From living in Auradon for so long, Audrey was already used to waking up early so she could make sure she dressed her best. With staying on the Isle, she thought it was best to wear a more settle outfit than her usual bright colors. Deciding to wear her hair up in a simple pony-tail, the princess found herself ready for the day in record timing.
And yet, when she came down to the kitchen for breakfast just before seven, Harriett had just finished washing the last of the breakfast dishes.
"Good morning, Audrey," Harriet greeted while drying a plate with a dish towel. "Did you sleep well last night? You must have been restless from having to stay in a different room."
"I thought people on the Isle didn't get up early," Audrey confessed, walking toward the pirate while ignoring the previous questions. "I assumed everyone slept in, considering the Core Four were late the first week of school."
"It just depends on the people," Harriet claimed, sliding a plate of food to the princess, whose stomach turned at seeing all the spoiled food. "Anthony and I wake up early to do our chores around the house before school, which is the only condition Lady Tremaine had for when I moved in."
"Where are Lady Tremaine and Anthony?" Audrey wondered, aimlessly picking at the food. "Did they leave without us?"
"Lady Tremaine wanted to leave earlier today, so Anthony walked with her while I volunteered to stay behind for you." Harriet shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "It's not that important. Mal's supposed to meet us in town anyways. Anthony just worries to much because he's afraid he'll lose another family member."
"Sounds like he has a story," Audrey remarked, pushing the plate away without the pirate knowing. "Which is . . . ?"
"His mother is Anastasia while his father was the baker from their village," Harriet began with a sad gleam in her eyes. "Although he was good, his father decided to live on the Isle for Anastasia. He died of an unknown disease when Anthony was just a baby. Anastasia, who had been sick while pregnant with Anthony, became even worse after having him. It just progressed until it finally took her life a couple years later."
Grabbing the plate of food and scraping it in the trash, Harriet placed the plate in the sink before drying her hands with a nearby towel. "We better start that way," she insisted. "There's no sense in having Mal wait on us for too long. Once meeting up with her, we will tell the story of me and Anthony."
The walk to Dragon Hall was somewhat pleasant. The two teenagers remained quiet until they met up with Mal, who sipped on a styrofoam cup of coffee sludge from the Slop Shop.
"We got together at a howler—an Isle party," Harriet explained before the princess could become confused at the Isle lingo. "Carlos thrown this one at Hell Hall."
"Carlos had been so nervous when I convinced him to have one," Mal reminisced softly. "He had been so worried Cruella would go insane on him. I had to remind him so many times that she still had 'Estella' inside of her, at least somewhere."
Audrey scrunched up her nose at the unfamiliar name. "Who is 'Estella'?"
Harriet gasped at the question. "You don't know who she is?" she interrogated incredulously. "Surely Auradon would know by now with Carlos there."
"He hasn't mentioned anything about her," Mal answered knowingly. "People didn't believe Cruella when she used faux Dalmatian fur on her coat, so Carlos doesn't think anyone would believe him about Estella."
"If he grants permission, I will you his story later," Harriet reassured. "Anyways, it was the beginning of sophomore year, just a month before the Core Four would go to Auradon. Mal had Carlos rebel for once and he threw a howler. I had been mingling with a few people when I felt someone staring at me."
"Meanwhile," Mal continued on, "I had been a wallflower—watching everyone have fun since I was just there for my three friends. As I was watching the party, I noticed Anthony been stealing glances toward Harriet. The look on his face was the same look my dad gives my mom when she wasn't looking. In other words, he was falling in love."
"When I looked around for whoever was watching me, I noticed Anthony," Harriet recalled dreamily. "I always swooned when I saw him. I watched him for a few seconds before I turned away quickly, blushing as brightly as I possibly could."
"I noticed their interaction going on, both of them watching each other as they fell more madly in love," Mal teased, causing Harriet to go even redder at the memory. "I decided to do something about it. I went to Anthony, told him to grow a pair of balls, and ask Harriet for a dance already because he was giving her the 'Look'. That was the same thing I told Jay when he was constantly watching Aziz."
"Jay finally came out on the mainland?" Harriet assumed in astonishment. "Good for him! I knew it had to be tough considering everything that happened at Dragon Hall."
"Another story?" Audrey shook her head in amazement. "You guys have so many. Can you finish the first one before you tell another?"
"Sorry," Harriet apologized half-heartedly. "I had been so excited when Anthony asked me that I squealed my answer. We danced with each other all night before he walked me home, giving me a kiss on the cheek for 'good-night', making me swoon once more. We slowly started to spend more and more time with each other until we became almost inseparable. Dad noticed and gave his blessing for me to move in with Anthony, because he didn't want me to relive what happened to him."
"But you still managed to find time to care for the Smee twins," Mal reminded. "I will always admire how you put them ahead of your needs. And I will admire Anthony for always being so patient when it comes to you watching the twins."
"It sounds like you have an amazing relationship." Audrey sighed in irritation. "I'm never going to find anything, or anyone, like that."
"Maybe you need to stop looking in Auradon and start looking on the Isle," Harriet teased. "We better hurry. You don't want to be late on your first day of Dragon Hall."
While Mal vanished in the hallways of scurrying students, Harriet gave Audrey a quick tour of the school while leading her to the headmaster's office.
Repurposed to act as a school, Dragon Hall was actually an old tomb with an unknown level of basements. With the outside being a graveyard—many tombstones having phrases instead of the name of the deceased—the inside had almost no light as the lockers lined haphazardly against the walls.
In the headmaster's office, Audrey could barely hide her surprise at seeing Freddie and Celia's father—Dr. Facilier—sitting at his desk, solemnly starting at an old picture portrait of his daughter.
Clearing her throat, Harriet spoke up to grab the voodoo man's attention. "Sir," she began, "the new student, Audrey, is here from the mainland."
Perking up at the announcement, swiftly placing the photo in his pocket, Dr. Facilier jumped up from his seat with a sugar sweet smile, which looked quite sinister in Audrey's eyes. "Welcome to Dragon Hall!" he greeted kindly. "As you may already know, I am the headmaster of this school. Before I give you your schedule, I do have a couple questions."
Sitting on the edge of his desk, Dr. Facilier wondered sincerely, "How are Freddie and Celia? Are my Voodoo Girls adjusting well in Auradon?"
Taken back by question, Audrey stuttered the first response she could think of, "Freddie befriended Genie's daughter and Alice in Wonderland's daughter, while Celia has made a name for herself with her fortune telling."
Facilier let out the breath the teenagers didn't know he was holding in. "That's a relief," he commented softly. "I was afraid they would be close to being sent back to the Isle by now; not that it would disappoint me. I do miss them terribly."
"Maybe Mal or Jay can let them visit sometime while Audrey is on the Isle," Harriet suggested. "Now about her schedule—"
"Here it is." As if by magic, a sheet of paper suddenly appeared in the headmaster's hand. Passing it off to the new student, Dr. Facilier warned, "A bit of advice: don't get into trouble. A few teachers joined together in creating a punishment that is quite severe. I've tried disbanding it, but nothing seems to work. If you are punished, I can't guarantee you'll be saved."
As though satisfied by his own explanation, Facilier politely bowed toward the door. "Have a nice day, Miss Audrey."
Miss?
Unluckily, Audrey didn't have the chance to interrogate the headmaster about 'strange' title since Harriet was already dragging her out the door.
"Your schedule has been matched pretty closely to your schedule in Auradon," Harriet informed on the way to the first classroom. "The only difference should be the time your classes occur. Me, Anthony, or Mal will lead you to your classes for the first couple days, just until you get the hang of where all your classes are at. At the end of the day, make sure you don't leave your last hour class until—"
"Harriet," Audrey interrupted with a curiously raised eyebrow. "Why did Dr. Facilier call me 'Miss Audrey' instead of 'Princess Audrey'?"
Sighing softly, Harriet confessed, "There is a reason, but we aren't sure how to explain it without you becoming . . . defensive. If you will just give us until the end of the day, we can find a way to ease the news to you."
Audrey scrunched up her nose at the warning. "I'm not going to like the news, aren't I?"
"I'm afraid not," Harriet admitted softly, finally stopping at a door entrance. "This is your first hour class with Lady Tremaine. My advice, try not to draw too much attention to yourself on your first day. Just sit at any empty desk, keep your head down, and you will be fine. Since Mal is staying in Lady Tremaine's classroom, she will take you to your next class. Anthony and I only share one class with you, which isn't until after lunch, but we didn't think you would mind so you aren't constantly around us. If you don't need anything from me now, I will see you later."
Waving 'good-bye' for now, Harriet walked on to her own class while Audrey reluctantly entered her new classroom. Keeping her head down, Audrey trudged to the first open sea—cauldron, she could find, taking the advice to lay low. Like she told Arianna, maybe if she's good enough, Audrey could return home before the week ends.
After waiting impatiently for the time to pass, the bell finally rang a minute later, allowing the rest of the students to slowly trickle into the room. Soon enough, everyone was finally in the room, allowing Lady Tremaine to begin her class.
Unlike in Auradon, Audrey actually paid attention to the lecture because it was so fascinating. Lady Tremaine's subject was history, so she taught the lesson as though it was one of her favorite stories. Audrey hung on to every word the woman spoke, never noticing the stares her new classmates gave her until—
"Why is that bitch here?" Ginny Gothel interrupted, as that had been on everyone's mind since the class started. "Did she do something that got her banished like us?"
"That is none of your concern, Ginny," Lady Tremaine insisted sternly. "Regardless of the reasons, she is still here to learn, so you need to treat her with respect."
Ginny scoffed at the suggestion. "Yeah, right! Why should I respect that brat when she will never respect any of us?"
"I am a princess," Audrey reminded, turning in her seat to face the insulter. "My mother and father are a queen and a king—"
"Your parents have no royal status on the Isle," Ginny retorted sassily. "And neither do you. You are no better than anyone else here."
Face glowing in anger, Audrey made the right decision of turning back toward the front of the class, instead of letting her rage get the best of her. Still . . . the comment lingered in Audrey's mind.
This must have been how Evie felt when Audrey told her the same thing when she first came to Auradon—
Completely devastated.
At the end of the day, Audrey had been the last one out of the classroom when she noticed the entire hallway was clear of students. Curiosity taking over her, Audrey quietly crept through the halls, almost as though she was afraid someone would jump out at her.
As she continued down the corridors, the teenager could hear faint sounds of whispering, reminding her of those who eavesdropped on her before she left. The further down she traveled, the louder the voices became. Some were murmurs of horror while others were shouts of encouragement.
Audrey wasn't sure why there were different sounds of approval—
Until she came in sight of a scene that made her stomach twist in knots.
Two burly students each had a strong grip on either arms of a struggling female student. If Audrey had to guess, the teenager had to be around her age and parents possibly descending from Agrabah based on her clothing.
"Jade's done it again," Audrey heard a student mumble to another. "She needs to hide it better like Jay did."
"It wouldn't do her any good," the other student complained with a sullen sigh. "Everyone already knows her secret. Frollo is just targeting her at this point."
Although she was initially concerned by the comment, Audrey couldn't help the curiosity coursing through her. While everyone watched from the sidelines, Jade continued her attempt to struggle out of their grip as they roughly pushed her to the ground, forcing her to kneel in front of a massive dragon statue, which took up most of the staircase of two levels. Worry soon took her curiosity as Audrey continued to spectate the teen having her wrist chained up to the feet of the statue.
Emerging from the crowd of students was a man Audrey only knew from the descriptions as a child—Judge Frollo. In his hand was a wound-up piece of material, almost like rope. But why—?
"Today is yet another day that Jade, the niece of Jafar, is to be punished," Frollo announced in a very powerful tone.
Niece of Jafar? Audrey though to herself. She must be Jay's cousin.
"The crime is just the same as before," Judge Frollo continued. "She violated another student—"
"That is bullshit!" Jade shouted, struggling to free herself from the chains. "I didn't do anything wrong! I only opened a door for Ginny again, just like before!"
"She says you placed your hand on her waist in an inappropriate fashion," Frollo argued, slowly unraveling the barbed rope so it was one long piece hanging freely. "With your track record, you have to understand that I can't take your word over hers. Let's just get this over with so we can go about our day, alright?"
Instead of waiting for a response, Judge Frollo raised the object over his head before he powerfully brought it back down toward the teenager. Audrey gasped at the brash action. Luckily, no one seemed to notice for a new development came to take place in front of them.
Right before the weapon could strike Jade's back, a brave individual stepped forward, allowing the barbed leather rope to painfully latch around her arm. Grinning almost sadistically, Frollo jerked back on his end of the rope, causing it to rip away at the savior's arm, shredding the sleeve of her Auradon jacket.
"Well, well," Frollo greeted. "If it isn't the Lady of the Court. Have you come to spectate? Or have you come to volunteer for this wretched peasant?"
Not giving him the satisfaction of a verbal answer, Mal wordlessly removed her leather jacket before unchaining Jade, placing herself in the confines instead. As she moved to kneel, Mal wondered softly, "How many do you have?"
Rubbing her swore wrists, Jade grumbled, "Thirteen. . ."
"Jade, I mean this in the nicest way possible," Mal claimed as she went into position. "Stop doing nice things for that bitch. She is never going to love you in return."
As though he was the one personally offended by the insult, Frollo brought down the weapon again, his teeth gritted and a fire in his eyes. Striking her back, ripping her shirt and cutting open her skin, Mal let out a small yelp only because she was caught off-guard.
Meanwhile, a single tear dripped down the cheeks of an opened-mouth Audrey, who watched the entire thing in absolute horror. Each time the leather would scrape open the fairy's back, another tear would fall. By the last strike, the leather whip had become so soaked that, when it flung back, blood splattered into the audience. Most knew to duck or move out of the way, but Audrey—having this been her first time—completely froze when she felt the warm liquid splatter against her cheek.
Feeling as though she would become sick at any moment, Audrey quickly fled to Lady Tremaine's classroom, hoping to find someone there that would explain what she just witnessed and why it happened in the first place.
"Audrey?" Harriet cautiously stepped toward the clearly shaken up teenager. "What's wrong?" The pirate's eyes grew wide when she noticed something. "Why is there blood on your cheek! Are you hurt?"
"I-It's not mine," Audrey stuttered, shaking her head in disgust. "But what kind of punishment is that? How can this school allow such a horrible thing to be acceptable?"
Anthony paled slightly at the questions. "You saw someone whipped," he assumed. "Whose was it?"
"Jade?" Audrey vaguely recalled while Harriet kindly took the time to wipe the blood off her. "She was the one chained before Mal stepped in."
"You saw her volunteer?" Anthony clarified before sighing in annoyance. "What a gruesome way to end your first day off school."
"That isn't right," Audrey deduced in anger. "How could anyone call that a fitting punishment? No one should be allowed to do something so cruel."
"What do you expect?" Lady Tremaine questioned, placing a calm hand over hers. "This isn't Auradon."