Chapter Thirty Nine
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths.
Okay, okay, I know this is kinda a downer chapter. But the idea came to me after I wrote the last chapter that it would at least make sense they'd box up Audrey's room. I helped my parents box up my grandmother's house after her death so I know it can be a big pain.
But also this chapter was originally going to be Claudine and Henry's wedding…and I just thought that the tonal shift after the previous chapter wouldn't work. There needed to be a buffer in a way.
Oh also, I'm not going to have a chapter where Audrey gets judged by Hades. Why? I think for Audrey, the element of mystery is better in a way. That way, people can imagine her sentence for themselves :D
In happier news, this is looking like it's going to be a few more chapters than the usual 45…not a lot more but there's some stuff I want to include that I feel need their own chapter (like the aforementioned Henry and Claudine wedding).
As mentioned over in Truth or Fiction, I will be offline this weekend for the Fourth of July! Man, it's funny how a year ago the most exciting thing in my life was Hamilton coming to Disney+. And now I get to go on a trip again! Okay this note's getting way too long…review response time! :D
Urmimala Hazra: In all honesty Audrey's death was pretty much planned along with Freddy's. It's just the way she died that changed. But yep, there's going to be another sequel! Because why not? :D What do you mean by chapters being published late? I don't really have a schedule for uploading, I pretty much just publish when I get a chapter completed! :D
61394: Agreed, she may have been their enemy but she was once Ben's friend.
jedblack1997: Oh yeah, I definitely think Leah will get the blame for the direction Audrey went in this series.
DS Rider: Not going to lie, I definitely read that in Gandalf's voice. You know, from the scene when Theoden is crying in front of Theodred's tomb? And I just revealed how much of a nerd I really am…I'll show myself out.
Guest: Of course I read it! It was a really good idea and after a lot of contemplation and brainstorming, I really think I can make it work! Don't be embarrassed and I'm so flattered that you were so happy! As for Audrey over in WAL…well I mean she redeemed herself so maybe the Fates will be kinder to her this go around ;D
Anonymous Reader: Trust me, I hated Audrey too but she really didn't deserve it. That being said, I didn't think keeping her in an enchanted sleep forever was fair to her daughters. As for your questions: Henry's mother was a low level villain on the Isle (I actually don't think I have a name for her) and the LTBR is the Learning to be Royal club. I just abbreviated it. :D
AmethystDragon14: Yay! Yeah I didn't really find myself jumping for joy the way I did when I wrote Freddy's execution chapter. And in all honesty, that was kinda the point—I wanted to feel bad for the characters in the chapter and so I put the focus on Aurora and Phillip.
GreenHybrid: Oh well thank you—in all honesty it wasn't until I started writing Descendants fics and tried to flesh out Audrey's character that I started liking her. The way she was written in the movies just felt one dimensional to me.
Monkeymama1516: I'm going to leave Audrey's judgement up to the readers' imagination just because I know a lot of people have a fondness for Audrey and I'd rather not ruin that. Plus Freddy was just fun to sentence :D
HufflepuffInDaHealingCoven: LTBR stands for 'Learning to be Royal'—it's the club that was introduced over in my Watch and Learn series and I brought it in over in Choosing Love. I did not mean to do the foreshadowing there but I will take credit for it!
twilightgirl587: Yes, I would like that dragon too! And aww, that piggy sound so cute! And yep, Ben would gift a mini library! Why not? :D Aww! I love that—I have other plans for Claudine and Henry child wise but I love that image! :D
greeky-geek: I know—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be vague in the author's note but I didn't want to blind side people with Audrey's death either!
LOST MUSES: In all honesty, I think it helped that I framed it from Aurora and Phillip's POV. If it was Audrey's, I don't know how I would have treated that chapter.
Hufflepuff24: I have to agree, I felt bad for Ben in the last chapter.
Guest: Not a dumb question at all! So according to Disney Wiki, there's supposedly a shot of Aurora and Phillip at Family Day (unfortunately said picture throws so many genetics into question because of casting). But Audrey's child has dirty blonde hair—think light brown it's almost blonde. Since Aurora is naturally blonde and we can assume Phillip Sr. is a brown-blonde genetically (from the LA since we see his mother in the animated). And never apologize for being a science nerd! I may not completely understand genetics but I love reading reviews that show the passion in what the reviewer's talking about! :D
Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Phil had honestly been avoiding this part ever since his parents came home from Auroria General a month ago with his new niece…and Audrey's body. Neither one of his parents was up for packing up Audrey's room so he thought he'd do it for them.
As a way to avoid them having to reopen the wounds of losing Audrey. It…it was the Kingly thing to do right? To take care of things so that his parents wouldn't have to worry about them? If he was going to be King of Auroria after his dad, he'd need to start doing things the Kingly way.
Besides, choosing the baby's name had been tough enough for his parents. They had decided to go with Paige, as both a way of connecting the newest member of the family to her grandfather and uncle but also a way to almost make sure Freddy's memory died out by not having any of his children have a letter connected to him. Paige's full name, they'd decided, would be Paige Audrey Rose.
At least Ari seems to like her little sister, Phil thought as he shifted the box that was under his arm. Looking around his sister's room, he sighed. He was definitely going to need more than one box but it was all he could really sneak up. Anything else would have been too noticeable.
Absently picking up a nearby stuffed animal that was buried under a mountain of pillows, Phil felt his heart break when he realized what he was holding.
Audrey's beloved stuffed rabbit—the one she had screamed at him for taking when they were six and four respectively because he needed a maiden to save from a tower. Bunnies could be maidens! At least according to his impressionable four year old brain.
Audie…why? Why'd you have to go? Why'd you have to hurt mom and dad one last time? They miss you…I miss you, Phil thought as he swallowed to clear the lump in the back of his throat.
"Phil?" Claudine's voice sounded from the doorframe and Phil looked over at her, accidentally tossing the rabbit into the closet as he spun toward the door. "What're you doing?"
"I…I was going to get started…I mean it has to be done…"
"Not by you though," Claudine said as she walked toward him, gently taking the box he was holding out of his hands. "Come on, you lost your sister. You should be mourning, not trying to handle everything under the sun."
"You…you lost your brother though and you…"
"I accepted the fact that Freddy wasn't the brother I once knew," Claudine said softly. The burial had been a private affair, just her, Henry, Mal, and Ben on a ship that King Eric and Queen Ariel had graciously loaned them.
It wasn't a pirate ship as Henry would have preferred but it was the best they had. Freddy would never know the difference considering he was, well, ash.
"But…who's going to do it if not me?" Phil asked, his soft voice pulling Claudine out of her thoughts.
"I will," Melody's voice came from the doorframe and Phil jerked his head back toward it. There she was, his best friend standing with their other friends—Evan, Ashaki, Neal, the Hatter twins, Alexandria, and even their new friends among the VKs.
CJ, Ryan, Brooke, Dizzy, Celia and Hadie stood in the back, holding boxes and in Hadie's case a tub of what looked like cooked chicken.
"Wha…what are you guys doing here?" Phil asked, more than a little amazed. The funeral had been a private affair, only family (which yes, did include Claudine thank you) so even if Phil wanted to invite his friends, he couldn't've.
He hadn't heard anything from his friends after the funeral. In all honesty he thought they were mad at him for not inviting them.
"Mal set out a message among the kids who's parents are in the Learning to be Royal club after your parents announced that Audrey had…had passed," Evan spoke up. "Akiho and Emir are leading the older kids in boxing up Audrey's dorm over at Auradon Prep. Mal would have been here herself but she's slammed right now according to Rowyn."
"So we came to help," Melody said. "And yes, I know I'm not part of the Learning to be Royal kids club but you're my best friend Phil. I'm not going to sit on the sidelines while you're mourning."
"Harriet said that Mal and Uma said that Freddy was half pirate," CJ spoke up. "While we'll always hate his guts even though he's probably being tormented by Lord Hades, Ari and the new Princess are guiltless. They didn't choose to have Freddy as a father anymore as Claudine chose to have him as a brother."
"Well said," Ryan nodded, resting a hand on CJ's shoulder.
"Plus we got permission to be here anyway so it's not like we're doing anything wrong," Alexandria added.
"Wait…what?"
"You're not as sneaky as you think you are Phil," Melody said as she gently led him over to a nearby bench. "You really think we'd be here to sneakily box up Audrey's room if it wasn't okay with your parents?"
"They've been through so much though," Phil whispered as Melody rubbed his back. "I…I didn't want them to have to deal with that heartache on top of running the kingdom."
Melody gave Phil a sad smile as she saw how tired he looked. "Phil…have you gotten any sleep since Audrey died?"
"A few hours here and there," Phil muttered and Melody sighed, pushing a strand of her raven black hair out of her eyes.
"Alright guys, throw out only the stuff that you know needs to be thrown out. Used makeup and the like," she said. "If you're unsure, ask. If the person you're asking is unsure, don't touch it until we can ask Aurora or Phillip. I'm going to get this one here down for his own nap."
"Gotcha Melody," the AKs nodded.
"Aye cap'n," the VKs said, causing Melody to smile slightly.
"I'm not a captain."
"You took charge of this mission," Hadie told her. "So you're a captain for today cuz."
Melody gave Hadie a small smile before leading Phil out of the room toward his own bedroom. She frowned slightly as Phil gave next to no resistance at being led to his room.
"Phil? You are sleeping right? Don't lie to me, please."
"I mean…someone's got to help with the girls," Phil said, his voice soft.
"Isn't that why Claudine's here? Didn't you tell me she'd offered to help considering they're her nieces too?"
Phil nodded. Claudine had made that offer and had been a great help but for some reason had almost been hesitant to help with Paige as she got older and it became apparent that her eyes would have the same shade of grey as Freddy's had been.
Phil had overheard Claudine talking about that once, he hadn't meant to but they were all in the pool and the sound carried.
"I…I know I shouldn't," Claudine told Henry as Phil swam with Paige in his arms; Ari by their side in a floatie. "But every time I look into those eyes, I see Freddy staring back at me."
"Claudine, she's a baby," Henry said, his voice gentle. "She hasn't had a chance to be twisted like your brother was. No offense."
"None taken. And I know she's a baby which is why I don't know why it's so hard for me to get close to her. I managed fine with Ari when she was Paige's age. But…every time I see those grey eyes on Paige, I just feel like I'm never going to escape him. And I know it's not fair to her but I…"
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Henry said softly, pulling her into his arms. "You had to deal with Freddy all your life. And the important thing is you are trying. You don't leave Paige to suffer if you don't have to if she's crying."
"Of course I don't," Claudine shook her head. "She's my niece, I won't just leave her to cry if she needs someone and I'm the only one in ear shot."
Henry smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It'll be okay. Paige isn't Freddy. Just give her a chance okay?"
"I always do," Claudine said with a small sigh.
"You okay?" Melody asked, pulling Phil back into the present.
"Just thinking."
Melody gave Phil a small, sad smile as she gently laid him on his bed. As his head hit the pillow, she began running her fingers through his hair.
"Oh the waves roll low, and the waves roll high and so it goes…under a bright blue endless sky," she began to sing a familiar lullaby. A lullaby that her mother sang to her as a child and a lullaby that her grandmother had sung to her mother. "Waves try to measure…the days that we treasure. Wave hello and wave goodbye."
Soft snores were the only response from Phil but Melody didn't mind. It was clear that he needed the sleep and it was clear that he needed to mourn too. He wasn't King of Auroria yet—sure he'd be a father soon because of their agreement but that didn't mean he couldn't be a teen.
Honestly I blame Ben. His workaholic and stoic nature has clearly rubbed off on the other heirs, she thought before gently laying a gentle kiss on Phil's cheek. She hadn't been lying that day in Ben's office when she had said that there were worst people to have a kid with. She wasn't even dreading her eighteenth birthday in all honesty, even though that's when the agreement would come into affect.
Pulling a blanket up over Phil, Melody ducked out of the room and made her way back to Audrey's room.
"How's the progress?" Melody asked as she walked back into the room.
"The only thing we've managed to get rid of is Audrey's makeup," Claudine said. "And that's only because no one wants used makeup. Everything else we're unsure of in all honesty. We've boxed up some of her clothes for Aurora and Phillip to decide on when we found this."
Claudine held up a stuffed rabbit that had clearly been loved based on how much of the fluff was missing. In all honesty it looked like a rag instead of a rabbit, the only way to tell was the two long ears.
"Hmm, not exactly something you'd think Audrey would have had," Evan said.
"From what Chad used to tell me, Audrey would carry that thing everywhere when they were kids," Alexandria said. "Ben would have his dragon and Audrey would have her rabbit."
"Why am I not surprised Ben had a plush dragon?" Hadie asked, shaking his head slightly in amusement. It was honestly a little scary how much his future brother in law was like his sister.
"Give me the rabbit," Neal said. "I can take him to Evie, get him repaired…or her. I don't know what gender the stuffed rabbit is."
"Ruby insisted all her stuffed animals were girls when we were kids," Evan chuckled. "At least, according to Robin and Rose."
Claudine smiled. "You know, once this is brought back to life, Ari might like it."
"Or Paige," Hadie pointed out.
"Besides if Uma has her way, both those girls are going to know their pirate backgrounds," Celia stated. "A nice dig at Freddy from beyond the grave…err no offense Claudine."
"None taken," Claudine chuckled. "Freddy always denied the fact that he was half-pirate. The only thing he ever said about his mother, once he found out she was a member of my mother's crew, was that her name was Mary."
"Why am I not surprised?" Neal asked, rolling his eyes. "From what Evie's said about Freddy, he was just like his father in terms of his fanaticism so it'd make sense Frollo would go for a woman with a biblical name."
Melody shook her head. "Okay, as much as I know we'd all like to trash Freddy till the sea cows come home but I'd rather not bother Queen Aurora and King Phillip too much while they're in mourning. Let's get a move on guys."
"Right," the others nodded and they quickly got back to work. Melody gave her friends a small smile before joining them.
"Okay exactly what was the point in us doing this?" Grace Hatter asked after about a half an hour. "All we did was box up stuff for Aurora and Phillip to decide what to do with."
"We also threw some stuff out," her twin sister Paige added.
"Makeup. We threw out makeup."
"It was something we did to try to make something a little easier for Aurora and Phillip," Melody said. "Aurora didn't ask to be related to Leah or Audrey so why should she be punished?"
"Uh huh," Grace smirked. "And it's not just because you've developed a small crush on Phil now is it?"
"Careful Grace. Alex told me you've spent an awfully long time around Neal," Melody said with a smirk of her own. "Could you possibly be projecting?"
Thankfully Neal was not present for this conversation as he was down in the kitchens with Evan, getting some snacks and waters for the group.
"Do I want to know?" Henry asked as he poked his head in, preventing Grace from shooting back a retort.
"What are you doing here?" Claudine asked her fiancé, walking over to give him a small kiss on the cheek.
"I wanted to see if you wanted to spar and couldn't find you at the pool or at Mal's," Henry explained. "So I decided to search the castle."
"I'll spar!"
"We know CJ," Hadie chuckled. "But I think Henry would rather spar with Claudine than you."
"I'm always willing to spar with a member of our crew," Henry said. "But I don't think Ryan would be too happy with me if I took you away from him CJ."
Claudine chuckled as she saw the look on Ryan's face. It was clear that the brown haired boy agreed with what Henry had said.
"We're boxing up Audrey's room," she told Henry. "We thought it'd be something we could do for Aurora and Phillip. They've given so much to me, it's the least I can do for them."
Henry gave Claudine a soft smile as he gently kissed her forehead. "Put me to work cap'n. What do you need?"
"More boxes," Claudine told him, smiling at the pet name. She'd once tried to argue against it but Henry insisted. He said that she was a pirate captain's daughter so it was only right to refer to her by that title.
"I'm on it," Henry said. "Ry, you're with me."
Ryan nodded and the two Rats quickly left; Claudine and CJ shaking their heads slightly in amusement before the rest of them got back to work.
If one had looked into Audrey's bedroom, one would have thought that she'd had a lot of friends. Friends who missed her and wanted to reminisce about the fun times they'd spent together. One would be wrong.
The Auradon Kids weren't doing it for Audrey. They were doing it for Phil, one of the most loyal friends they ever had and someone who didn't deserve the heartbreak of losing a sibling. They were doing it for the little girls who now would never know their mother or father.
And the Villain Kids certainly weren't doing it for Audrey. They were doing it for Aurora, a woman who was trying desperately to make right all the wrongs her mother had inflicted upon the Isle. They were doing it for Phillip, probably one of the few heroes that the Rats respected.
Hey, anyone who can kill Maleficent gets a modicum of respect okay? Dragon or no dragon.
Anyway, they were doing it for him. A man who had clearly loved his daughter. And every VK knew the pain of losing a loved one or knew someone who knew that pain.
Audrey may have tried to take over Auradon and threatened Mal but Audrey's parents did not. They remained loyal to King Ben, to Mal, and even provided Claudine a place in their home and in their family.
No matter what, the VKs would be there for the Roses. After all, for most of them, their motto was Ruthless yet Loyal. And loyalty shown would be loyalty repaid. Ten fold.