downright frightening.
She shouldn't have been on the list for this event. His secretary was vetting everything, building in space to navigate the break up.
He hadn't been feeling things for a while. It felt like they were going through the motions. Doing what was expected of them. They'd been dating since they were fifteen. It had been seven years. When she started dropping hints about engagement rings and summer weddings, he couldn't blame her for wanting to take the next step. But he knew he had to escape before he hurt her any more than he already was.
It did not go down well.
Six weeks later, she was still in denial about it. Still trying to convince him that he was wrong.
Her Grandmother was demanding audiences with his mother. Her staff were leaking counter stories to the press in an effort to discredit the break up rumours.
Despite reworking his diary, upping security and using every social escape tactic he knew, Audrey was better.
There must be some class he'd missed in Auradon Prep. Or maybe they only offered it to princesses.
Audrey was a one woman power cell. She had revolutionised charity work in Auradon - she'd single handedly created a third sector in the employment market, focusing on non-profit work and championing causes that didn't routinely make it to the top of the agenda. All while juggling a full social calendar and completing her undergrad at the University of Auradon.
Audrey could get herself invited to any party. Any event. Could get people to keep their mouths shut. Do her bidding. All without dropping her smile.
She was routinely recognised as the hardest working royal - from the member kingdoms and within the High Royal Family.
That same determination that had made her so good at her job, that had been one of his favourite things about her, was now making his life a living hell.
So instead of a stress free night, mingling with diplomats and securing donations for tonight's charity, he was ducking around the museum's atrium like a wanted man.
He'd had to run from a conversation because Audrey was coming his way.
Then he'd spotted someone he just had to talk to when Audrey appeared at his side with two glasses of champagne.
And now he was wandering through the closed exhibits, in the dark, because he just needed some space to breathe.
He couldn't live like this.
Maybe that was the point. Maybe she was hoping she could make his life that much of a living hell that he'd just give in for a peaceful life.
"Hey Bennyboo."
Ben jumped at the sudden voice, uttering a few profanities as he regained his bearings.
Audrey seemed to have appeared from nowhere, the diamonds on her pastel pink dress glittering in the moonlight.
"Jesus. Audrey. What are you doing here?" Ben looked around quickly, trying to find an escape route. She had him cornered. They were in the villains area - he had Maleficent's exhibit behind him, Yzma's potions cabinet to his left and the Huntsman's dagger to his right.
"I saw you wander off," she shrugged innocently, slowly advancing on him. He took a step back, wondering how the hell he would get out of this one, "Thought you might want to talk."
"I was just getting some air." He shrugged, trying to back away in a curve, to end up closer to the exit.
It didn't work. She cornered him against the potions cabinet. He held his hands up, keeping her at some kind of distance. "Audrey, this needs to stop."
Suddenly, she dropped all pretence of casualness. Her expression morphed into a scowl, with nothing but scorn in her eyes. The air around them thickened, as if she'd flicked a switch and made it harder to breathe. "Why are you doing this Ben? Why are you pretending that we have a choice here?"
"We always had a choice," Ben's words sounded like a warning, but he couldn't work out what he was warning against.
"No we didn't." Audrey's words were incredulous, as if she was shocked he could be so naive. "We were always the plan. You've been training to be King since you were fourteen, what do you think I was doing? I wasn't helping your mom plan galas and host tea parties because I had nothing better to do!"
"You like hosting tea parties and planning galas." Ben pointed out, unsure of the point she was making. His preparation included extra history lessons and politics classes and shadowing his father in council meetings.
Audrey had offered to help his mother with her charity work. She attended all the events with her mother and grandmother anyway. And a lot of the princesses were on those committees.
Audrey just glared at him and hissed, "Because I was meant to be your queen!"
"Audrey," Ben sighed, looking over her shoulder sadly. He really should have ended things before now. This was on him. "You deserve True Love."
Audrey let out a hollow laugh, and fixed him with a look that he could only describe as...angry pity? "That's the thing about locking up all the villains, Ben. No curses to break, no need for True Love. Why dream of something you can't have? I was only ever aiming for happy."
"You deserve better than tha-" Ben started, but he was cut off by Audrey angrily pushing him backwards.
"I deserve my life back!"
...
Ben's head was spinning.
Audrey had pushed him and he'd toppled the potions cabinet.
There had been a flash of pink light. Lots and lots of dust.
He was going to turn into a llama. Or a poodle.
He was going to turn into a poodle and Audrey was going to carry him around in her handbag.
He was so screwed.
One minute, he was falling backwards, staring at the museum's ceiling.
The next, he was somewhere else.
Between patches of dust, he could make out grey walls.
Mismatched furniture.
And then a knife slammed into the wall, millimeters from his cheek.