This one is a long run and almost made it this chapter and the last one into a full-on one-piece, but decided this would be better as a two-piece chapter.
COMMENT AND ENJOY!
At the Auradon Cathedral...
The crowd stood as Princess Audrey walked down the nave of the cathedral, watching as she strides with all the poise and radiance that only a true royal princess can achieve, her head up, shoulders back, and balanced equally fair on both feet. She resembled a strong neutral expression that nobody could read and held herself in an air of dignity that is making the former queen of Auroria proud as she watched from ahead.
As Audrey reached the podium, she ignored the chatter, the flashing lights, the cameras following her and the whispered about her as she took the center of the altar and, taking a deep breath, spoke into the mic on the podium.
"Hello, my fellow citizens. My name is Princess Audria of Auroria, but some of you most likely knew that already," Audrey joked, successfully receiving several laughs in the crowd. "I must admit, I lost quite a bit of sleep last night trying to figure out what I could say in front of you all today, but I need to use my voice and I am more than thankful to have you here today."
This got a few claps from the crowd.
"Now," Audrey started, "I asked for this conference to be held here for a few reasons. One, the acoustics are great. And another was because of what had happened at in this very hall two weeks ago when Prince Ben was supposed to be crowned king here, and what we got instead was evil fairies came crashing in and evil plots were revealed. Some call it a scandal, and some call it a great misfortune, but I call it a sad note that ended what was supposed to be a wondrous occasion. And not long after that, the truth about Maleficient's daughter using a Love Spell on became common news and suddenly, the young man who worked tirelessly to earn the people's approval was being threatened to be revoked. And then came the newscast that brings me here today. To tell my side of things and, I will admit, to hopefully restore the faith that was lost in Ben. But to see understand how we got here, I have to go to the start, So let me tell you the story:
Once upon a time, a young baby girl was born a princess to a King and Queen of Auroria. She had no idea what tragedy her family had narrowly avoided at the hands of a dark fairy named Maleficient and what pain and joy it had brought when a family divided and reunited at long last. As she grew older, she had learned of the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty, her mother's story, and how fearful she got every time she imagined herself being cursed by a spinning spindle and a hundred-year sleep. She was more than happy to hear that the fairy would never harm her family again and they would live in love and joy and being together. She grew up with royal lessons, played instruments, had the best instructors until she was given the chance to meet other royal kids just like her. And she'd never know she'd meet a boy who would inspire a lot of influence on her.
The boy's name was Ben Florian and they had met at a royal gathering in honor of his mother's birthday. All the royal families had brought their kids with them and she watched as they were given a chance to play in the garden. When the young princess asked if she could play with him and some of the other kids, one boy pushed her and said she was too girly to play with them and that she should just play with the doll she brought with her. Induced to tears, the princess got up and started to run away, deciding to be by herself when someone grabbed her hand. She had looked see none other than Prince Ben keeping her still. He looked at the other boy and proclaimed: "You're wrong for believing that and should apologize for what you just said. Just because she likes to wear skirts and play with dolls doesn't mean she can't play with us. She deserves to be here just like the rest of us and it's only fair that you respect that." He was young, spoke big words, but the princess understood what he did decided then and there she would be one of his best friends and greatest defender, to protect him as he protected her that day.
I was that princess, and even if he had forgotten what he did that day. I never did," she finished.
At Beast Castle...
Ben was shocked as he watched the conference through his TV from the living room, his parents and family servants all invited to watch as well. He had wanted to go and watch her speak, had been all dressed and ready to go, but Adam stopped him before he even got passed the main gate. He reasons was that if she had to watch him from a distance, he owed her the respect to do the same.
He had completely forgotten that day, and the more Audrey recounted it, the more he remembered! It was his mom's birthday and it was treated as a huge celebration. Royal children were brought along with their parents for the party and, in a political move, to meet the future kings and queen they would be allying themselves with in the future. Some of the kids were playing in the gardens and he and Chad ad been amongst them. He remembered a little girl with braided hair, wearing a pink dress, shyly coming over and asking to join them. He recalled Chad, who never grew out of his rudeness, pushing her down and saying she was too much of a girl to play with them. Ben remembered seeing her cry and about to run away but he stopped her and practically told Chad off before letting her join in.
Ben groaned, putting his head in his hand and shaking his head.
That was the first day he ever met Audrey...and she had been there ever since.
Back at the cathedral...
"From that very day, I remembered doing everything I could to see him. Trying to get into Beast Castle to see him, writing letters, sneaking into meetings just to be in the same room with him. I know, it sounds like a classic school girl crush and unbecoming of a princess-in-training, but it was so much more than that. He radiated goodness and I couldn't help but want to be with him. Luckily, our parents noticed and it wasn't long until I was able to see him whenever I wanted, especially when Auradon Prep was founded. After that, I'll admit to becoming quite vain in the process of it all. I wanted to look good, no, amazing beside him just so I could be deserving to be anywhere close to him, to look just right for him. I started taking my princess lessons seriously, maybe too much that I came off rude to others that...that I became a bully. I probably became unbearable to my peers, so much it must've been questioned how I was Queen Aurora's daughter if I was so mean. But someone must have seen something in me. The Fairy Godmother's daughter did, or she had until I pushed her too far. So, for anybody who is watching this, including Jane, I'm sorry for the pain I caused you to decide that I wasn't worthy of being your friend. And I hope you can forgive me for it."
At Fairy Godmother's Cottage...
Jane was wrapped in her mother's arms, the fairy trying to sooth the girls as tears came pouring out her eyes at the televised apology the princess was reaching out to her.
"It would most likely sound like a petty excuse to say I became like that for Ben, but it was the truth. That, and of my own choices as well. I can't hide that part if I'm going to speak, so I needed to get this out. When Ben asked me to be his girlfriend, I was shocked. I wanted to have his attention and be right next to him, but when he asked to be his girlfriend, it was more than what I could have wanted. A chance to be by his side unconditionally, because he wanted me there, was the best thing that I could treasure, and I strove to be a good girlfriend. To comfort him, to be the ear that listens, his closest confidante, and try my best to be as understanding as I could. So when King Adam stepped down, and the elections began, when he told me he was running I didn't hesitate to help with his campaign. I worked with him during his tour, helped rally support from the citizens, convinced my own family (justified in their reason to believe he might not win) to throw in support from Auroria for his backing. Maybe I'm a little ahead of myself, but I probably did more work than those more experienced he paid to help launch his campaign. And it was worth it, because the moment it fell on the council to choose him, the light radiated from his eyes when he realized he would be the next King of Auradon! That happiness that shone from him made me more than certain I would be by his side no matter what happens.
I was the very first person he told his proclamation to. I was honored until I found out what it was. To be fair, if any of you had asked any of the students how I felt about children coming from the Isle to come here, it wouldn't be untrue to say I hated the idea. But it wasn't for the reason they thought. See, I have a secret condition about me, less medical, but more magical:
I have a high sensitivity to magic.
I was diagnosed when I was born when my mother's fairy godmothers tried to bless me, and I didn't have a good reaction to it. Like some people have allergies that affect their bodies inwardly or make their skin break out or anything that would lead to serious hospitalization if not properly cared for, my "allergy" at it's basis, takes more after like a drug. Maybe it was a side effect from Maleficient's curse, we weren't sure. But magic has never been good for me. I broke my arm once and when one of the fairies tried to use magic to heal me, I was...euphoric, my senses tingling everywhere, everything felt loud but I couldn't understand it. It took hours for it to wear off. And that was Light Magic. Dark Magic was another story. I was on a field trip to the Museum of Cultural History and wandered off from my group. I found myself in the artifacts section and was feeling across from the euphoric sensation of Light Objects and the sinister sensation of the Dark Objects, and it was irritating and driving me insane feeling trapped, especially since I couldn't tell which was which and was causing me to be like that. I accidentally found myself near the Evil Queen's poisoned apples and when my teacher, who just happened to be Fairy Merryweather, found me... I was completely terrible to her. I said earlier that I was a bully to some of my peers, but my attitude at that moment would come off as downright evil! I had no control of myself, my actions, or the things I said until she used magic to knock me out.
Both incidents coincidently happened close together. Yes, my family knew I was sensitive to magic, but by then, they realized just how bad it was. So, it was decided to not use magic around me at all times and remain the family secret...until now. And considering the tales I've heard of magic used for evil deeds, even for it being used for good, I was more than happy for the arrangement. And in case you're wondering how I was able to attend Auradon Prep when a good portion of the school population are magical creatures? Thankfully, King Adam had long proclaimed that students rely on their talents and not magic to do well in school, and due to the low use of magic, I was able to attend risk-free.
All of this goes back to Ben's proclamation because anyone he picked from that island could manifest their powers, should they be magical beings, and practically radiate after it being suppressed for all their lives. It would be less about using and more about just being in their proximity and being affected. So, to conclude, I can sense the use or residual of magic and have completely different reactions to it. I had told the nature of my condition to Ben, but I can only guess he didn't realize just how crucial it was. Maybe it would have affected the children he chose, maybe not. I'll never really know."
At Beast Castle...
Ben's jaw dropped significantly at the confession. Now that he thought about it, from the stories she told him, he never accounted for her condition to be that bad. Yes, she told him about it beforehand, but Ben never assumed that it was that dangerous. He only thought it caused her to just gravitated to magical objects, be able to tell when something...
If Audrey had such a serious reaction to magic, was she the first to know he was under a Love Spell? Is that why she kissed him that day? Did she even know he was being influenced by magic?
The questions made a migraine form in his head and as much as he wanted to lay down, he needed to hear what Audrey was letting out.
He needed to know where he failed her.
At Fairy Godmother's Cottage...
"Is she serious!?" Jane asks, completely flabbergasted. Could Audrey really feel magic and not have told anyone!?
The thoughts that if she had made this public knowledge would have undone everything the VKs had did! She probably knew Mal was performing magic long before she even did the hair spells, and even after that! Did she know that Ben was under a spell as well?
All these thoughts circulated in Jane's head as she watched the TV and come to realize that, perhaps, Audrey's worst behavior around the VKs weren't just her being mean and petty, but that they were completely overriding her sensitivity, borderline driving her insane!
"Huh," her mother muttered. Jane turned to her.
"Did you know this?" Jane questions, a little mad if it turns out to be true.
"I won't answer that," the Fairy Godmother stated. "Audrey's condition is very rare, and, if honed, could be dangerously useful if placed in the wrong hands. If I was aware, I wouldn't have told and it wouldn't be my place to say anything. This was strictly between her and her family, and the fairies, and unless she made it known as she's doing now, no one would know. And I can comprehend what you're thinking. Could Audrey had sensed the magic being used? Most definitely so. But she can only sense magic, not emotions. The fact that her reactions show through her moods and behavior is something worth looking into with the Genie though. Maybe we can offer her assistance."
Inwardly, the Fairy was thinking about the implications the young princess held and felt sorrow for her. If Audrey felt the Love Spell on Ben, she should have known it had worn off. But if she didn't know about it, and perhaps tried to win him back, unaware of his love for Mal not being magic-induced...
If her love for Ben was like she was telling it, the truth would lead to pure heartbreak.
"I didn't know who he had planned to come over from the Isle until that very day they arrived. Not to mention that 3 of the 4 had magic abilities, one being a witch, the next being half-Djinn and the next being the offspring of the dark fairy that cursed my mother! And to keep it simple, I was cross with him! Add in all the stories I head about Maleficient, her magic, and the fact her daughter would come into her magic once crossing the barrier - and her magic being highly probable dark magic - sent me worlds away! I was angry, I'll admit, and I told him not to get too close to them!
Their magic, which I'm more than certain I felt activate from the moment the barrier was let down to let them in, the fact they were raised by some of the worst villains, and my family's history were 3 key reasons to had been against them coming to Auradon. But there was another reason for me to suck it up:
When Prince Ben first told me his proclamation, he told me it was because he had grown up with everything a child could need: A warm bed, food, a place to feel safe. For all the opportunities he had, those kids were denied just because of who their parents were and that never felt right to him. He said to me '"Everyone deserves a chance to choose who they want to be. There's no reason for them to be. I'm happy to have what I have, to be my parents' child and be King soon, but every time I look out to the Isle, I feel like, as a nation, we abandoned those kids and they deserve to be given the same chances we have. Despite what is being said about the Isle, it's a prison at the end of the day and those kids don't deserve to be there."'
At that moment, I saw that little boy that defended me turn into a young man more than worthy of being a king. His sense of justices and fairness never changed, but mature and grew. And I fell in love with him all over again. So that day the limo parked in front of Auradon Prep, regardless of the headache I was feeling from that sensory overload from the magic coming off them, and imperfect first impression be damned, I was going to stick it out for as long as I could."
The crowd was awed at the young princess's story.
Snow White was eating this up on the sidelines. A princess, completely in love with the Good King, suffered in every sense of the mind and body, to help her love's goal see fruition!? Even the most cold-hearted Auradonian, especially one like Grumpy, couldn't deny how poignant this story was!
And everyone was eating it up! The "Princess Audrey's Tell-All Inclusive" was shaping up to be one of the most highest-grossing, live audience recording so far, perhaps higher than the coronation!
The princess's family, however, had different views as the princess spoke.
King Philip wasn't sure whether to be proud or angry. Proud at his daughter for coming forward, but angry at Ben all the more for his insensitivity! He wasn't stupid. Someone would have found out about Audrey's condition eventually, and between Merlin and Fairy Godmother being the only beings he'd trust with that information, may the Olympian Gods help anyone who'd tried to take advantage of her!
And Ben knew! He knew about it and still let her get hurt! King Philip was one step-off from sending a very personal message to the prince to ensure he'd think twice before even trying to be in his daughter's presence when school starts.
Queen Aurora was more than proud of Audrey for telling the truth. Yes, she was more than displeased with her actions to her fellow students, but if one must lose something to gain something, then she hoped that admitting her shortcomings would help Audrey heal in the long run. Besides, she was blessed to be kind at birth! Due to her daughter's sensitivity, she would never have been just limited to be acting one way, and if being unkind was one of them, so be it! Her imperfect daughter was better when she could be anything she wanted, emotionally.
Former Queen Leah had some misgivings but was impressed with none of the less. She hadn't expected her granddaughter to leave herself bare like that, or to learn of her spoiled tendencies, but unlike Cinderella's son, she was willing to admit it and ask for forgiveness. And a princess that is nothing but humble, and that is where she couldn't be more than pleased.
"I'm going to skip a little ahead of myself and bring up parts of the newscast that I believe some of you are wondering about. What happened at the game? Shouldn't I have known Ben was under a Love Spell?
To be fair, I was unaware of it. See, between his coronation planning, classes, sports, extracurricular activities and, of course, trying the help the former kids of the Isle feel welcomed, I was lucky enough if I was able to catch him in between classes, or even a minute of his time. And by the time of the game, it was one of the few events we shared. But there was more to it: Mal had been using magic continuously throughout the school, and my far less-than-appropriate behavior, a side effect of the constant use, was driving me up to the walls. When I found out she used a spell to help the girls grow their hair out, which was against the dress code, I had reasons for being against it. The selfish part was because I didn't want anyone to be any more beautiful than me. That was vanity on my part and another thing I'd apologize for. A less-selfish reason was that the spells were producing magic and giving me painful migraines the staff members that were aware of my condition sent me to the nurse'd office to recover, which was more than often. It couldn't tell whether it was Light or Dark magic, but it was affecting me nonetheless. My only theory is that perhaps the sensory overload I was experiencing maybe a large reason why I wasn't able to tell that Ben was spelled when I got close to him.
My already-overriding senses were canceling out the magic from the spell even from in front of me. But that's just my theory.
But when...but..." Audrey chocked, not being able to get the words out. This is the hardest part she could get to.
She didn't want to recall the "break up". Her ultimate humiliation, her betrayal, the moment her life fell apart...
At Beast Castle...
Bens heart raced as he watched Audrey struggle. He knew which part came next, and it was taking all his self-loathing and guilt not to just run out the room.
He had no right to be upset when he made Audrey feel possible 10x that and more! So if he was going to suffer, then it would be in silence. It's nothing close to what she had to live with, but he'd owed it to her. To do nothing but watch as the girl who did everything for him address how lowly Ben treated her.
"Ben, you already know what happened. You can go and skip this part until it's over," Belle suggested, rubbing her son's back as she watched the sorrow deepen in his eyes.
The Queen didn't want to watch her son grieve. She didn't want any of this to happen. But if she felt anything, it was the shame of her actions.
She was known for changing Adam into a better man, thus breaking his curse in the process. She thought she had been good at seeing beneath other's appearances. But yet, here lies Princess Audrey, who she didn't like and felt unworthy of her royal status, and all she did was love her son and suffer for it. She saw some spoiled girl who just wanted Ben for the title of being Queen and didn't even try to see the real person underneath the persona the Queen herself had made for her.
Audrey never deserved the backlash she would sprout to her husband in closed quarters. She gave so much of herself to Ben, should there even be a question to who the real Audrey is after all?
Anyone who was wronged in such a way, but still apologize and continue to protect the person who did her the most injustice, regardless of if said person was deserving of it or not, had her respect and she would do her damned best to show her gratitude.
Audrey needed to get it together! So she follows her Dad's advice: Use fear to drive you.
"When he proclaimed his love to Maleficient's daughter and asked her to be his girlfriend, the first thing I decided was that I would rather be cursed to sleep for a hundred years than live through this nightmare," Audrey admitted, feeling her eyes swell with tears. "I can't...I couldn't deal with it so I ran off that field and b-burst into tears in an empty locker room. I don't know if any of you could personally understand this, but I felt my heart shatter and the only thing running through my head that wasn't magic-induced was a loss. The loss of losing my First Defender. I had endured so much for him and he hurt me. He hurt me and- and broke me and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I wanted to die!"
Her voice hitched, her breathing quickened and tears were falling out of her eyes, and the very thing Audrey was trying to avoid was happening: The heartbroken girl was coming out.
"I could hear the crowd cheering from the field and I didn't know how to go back there. But one of the players saw me run and followed me. He gave me the idea for damage control and suggested I get with him to make it seem like we had mutually broken up and hadn't announced it yet. It seemed like a solid plan, a ray to save a bruised ego. So I quickly wiped my tears, grabbed his hand and rushed out to the field where I declared I was with someone else: Prince Chad. I know the present scandal about him that's come to light, and while I will not make any comment, I will say it was all for show and nothing happened between us. He just helped me save face."
Thankful that the hardest part was over, she wiped her face with a tissue and regained composture.
"Now, I'll skip ahead again to Family Day, where the parents of the students come to visit once a month. Basically, after crying my tears out to my family over the phone, I was more than grateful to see them that day for a show of support. But I'm also going to admit that what was said about my Grandmother on the news was true. Yes, she did yell at Mal and believe she was just like her mother. But I want everyone to understand it was more out of grief than rage. Be human and forsake royal titles for a moment and consider what that was like for her. She lost her only daughter for sixteen years, then fell under the curse she was under and had to get to know the stranger that was her child all over. Things she would have known for years were now new information. She lost birthdays and holidays and moments she could never get back! An entire childhood! That's the pain only a few royal queens, one's whose children had been raised away from them, or even stolen, can sympathize with. And if they had to meet the person who brought them that pain, or in this case, the daughter who did nothing but be born from them, I can only imagine something similar might have happened.
But while she's not proud of it, I was no better with my treatment when I didn't stop her from saying they deserve to be in the Isle. When other students had ganged up and turned on them. It was too late when I realized I had strayed from the true purpose of them being here. They came here for a better life and we acted no better than what a true villain would be like. For the first time, we became the portrayed villains and they were our victims. And if that day had any effect of the fallout that happened at Prince Ben's coronation, then we are as much to be blamed for them choosing to be evil. I am to be blamed for it, and even if they hadn't turned, an apology wouldn't cut it."
The crowd and anyone watching the live feed was stunned at the princess's admission.
While she wasn't directly accusing the people, she was acknowledging the wrong that was done, even sympathizing the with villains' kids and their actions! Princess Audrey was laying herself bare in front of Auradon, her feelings, her pain, her secrets, and her regrets of how she believed certain things would have gone down without the cruel actions of disillusions and pettiness.
It left the people stunned and questioning why she was doing what she was doing. This was more than just her side of the story.
It was a confession.
"I would talk about the coronation, but let's be honest with ourselves: We all saw what happened next!" she jested. A few laughs in the gathering broken the silent tensions that intensified earlier on.
"But then, soon afterward, I was at home one morning when I looked at the newspapers and saw Prince Ben's name being slandered. I hated it! I hated and felt the injustice of how something so horrible could fall back on him! He was innocent! He had no way of knowing that he was being betrayed by the kids he was helping, kids our age who had nothing that we had, and the possible threat of him losing the throne. But I was reminded to separate my feelings from duty and was able to see why this was being said about him. People had lost faith in him, his ability to keep his word, and everything he'd built since his election was falling on him. A fall from grace in its purest form. But it wasn't for me.
While I told you all that losing him hurt, I just had to realize I only lost an intimate side of him. He wasn't gone. I still believe that Prince Ben won that election fair and square, and not just because I helped him. Every time he spoke, the people fell in love with him because they saw what I've seen since I was a child! I never claimed he was perfect, only Just and Fair. I don't blame anyone skeptical in believing Ben has what it takes to lead Auradon. He had this brilliant idea to fix what he saw as unjust and it would have worked if people had seen past their pain and prejudice to be open-minded and understand that just because one generation made the choices they made, doesn't mean the next has too! I'm the daughter of a great queen, but I'm capable of being bad! Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin and only we can choose what side we're on. Nobody is completely good or bad, but we have that choice to choose. All that's needed is a chance.
That's what Prince Ben had taught me, and what I had to learn on my own. So even after everything that's happened, I will still choose to stand and protect Ben's ideals! I'll always strive to protect him. I'll always love him. So, I'm asking you, the people of Auradon to see the real king you chose. He's not, and may never be perfect, but he will do all he can to stand by you and protect you. And you've got to give him an equal footing, a chance to redeem himself in your eyes. His parents' story is about redemption, and almost all fairytales are about righting a wrong if you just look! If I'm willing to, then so can you.
So thank you for listening today," Audrey concluded, leaving the entire cathedral in silence.
Nobody knew what to expect.
Nobody knew what to say or do...
Except one.
CLAP!
CLAP!
CLAP!
King Philip stood up from his seat, standing broad, and clapped his hands, his eyes beaming in pure pride.
CLAP!
CLAP!
Queen Aurora and Leah joined in.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
And another...
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
And another...
more people started standing up and clapping
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Soon, the room was bursting in a standing ovation! Many were moved to tears and others were downright a sobbing mess, particularly Snow White herself!
Cameras were flashing lights a minute per second and camera crew was more than capturing enough footage that would send ANN reeling for the next few weeks, or months, depending on how popular it becomes!
And Audrey just stood at that podium, abask in lights and staring at disbelief at how many people loved her confermlmence, and she hadn't yet to call for questions yet! She didn't realize she had made such an impact, never really planned on it.
All she just hoped was that she saved the faces of her family and Ben's reputation.