Chapter 7 – Surviving
GENERAL WARNING – Punishment – the majority of this chapter is not fun, and that is entirely due to Audrey's Grandma Ingrith. The first half will feature a variety of punishments that definitely qualify as abuse. None of them are graphic, but there is a distinct lack of control on Audrey's part. Please see endnotes for a more specified breakdown of Audrey's punishments.
WARNING – Non-con Violation of Boundaries in the second scene. See endnotes for more details.
WARNING – Forced Medical Examination/minor sexual abuse – In scene 2, there is a forced medical examination that definitely extends past professional boundaries. See endnotes for details.
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There was supposed to be a ball that night. Officially, it was to celebrate the ending of fall and the beginning of those cool, winter months, but mostly it was to celebrate the fact that midterms were over, a chance to give everyone an opportunity to dress up in their finest and dance in a manner not entirely dignified, a manner that wouldn't be allowed for proper balls going forward. A chance to celebrate being kids.
Audrey was looking forward to it. Harry had made her dress – pale pink and light, flowy material – roses made from folds of fabric. Audrey loved it, and couldn't wait to wear it with Doug's necklace and her courting braids. Couldn't wait to celebrate her first big event with both of her boys, to claim them in public without any kind of shame.
She had been so happy when she drifted off the sleep that night, grinning at the goodnight text exchange the three of them perfected to an awkward, loving art.
She was less happy when she woke up, because the ground was hard and cool beneath her cheek and she wasn't in her dorm room.
"Ah, there you are."
Grandma Ingrith's voice washed over her like a nightmare, Audrey's gaze flying open to realize she was in the queen's private sitting room, collapsed on the floor.
"You know," her grandmother continued, blithely sipping at a glass chalice filled with wine as she lounged in the foreboding armchair that had haunted Audrey's nightmares as a child. "I thought this was just a phase," she said with a bored flick of her hand. "I thought 'poor Audrey's been under so much pressure lately, I suppose it's only fair for her to lash out'. After all, teenagers go through a rebellious phase, and this one was yours." She pursed her lips together, humming unhappily. "But then you keep going on these interviews and meeting with his family and now you're wearing braids?" She motioned to Audrey's hair in distaste. "That was so two seasons ago, Audrey. You're making a fool of yourself, and for what? A dwarf and a lunatic? No."
She made a sharp motion with her hand, and only then did Audrey catch sight of Gerda, her grandmother's long-time assistant who always wore a mask of stoicism with the craziest eyes she'd ever seen.
Gerda advanced with a pair of scissors, making Audrey's heart sink.
"Can't have that," her grandmother explained, and Audrey had enough time to try and lurch back before her arms were grabbed by two more of her grandmother's servants, pinning he in place. "So we'll just have to start over. Dwarves have a big thing about hair, right?" she asked while Gerda grabbed a handful of Audrey's locks, the scissors seeming to descend in slow motion. "It's a huge dishonor for them to lose it? Well-" She motioned to Gerda, who started cutting, thick bunches of Audrey's hair falling to the floor. "We'll just have to make you ugly by dwarf standards."
"Stop," Audrey moaned, trying to fight out of their hold. "Please, don't-"
"We are past the point of pleasantries, Audrey," her grandmother tsked. "You threatened me with a restraining order. Me. The one who trained you to be strong. Resolute. I gave you a spine when Leah would have you be a simpering, soft princess, ready to crumble at the drop of a hat. No." She took another sip of her wine. "The time for niceties is done. We have only tough love now."
Audrey doubted her grandmother was capable of such things, but could do nothing but bear it as Gerda cut off her hair. She cried, couldn't help it when she saw her braid hit the floor, Doug and Harry's courting beads falling with it, and when she tried to collect them, Gerda stepped on her fingers.
"No," her grandmother ordered, voice harsh. "No need to be sentimental. They aren't worth your time."
When it was over, Audrey had a rough-looking pixie cut, her head lighter than it'd been in ages.
"Now I think it's time for a walk," her grandmother declared, dragging Audrey back to the least happy words from her childhood.
She wasn't surprised to be brought up to the guard walls of Ulstead. The large things spanned the entire perimeter of the castle, including the miles of inner, decorative courtyards. It was probably ten miles all the way around.
"Three times through should do it," her grandmother said, the harshest punishment Audrey had ever received. "Don't stop, pumpkin, or else you'll have to start over."
Audrey wanted to shout, wanted to yell and scream, but she knew there was no fighting it now. Her Grandpa John wasn't here to look after her, likely on one of his trips to Auroria to see Papa Stefan. It was just her and the queen and the army of servants loyal to her alone.
With a swallow, she got down on her hands and knees. "Yes, grandmother."
"That's your majesty, to you," her grandma snapped, walking away with a dramatic flair of her coat.
The warm morning sun beat down on Audrey, but it offered her none of its usual comfort. Not here, not when it was over.
She started crawling – three times around.
It would be a long day.
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It was deep into nighttime before Audrey finished crawling around the outer perimeter of the walls. The ball had come and gone, and she had spent it under the watchful eye of her grandmother's guardsmen. Her hands and knees throbbed with popped blisters, some scabbing over until they were an aching mess. Her back hurt, her arms hurt, she was exhausted and hungry and dehydrated, and she wasn't even given a moment to collect herself, to use the bathroom before her grandmother had her dragged back into the castle for personal maintenance.
The servants – her grandmother's most trusted cronies – stripped Audrey in impersonable movements. She tried to fight them when they got to the dwarven binder Doug had given her but they held her fast when they cut it away, not so much as blinking when her swollen breasts popped free. She could see them binning her clothing to be burned, tried to protest it before she was shoved into a familiar tiled room.
That was where she got hosed off, the spray hot and hard and painful. That was where she could use the bathroom, brought down to her lowest form until the outermost layer of filth had been washed away. Only then was she dragged into an actual tub where they scrubbed and cleaned every inch of her body, washing her newly short hair in substantially less time than usual, trimming it to make it even before moving to loofah her skin. There were hands everywhere, and Audrey hated it, hated the detached, bold violations of privacy as they cleaned her breasts and her legs before working a washcloth against her groin, between her cheeks.
"Make sure she's extra clean," Gerda murmured as they emptied the tub, the assistants making one last go over her with a handheld nozzle. "She'll be examined after this."
"That isn't necessary," Audrey croaked, but Gerda ignored her, thus confirming how little input she was given in the situation. The orders had the assistants urging her legs wide, cleaning her groin with a special soap while Audrey suffered through it.
"And the back," Gerda ordered, solidifying Audrey's humiliation.
That was what got her bent over the side of the tub while they worked a washcloth in and out of her.
They didn't bother clothing her after they dried her off, just took her straight to the doctor's examination chair. Gerda was the one to put her legs in the stirrups, to ratchet them wide before leaning the chair back. She waited for the doctor to arrive before leaving Audrey in his hands, the same way she had since Audrey was a child.
"Hello, your highness," Dr. Diente chirped, slipping into a new set of gloves. "Heard you had to get punished again. While I am sorry for your ordeal, I'm glad to get a chance to look you over. It's been a while." He wasted no time lubing up his fingers, tracing a hand against the flushed lips of her groin. "You seem a bit swollen," he hummed, giving her vulva a squeeze before her started rubbing carefully between her folds. "Is that new?"
"I'm not fat," Audrey said through clenched teeth, bearing with this the same way she always had.
"I didn't say that," the doctor hummed, entirely focused on working his fingers into her. "But it could be a sign of increased sexual activity. I mean-" He eased two of his fingers in without issue, scissoring her wide. "You're not usually this loose."
"I've um- puberty," Audrey settled on.
"Of course," the doctor hummed, thrusting in and out of her at a steady pace. "Masturbation is a natural part of exploring one's body, but-" He thrust his fingers particularly deep, making Audrey flinch. "It would seem that your hymen is no longer intact."
"That's-" Audrey scrambled for an excuse. "Cheerleading-"
"Your highness," Dr. Diente tsked. "It's important that you be honest with me so I can best maintain your health. Now you know her majesty doesn't want you to be sexually active, and from the feel of this…" he eased another finger into her, three thrusting deep as she dripped and twitched around him. "You have been very active. Now…" He pulled his hand out finally, which was a relief until he moved to brush against her asshole. "You haven't been debase enough to play with this, have you?"
Audrey's breath caught, and she didn't get a chance to reply before he started rubbing lubricant into her.
"There's an easy way to find out, of course," he explained, slipping a finger into her and curling. "Depending on how adjusted your body is to anal stimulation-" He eased another finger in, and she moaned. "…and you seem very adjusted."
"I-It's natural," Audrey gasped as he started pumping his fingers in and out in determined grinds. "It's a natural response."
"For sluts, yes," the doctor hummed. "I need to see how bad it is."
"It isn't bad," Audrey insisted, but he was urging in another finger, and another, until he was pleasuring her with four thick digits and she didn't have the decency not to get aroused because she was so used to the stimulation.
"Huh…" the doctor said, stepping back with a thoughtful look. "I'll need something bigger."
"You don't," Audrey croaked, but he was already riffling through his drawers.
"Ah, here we go," he said, coming up with a large dildo. She didn't know why he had it, but he lubricated it in easy movements before nudging it between Audrey's cheeks.
"It's too big," Audrey said, breath catching. "I can't-"
"Obviously, you can," he said as he pushed it into her, urging it all the way inside. Audrey gasped at the stretch, at the delicious tingles of want and the hot strain it created, and then he was pulling the dildo back, then-
He pumped it forward, rocking in a steady motion until he was fucking her with it, his gaze locked on her crotch as it throbbed and leaked tellingly over her thighs.
"Oh, my," he said just as she orgasmed, spurting clear slick in an undignified fashion. "It's worse than I thought. Well, there's a fix for everything." He removed the dildo and placed it casually on one of his trays before digging through his drawers again. "Obviously, we'll need to get you back to a more respectable state. Being literally loose will be a sign to any of your suitors that you've been tainted, and we can't have that."
He pulled something out, a metal like belt with a hoop hanging low that connected the front to the back. There were two rounded protrusions fixed on the low hoop, one bigger than the other, and Dr. Diente started rubbing a new solution into them.
"Now, this is experimental," he explained. "But it should tighten you up. These dildos are designed to help work the solution into you."
"W-Wait," Audrey said, the pieces slowly coming together. "You're gonna put those inside me?"
"Compared to what you have been putting inside you, these will be nothing, your highness," the doctor chirped. "Now, there might be some discomfort, but beauty is pain, after all."
He unhooked something on the belt, opening it wide, before he fastened it around Audrey's waist. The hoop with the protrusions went between her legs, and was designed to attach to the belt once it was settled.
"Here, you go," the doctor said, easing the back dildo between Audrey's cheeks.
The liquid didn't sting, exactly, but it did tingle something fierce, making Audrey contract around the dildo ruthlessly.
"Perfect," the doctor said, seeing the results. "And now-"
He took his time easing the larger dildo into Audrey's vagina, as though to ensure it scraped against every part of her. The tingles were worse there, and Audrey immediately felt herself getting terribly wet, though she did clutch around the dildo as well.
"There." Dr. Diente clicked the band to the metal belt, fastening it in place with what seemed to be a lock. "This will keep your chastity in check. Sorry your highness, but it's the queen's orders."
"B-But," Audrey said, her legs shaking from the stimulation. "W-What about the bathroom?"
"Oh, we'll schedule time for you to check in with my assistant back in Auradon," he dismissed. "That will take care of number two's, as it were, but for everything else…" he held up a pink, folded rectangle of squishy material. "Meet your new best friends!"
He unfolded the material, and Audrey belatedly realized it was a diaper.
She flushed. "I don't- I can-"
"You're already leaking quite a lot," the doctor said, rubbing at the skin closest to the dildo that was already slick with her juices. "This is just a precautionary measure."
"I could use a pad."
"Queen's orders," he said, sliding the diaper in place. "And don't worry, the queen already had your other underwear confiscated so you wouldn't feel tempted to risk it."
Of course she did. Of course she did.
"Now," the doctor said, focusing on Audrey's chest. "Let's see what we have here."
"I didn't- this wasn't on purpose," Audrey insisted as he felt up her boobs. He was slow and methodical, taking his time to really feel every part of her, and she hated it, because it was nothing like Harry who was reverent and playful, or Doug who was so bashful but kind.
"Of course it was," Dr. Diente tutted. "And we admire you trying to find another way to get Prince Benjamin's attention, but there are better, less desperate looking options, your highness." Without warning, he squirted some more of that liquid onto her skin and started massaging it into her boobs.
It tingled fiercely, making Audrey thrash in her chair, but he continued, making sure to get every inch of her, especially her nipples, which burned under his attention.
"Worse comes to worse, we can do breast reduction surgery," he murmured. "But for now, we'll settle for binding you and see how the solution works."
"Don't-" Audrey said, but she was already getting led over to the examination table, the dildos inside her burning with each step until she dutifully sat down, allowing the doctor to bind her breasts as he saw fit.
It hurt, of course. It hurt when it was done wrong and this was tight. She ached by the time it was over, whimpering when he locked the binder onto her too.
"It's waterproof," he cheered before he motioned for Gerda to take her away.
Her grandmother's assistant saw that she was dressed, saw that her makeup was done, that she looked perfect. She gave her dark, silk gloves to cover her hands and insured her skirt was long enough to cover the mess of her knees before Audrey was finally brought to her grandmother.
"Aw, sweetheart, there you are," her grandmother cheered, wearing that manic smile of hers. "I so hate being hard on you, but it is for your own good. Now-" She motioned to two servants that had a pink rolling suitcase in between them. At her command they set it on a table and opened it up. "While you were busy, I went ahead and collected all that art you've been working on for the past year. I know you worked hard on it, but darling, I worked so hard on you, and when you don't listento me, well…"
They opened the suitcase, and it took Audrey a few moments to recognize the remnants of the paintings she had made for Doug and Harry. A few moments to realize those black husks were the sketchbooks she'd been drawing in for years.
"This is what it feels like," her grandmother said, watching Audrey struggle to collect herself. Tears would only make things worse. If she ruined her makeup, she might have to crawl around the walls again. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, your majesty," Audrey whispered, unable to tear her eyes off the suitcase even as the servants shut it back up.
"Now," her grandmother clapped her hands together. "Let's put all this unpleasantness behind us. I've decided we've been going at this the wrong way. We shouldn't be setting you up with a prince, we should be setting you up with a princess. I mean, Corona is right next to us. All you have to do is move in, sweep Princess Ruby off her feet and bam – you can add Corona and the Dark Kingdom to your domain. Wouldn't that be splendid?" She moved closer even though she wouldn't touch Audrey, only drew near to smile at her in that mad frenzy of hers. "Just think butch thoughts, you already have the hair for it! And…" she trailed off with a hum. "If, by chance, you consider going back to that dwarf mut and pirate scumbag of yours, why… perhaps I'll use my connections in the council to bar Erebor's efforts to get recognized as its own kingdom. After all, why would we need another kingdom?"
Audrey gasped. "You can't-"
"Audrey, sweetheart, I can do whatever I want," her grandmother informed her sweetly. "I would think that was obvious by now. But hey, I don't have any reason to care about Erebor if you stick to the plan, okay? So, what are we going to do?"
Audrey swallowed, exhausted and hungry and tired, burning and violated and hurting in more ways than she could possibly list.
"We're going to follow the plan," Audrey whispered, wishing the pain in her heart had a physical motivation, but knowing – as it had with Ben – that it didn't.
Only then did her grandmother touch her, gripping both of Audrey's shoulders with a tight, painful hold. "That's my girl," she cheered, cupping Audrey's cheek with a pointed nail. "Now don't make me do this again."
"Yes, your majesty," Audrey murmured, and with that she was dismissed, the servants passing off the rolling suitcase so she could carry her shame behind her, like the day hadn't been bad enough as it was.
She should know by now that things could always get worse. That whatever happiness she managed to find in life wasn't hers to keep.
It was just the way of things.
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It was a battle not to cry on the ride back to Auradon. Ulstead was right next to Central Auradon, but it would still be a few hours on the road to get her back to school. A few hours of bumpy roads that jarred the dildos against Audrey in odd ways, getting her worked up. The more excited she got though, the more the lubricant seemed to sting, until Audrey was not only fighting off tears of sorrow, but those of pain too.
That mixed with the baseline tinges of pleasure left her miserable and wet, the diaper slowly soaking through while she tried to meditate into a better state of mind.
The moment they crossed from Ulstead into Central Auradon, things seemed to change. It was in a small way, and it took Audrey a few minutes to notice the cars falling in line beside them, behind them, but-
They were Hanover cars. She wondered if there was one in front of the limo as well.
She didn't know. She didn't know what to do. It was hard enough staying composed when she wanted to sleep and eat and cry and had time for none of them. She didn't even know how she was going to walk all the way to her dorm room, let alone manage any of those.
Well, the crying seemed easy enough. It was the other things that were questionable.
It wasn't a relief when she was finally let out of the car. She was so tired, and her legs seemed to barely hold her up. She had to be dignified, though. Even if it was early in the morning, even though it was supposed to be a protected campus, there would be press lingering about, or some young royal out for an early jog who'd be willing to sell a picture of Audrey to the papers even though it was against school rules. There were always sharks waiting to circle, and Audrey had to deal with them like the perfect princess she was.
The air didn't seem fresher when she got outside, but it did seem a bit easier to breathe. Perhaps easy enough that she was distracted, which was why she didn't automatically recognize Queen Snow and Ben's parents waiting for her until the chauffeur had passed over her rolling suitcase.
"Audrey, sweetheart," Queen Snow said, her voice gentle. "I was sent a report that you had been abducted from your dorm room. Are you alright?"
She'd- because Audrey had guards. She had guards but they didn't have legal standing in Ulstead because her grandmother was a psycho so they wouldn't have been able to cross kingdom borders.
Audrey opened her mouth to assure her everything was fine. She had to be strong, she had to be perfect. Ben's parents were right there, they couldn't think she was incapable. What if Ben decided to go back to her? She had to be better.
She opened her mouth to reply and felt something inside of her shatter, which was what found her sobbing somewhat pitifully, gloved hands clutching onto the remnants of her art – tired, heartbroken, everything in pain.
"We'll take that as a no," Queen Belle whispered, and then the two of them were herding her into a new car, Audrey bawling hysterically all the while.
-:-:-:-:-:-
They took her to Auradon Castle.
It took a long time for her to stop crying, mostly because Queen Snow would ask her questions like if she wanted them to get Doug and Harry.
"No, no- please," Audrey gasped. "Please- she'll- she's gonna, if I don't b-break up with them she won't- she'll block the vote for Erebor and I can't-" She started sobbing again, and Queen Belle went back to hugging her tight.
They took her to an examination room where a detective from the Inspectors' Office and a nurse slowly peeled off her gloves, revealing the wounds below. They treated that and moved on to her knees, and when they asked if anything else hurt, Audrey was out of tears so she mostly just made these awful, choked noises.
They took off her dress. They cut off the lock to undo the binding and Audrey's chest was red and irritated – everything burning. They had to take pictures – they took pictures of everything – but at least they were quick before Mrs. Potts materializes a sports bra out of material soft enough that it didn't make Audrey cry.
No one was happy about the chastity belt. Audrey hid her face while they removed the wet diaper, crying when the cut the belt out before the liquid burned her insides.
They have to get pictures of that too, but Audrey was used to having her legs up in stirrups, used to people poking and prodding at her.
Everything felt tight and wrong and painful so she bore through a gentle chemical flush that seemed to help. They dressed her in the fancy version of hospital pajamas and gave her an IV before she was allowed to pass out, curled up in her bed.
-:-:-:-:-:-
When she woke up, Nori was sitting in a chair beside her, sharpening a wicked array of knives that probably shouldn't be allowed in the royal infirmary.
"Sorry, your highness," he said once he saw that she was awake. "Lost 'em at the border of Ulstead."
"I know," Audrey said, her voice rough, lips chapped. "I'm glad you didn't enter."
It would have been worse for him if he had.
"We didn't enter," he said. "The team. I did, though." His gaze drifted over to her. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it. But I am damn good at my job, and I made sure it wouldn't be able to happen again."
Exhausted as she was, it took a moment for Audrey to put the pieces together. "You collected evidence."
"I did." He nodded. "They're using it to arrest your grandmother now. Quietly, of course."
"Like the Duke," Audrey said, thinking back on Chad's grandfather who had just disappeared between one day and the next.
Guess he was a psycho too.
"Yes." Nori nodded. "Dili and Harry would like to see you."
"No," Audrey whispered, feeling herself tear up again. "No, I- she cut off my braid." Had stolen her beads. "I'm not- I'm not strong, like they thought I was. She told me to crawl and I did."
"She forced you to crawl," Nori countered. "She forced you and you survived it, just like you survived her cutting off your hair, because you are stronger than she could ever hope to be." He drew his whetstone across the blade of his knife. "Your mates know that. And they'll love you no matter what condition you're in."
"Then… then I want to see them," Audrey whispered. "I- I missed the ball. I was- I wanted to go there, with them."
"I know, your highness," Nori said. "They wanted to go with you too."
-:-:-:-:-:-
She heard them before she saw them, Harry's snarls echoing through the hallway before he burst into the room with a wild expression on his face. He wasted no time crossing to her once he realized where she was, and Nori melted back into the shadows as the others entered, as though he had never been there.
Harry and Doug hugged her together, Harry's fingers running through her short hair. "That wicked shit," he scowled pressing kisses to Audrey's shoulders. "She should be glad they arrested her or I would have stabbed my hook through her eye."
"I would have helped," Doug murmured, cradling Audrey's other side. "I'm so sorry that happened."
"My fault," Audrey whispered, melting into their hold. "I should have taken more precautions. I tried to stand up to her and I didn't- I didn't plan enough."
"Has she done something like this before?" Ben asked, because Ben was there too apparently, him and Mal hovering in the doorway, both looking conflicted.
Audrey shrugged. "She's been training me since my parents died." When she was little, when they were only faint memories of happiness. "Sometimes that comes with punishments."
"That means- even when we were dating?" Ben asked, looking desperately like he didn't want this to be the case.
Audrey had no comfort for him. "Yeah, Ben," she said. "It wasn't always this bad." She leaned into her boys' hold. "This is the first time she's made me crawl the walls three times around."
Ben blinked, confused. "What?"
"The guard walls?" Audrey said. "When I really mess up, she makes me crawl them on my hands and knees."
"Well, notanymore," Harry growled. "That woman's not getting within ten feet of ye for now on."
"Uncle Nori said you got taken," Doug murmured, his eyes wet with unshed tears. "But they couldn't track you and had no reason to investigate Ulstead even though we were pretty sure that's where you were and I'm so sorry-"
"Doug," Audrey said, squeezing him close. "It wasn't your fault."
"It wasn't yours either," Harry hissed. "Take that from someone who's dad is a villain. Sometimes they just do evil shit for the sake of it and there's nothing we can do about it. It's chaos, pure and simple."
"And she's… she's actually gone?" Audrey asked. At this point, she hadn't dared to hope.
"She's gone," Doug assured. "She won't hurt you again."
"Or test me," Audrey whispered. "Or pack my schedule with tutors and trainers and interviews, or control what I eat and where I go and how much I can see my grandpa-" She teared up at that, because it was amazing how someone so endlessly cruel could be married to someone so wonderfully kind. "Or call me every other day to criticize-"
"Audrey," Ben said, sounding torn up. "I'm so sorry. I didn't- if I had known-"
"I was too embarrassed," Audrey whispered. "Who's bad enough that their grandparents have to hurt them?"
"No one," Doug said. "No one is, least of all you."
"What he said," Mal murmured, her voice tight. "I… if um- you want, I can fix your hair for you."
Audrey blinked away her tears, not expecting the offer. "W-Why? You don't like me."
"I didn't get you," Mal said. "But you… you didn't make a fuss when Ben dumped you. You didn't target me like I thought you would."
"I mean-" Audrey sniffed. "Harry and I make fun of you guys all the time, though."
"Over text," Harry said. "She sends me pictures when Jay trips up at Tourney practice."
"Then I should give you my number," Mal said. "Because I also enjoy making fun of Jay."
For a moment, Audrey was frozen with disbelief.
And then a laugh startled out of her, something loud and unapologetic, something that pulled her lips wide and was so infectious that even Harry and Doug were laughing, even Ben was laughing.
"Oh, okay," Audrey wheezed, wiping away stray tears – though these were from happiness. "I can do that, I can…" she trailed off as Ben and Mal set themselves down at the foot of the bed. "Could um- we try being friends, then? Because I was only mean to you-"
"Because of psycho grandma," Mal finished. "Yeah, I figured it out, and I feel ya." She thumped a fist against her chest twice. "And um… yeah, we can do the friend thing." Her gaze drifted over to Harry. "I will consider acquaintanceship with you."
Harry pulled his lips back in a scowl. "Ye want anything from me, you'll have to talk to Uma."
"Of course," Mal rolled her eyes. "I should have expected nothing less." And then, before he could snarl something back, Mal's gaze narrowed, one finger raised in a thoughtful movement. "Beware, foreswear, bring back Audrey's hair."
A faint pulse of magic, and Audrey's hair grew back to its original length, falling in loose curls around her shoulders. It filled her with such an intense joy that she started crying again, happy to be able to wear her braids once more.
"Fine," Harry grumbled, nuzzling Audrey close. "I'll be yer damn acquaintance."
"Awfully kind of you, Hook," Mal said, voice teasing and warm and- and nice, to Audrey, because they could have that now. Audrey could be friends with Mal and Evie and Carlos (and maybe Jay) and there wouldn't be any threatening phone calls warning her to buck up.
She could do what she wanted. She was free.
"I'm happy," she murmured, smiling through her helpless tears. "I'm so happy."
"As ye fucking should be, darlin," Harry murmured, his fingers twisting in her new locks. "Ye deserve the world."
"And then some," Doug agreed.
"Yes," Mal hummed. "That seems about right. Ben – make it so."
"Okay." Ben grinned, looking tearful but relieved, his lips pulled in a smile. "Yeah, I think that's an appropriate enough response."
Audrey did too, because she had the world right here. She had her boys and she had some actual friends. She had Ben and she didn't have to worry about dating him.
As it so happened, she had everything she needed.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Endnotes:
I know what you're thinking – what about Gil and Uma? Well, my dears, the next story actually focuses on them. It's a Gil-centric tale (because I love that guy to pieces) called 'Baked from the Heart', and it will be posted with my next update because I'm behind on editing, so keep an eye out for it!
Thanks so much for the feedback, guys! It really means a lot, especially for these more bizarre stories. Do I know why this particular prompt inspired so many fics? No, but I am endlessly grateful that they're interesting enough to warrant reading :)
Story notes:
Dr. Diente is a villain from the old animated show 'American Dragon – Jake Long'. I don't know much about him except that he was a bad guy and a doctor, which suited the needs for this story.
The Dark Kingdom is from the Tangled Animated Series.
WARNING – Punishment – Forced Haircut – The first of Audrey's punishments in the first scene is for her grandmother to cut off her hair, making her 'ugly' by dwarf standards. If you would prefer to skip this, please look for:
Gerda advanced with a pair of scissors, making Audrey's heart sink.
You can jump back in at:
When it was over, Audrey had a rough-looking pixie cut, her head lighter than it'd been in ages.
WARNING – Non-con Violation of Boundaries – In the second scene, after Audrey finishes her second punishment, she is taken to be cleaned up. She is stripped and hosed off, then cleaned by servants who touch her without her consent. If you would like to skip this, jump down to the paragraph that begins with:
They didn't bother clothing her after they dried her off, just took her straight to the doctor's examination chair.
WARNING – Forced medical examination/minor sexual abuse – In the second scene, Audrey is taken to a doctor for examination, who definitely bypasses professional boundaries both verbally and physically. Audrey doesn't have a choice in the matter, though it's obvious she isn't comfortable and has resigned herself to this. The examination features molestation (fingering – anal and vaginal), sex toys, forced medical solutions that slightly hurt, groping (chest), and forced binding. If you would like to skip all of these, bypass the entire beginning of scene 2 and look for the line:
"It's waterproof," he cheered before he motioned for Gerda to take her away.
Until next time
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'Poor little me all trapped in this fabulous show. You could set me free, but if you're going, go. It's fine, for you, it's fine to flirt, it's fine, 'till someone gets hurt.' – 'Someone Gets Hurt' from Mean Girls the musical.