Chapter 8 – In Case of Emergency

-:-:-

They didn't move until Chad's father was safely out of Sardinia.

Queen Aurora pulled Chad and Audrey into the most secure office in all of Auroria, King Phillip meeting her there with a sorrowful look as they got to work contacting the other kings and queens involved in the investigation of Chad's grandfather.

It took time due to the ongoing festivities, most royals hosting the finals of their own festival games in their home kingdoms. They had to wait until after the award ceremonies to get most of them, but that worked in their favor as it allowed enough time for Captain Anozie to escort Chad's father to Hanover. Unlike other monarchs, the king of Sardinia had passed over host duty to Chad's grandfather, so the duke would be distracted holding court while the rest of them were able to spring into action.

One by one, different sections of the large viewscreen came to life in the queen's office, other royals joining the online discussion from their own respective offices. Chad wasn't surprised by the monarchs that were revealed – most powerful kingdoms that neighbored Sardinia or had exhaustive trade ties with his kingdom were represented. It started with Queen Snow, who informed them of the successful transfer of Chad's father, and was followed by King Eugene of Corona and the Dark Kingdom. Maldonia and Agrabah followed next, along with Motunui and DunBroch. Westerly and Camelot made an appearance, and even Arendelle, for whatever reason, was there. A good deal of the southern kingdoms (along with Agrabah and Arendelle) were present, making Chad wonder that if this many had concerns about his grandfather, why hadn't any of them mentioned anything before Ben had launched an investigation the first time?

With each new joining royal – far greater than Chad had anticipated, enough that he knew his grandfather would inevitably notice it – Queen Aurora broke the solemn news.

"It is as we feared," she said, her posture perfectly poised. "Duke Francis is not acting in the best interest of Sardinia or the United States of Auradon."

"Called it," King Eugene sighed, getting a fond look from Lord Consort Aladdin. "Chadwick, kiddo, were you the one to put the pieces together? Are you okay?"

Chad, who had been lingering in the back with Audrey, tensed, hoping that his expression wouldn't get properly captured by the camera.

"We have evidence that Duke Francis has been abusing Chadwick," Queen Aurora cut in smoothly, making her husband tense unhappily beside her.

She let the implication of her statement answer the rest of King Eugene's question.

"That's why we will be taking our concerns to Duke Adam," King Phillip picked up, working with his wife in perfect synchronicity. "We know this is sudden, but if you could get the evidence you've gathered over the past few years together for Duke Adam's review, we would appreciate it. It would be best to act as quickly as possible."

"Say no more," Queen Tiana said, her gaze hard.

The rest of the night seemed to pass in a blur. Duke Adam was brought in, his masquerade mask abandoned on his desk as he listened to the collective's concerns against Chad's grandfather. Most of the things Chad's grandfather had done toed the line of abuse of power, he just hadn't expected anyone else to notice that. While he had been collecting evidence, the other royals had been doing the same, catching one too many discrepancies for them to sit back and just do nothing.

They must have voiced these concerns after Ben had launched his investigation last time. It was the only thing that made sense. How he was able to open and shut the case so quickly. It wasn't just Chad's work – he'd had multiple sources to go off of. Chad had been blinded by his own struggles, had failed to see the big picture since he'd been trapped firmly in the web of his grandfather's abuse, but he hadn't been alone.

And perhaps if he'd just waited, he might not have been alone near the end either, but that was behind him now. There was nothing to be done for it.

The hardest part was watching them review the pictures of Chad's scars. Queen Aurora had requested he complete a full physical since all of Chad's records were kept locked up in Sardinia, so the scans from that were shared as well, revealing multiple scars and fractures that even Chad hadn't known about. He had some old aches and pains that acted up from time to time, but he hadn't realized that they were a result of when his grandfather's lessons had warranted additional intensity for Chad's numerous 'failures'.

"Thank you all for bringing this to my attention," Duke Adam said eventually. "It is clear that Duke Francis must be taken into custody effective immediately."

"Your Lordship," Queen Rapunzel spoke up. "I believe you should award guardianship of Prince Chadwick to King Phillip and Queen Aurora in light of this development."

Chad tensed. "But, my dad…"

"Sweetheart," the queen began, slipping in a pet name during a formal investigate because Chad seemed so pathetic. "I've only spoken to your father for a few hours, but I think we both know he's not in a place to adequately care for you, and he likely hasn't been for a long time."

She had spent the first half of the meeting off-screen, likely attending to Chad's father, and it hurt to hear her words. Chad knew his father didn't get out of Sardinia much by his grandfather's design, knew he wasn't as familiar with the other royals in Auradon as they were with each other, but…

It hurt, to hear that. Despite knowing it was true, it hurt, because that meant Chad was one step closer to losing his father all over again.

"Is that your official opinion, Queen Rapunzel?" Duke Adam asked, his gaze solemn.

She nodded. "It is."

"Then I'll move to grant guardianship of Prince Chadwick James to Phillip and Aurora Rose immediately. This guardianship will stay in place until Prince Chadwick reaches his majority." After a beat, he added, "And until Prince Chadwick graduates Auradon Prep, I'm placing Sardinia's care under Queen Snow White's stewardship. Queen Snow," he turned his focus to the Hanoven queen. "Do you pledge to look over the people of Sardinia, to guide them on a temporary basis until King Christopher James or Prince Chadwick James prove capable of managing the burden of leadership?"

"I do," Queen Snow pledged, inclining her head respectfully.

"Then the motion carries," Duke Adam declared. "At least as a temporary measure. You'll have to formally propose it at the next council meeting. Though, Chadwick, you will now be Sardinia's representative when the council is called to order." There was a pause where he let that sink in. "Are you prepared for this responsibility?"

"I am," Chad said. "And while I know I haven't been allowed to prove it, I am ready to take care of Sardinia, your lordship."

"I suspected as much," the duke said, a small grin tugging at his lips. "The fallout from your grandfather's actions would be much worse without someone hampering him from the inside. In light of the gathered evidence, the only possible suspect is you." He smiled. "I do not doubt your capabilities, Chadwick, but I learned something from my son's rushed coronation. You deserve the chance to enjoy your youth, which is something I suspect you haven't been allowed to do for many years."

Chad swallowed at that, trying not to sway on his feet as he thought of the person his constant paranoia had made him, the over preparedness, the strategizing he couldn't seem to shut off if he tried.

The duke was kind enough to move on after this, turning his attention to the other royals. "Thank you for your assistance, everyone. You have done a great service for Auradon. As presider, I now call this meeting to a close. My office will provide updates as the situation develops. Goodnight, and Godspeed."

The rest of the royals echoed this, and one by one the monitors shut off, until it was just Corona and Hanover splitting the large viewscreen.

"I'll start working on the press package right now," Queen Snow said. "But it might be best for you to lay low for a few days, Chad."

"We'll look after your father," Queen Rapunzel added. "He can stay here as long as he needs."

"Which includes forever, by the way," King Eugene added. "Though we would hope to get him back to you before then."

"You can visit whenever you want," Queen Rapunzel added. "Just teleport in, we'd be happy to see you. All of us."

It was a kindness, one Chad didn't deserve, considering how little they knew him.

And yet, it was still one he clung to, because he was greedy. Because he couldn't help it.

"Thank you," Chad said, his voice sounding rough even to his own ears. "I can't thank you all enough."

"You don't have to thank us for this, kiddo," King Eugene said. "It's our duty."

"I'm only sorry we couldn't stop this sooner," Queen Snow said.

"It's done now," King Phillip cut in, his tone firm. "That's what matters."

"I think it's time we call it a night," Queen Aurora said. "We've all had a long day."

"Of course," Queen Snow said, and the line finally closed out.

It was… it was over. Chad's father was safe, his grandfather taken care of, and he hadn't even done it by himself.

"Would you like to pick out a suite, Chadwick?" Queen Aurora asked, her voice gentle. "Or perhaps you could sleep on Audrey's couch for the night."

It was subtle permission to allow Chad to cuddle with Audrey should he need, yet another gift among the bounty they had already provided him.

Chad cleared his throat, trying to come back to himself. "I can use the guest suite," he said. "Though I appreciate the offer-"

"Asshole," Audrey interrupted. "We are having a sleepover."

Chad opened his mouth. Closed it.

Well, he didn't really have anywhere else to be, he guessed. And his kingdom was going to be a bit of a mess with all the arrests going on.

"If you don't mind," Chad amended, making Audrey sigh.

"We don't," Queen Aurora assured him. "We never do."

"I think this situation calls for hot chocolate," King Phillip offered, dragging a weary hand across his face.

"Daddy, you're brilliant," Audrey chirped, hooking her arm through the crook of Chad's elbow. "Come on, let's go down to the kitchen."

"Thank you," Chad said, realizing he'd forgotten to offer that after all this. "I can't- I can't thank you enough-"

"You never should have had to go through this," Queen Aurora interrupted. "Please don't thank us for fixing that injustice. Not when you've been struggling for years and we didn't notice."

There was a silence where no one seemed to be happy, and Chad was boggled by it, that they'd care for him this much and he hadn't even shown them he was smart yet. As far as they knew, he was an asshole.

"You deserve this," Audrey said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Now, come on. My dad makes the best hot chocolate."

"Had to woo your mother somehow," King Phillip murmured, a smile tugging at his lips. It made Queen Aurora roll her eyes, but her expression melted into something that could only be fond, had her slipping her own arm through the king's as they took the office out of lockdown mode and strolled back into the hallway.

It was over, and Audrey's parents weren't looking at him with muted expressions of pity or confused annoyance like they used to when he showed up to date their daughter. They were just parents, like the kind he'd always wanted, and-

And he held onto that because he could. Because he needed just one instance of a functional relationship before it all got taken away.

It only seemed fair.

-:-:-

Chad didn't pay attention to the media fallout from his grandfather's arrest.

Well, he did to some of it. Audrey had been insistent about him watching the public announcement Duke Adam and Queen Snow gave to explain her appointment as Sardinia's Steward when royals Chad's age (Ben), were already leading their own kingdoms.

"Our investigation has revealed that Prince Chadwick has been contributing to Sardinia's success since the age of twelve," Duke Adam explained. "And while he could very well step up and take control of his kingdom now, the United Auradon Council believes that he deserves a break from the duties that never should have been put upon his shoulders at such a young age in the first place."

Chad received a lot of messages after that. Texts and DMs from classmates all trying to check in with him. Queen Aurora ended up limiting his screen time when Chad voiced a concern about it, when he explained the frequent updates his grandfather required of him on social media several times a week – a day.

"No," she said, putting her foot down. "You're taking a break now. You can talk to your classmates when you return to school, but for now, Audrey will let everyone know you're okay."

It was a substantial relief when given permission to step back. Even when he'd joined the others, Chad had made a point to maintain his Chad Charming persona online, even when he hadn't really wanted to. It was habit.

So he didn't mess with his phone that much.

But he did make a quick trip back to Sardinia to gather his proposals and everything he'd squirreled away over the years, teleporting in and out and re-hiding his things in the guest suite he rarely used in Auroria Castle.

Surprisingly, he spent most of his time with Audrey, who alternated between interrogating him for the worst of the duke's slights to distracting him with requests to paint his nails or complimenting his clothing line (she was one of the few that knew he ran it) to demanding he pose for one of her sketches before she dragged him off to build a blanket fort for a movie marathon, or decided that they should learn how to make croissants to honor Chad's heritage and then pasta to honor hers, and they always ended up presenting the efforts to her parents who could likely be spending their time in much better ways.

Chad honestly wasn't used to interacting with royalty – well, with parents this much, but Audrey's parents… they were loving. They had dinner with Audrey every night, texted and called her multiple times a day just to check up on her and Chad, requesting pictures of her latest sketches. They were interested in their activities, and they extended that interest to Chad, who they'd always been polite to in the past but never really understood.

"He has his own clothing line," Audrey bragged, showing her mom Chad's sketchbook full of designs. "He learned to sew to connect with his mother, and now he has a brand so he can understand how businesses work so he can better rule over them in Sardinia."

Chad felt himself blush furiously when they turned their joint attention onto him. "I thought it would help to have practical experience before I made legislature concerning business management," he explained. "And I like sewing, so…"

"Your clothes are lovely, Chad," Queen Aurora said, her smile kind. "They're very sophisticated."

"And your tenacity should be commended," King Phillip added. "That kind of initiative will mean great things for Sardinia."

"Th-Thanks," Chad said lamely, Audrey giggling as she leaned into his side.

He couldn't help but keep tabs on the investigation. Audrey didn't want him to, but Chad was paranoid, he needed to know everything was getting taken care of, so he explained it to her, trying to be honest since that seemed to be working this time around.

"It's my kingdom," Chad sighed, looking over the latest reports from his tech guy about which council members had been weeded out before making a list of suggestions to send Queen Snow for who should rise to fill those vacancies. "I need to ensure it's taken care of. My grandfather caused so much damage-"

"And Queen Snow will fix it," Audrey countered, her voice patient in a way he would have never expected from her.

"But I need to help her," Chad urged. "I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"You're a minor," Audrey said, like Chad wasn't seventeen, like he wasn't six months away from crossing that arbitrary boundary – at least, as far as royalty was concerned. "You deserve a chance to be taken care of."

"But-"

"Let's compromise," Audrey said, parroting her mother's seemingly favorite phrase. "You can help fix Sardinia, but only for a certain amount of time each day."

"How much time?" Chad asked, grateful that they had moved onto negotiating. "And what constitutes as helping? Like, in reference to fixing the damage my grandfather caused, or maintaining the usual day-today functions-"

"Both," Audrey said, prompting an unhappy sound to spill from Chad's throat. "How about this? We'll bring in Queen Snow so you can educate her on the stuff you usually do for Sardinia, which will help minimize your load, and then you can more easily focus on fixing the damage your grandfather did during your allotted three hours a day."

"Three hours?" Chad choked. "Audrey-"

"That's not including you running your business or doing your regular prince duties." Which had been suspended in light of his grandfather's arrest. "You need to have balance, Chad. That involves making space for fun, frivolous hobbies and family time. I have learned this from my therapist, and so I shall pass it unto you."

"But I'm used to always working," Chad said. "And I still need time to train."

"And you'll get it," Audrey said, familiar with the host of extracurricular activities Chad managed in order to maintain princely appearances. "On a reduced schedule."

"Ugh," Chad said, flopping dramatically onto Audrey's bed in the hopes that the fluffy comforter would somehow absorb him into its squishy folds.

"Your gratitude is overwhelming," Audrey drawled sarcastically, and then they were back to the grind.

-:-:-

Audrey ended up bringing her parents in to negotiate Chad's schedule. It was entirely embarrassing, and also significantly harder to argue his side of things when the three of them reviewed mock makeups of his old schedule with expressions of muted horror.

"When did you eat?" King Phillip asked, staring between Chad's schedule during school versus his schedule during the summer/weekends with growing disbelief. "When did you sleep?"

"He didn't," Audrey growled, her arms folded stubbornly across her chest.

"Guys," Chad sighed, dragging a hand across his face. "It's really not that bad. And most of it was necessary-"

"But it's not anymore," Queen Aurora interrupted, her voice gentle. "I agree with Audrey on this one. We need to adjust how much time you spend on each of these duties. I'm sure Queen Snow would be more than happy to hear your first-hand experience with helping Sardinia."

"We're cutting down your training," King Phillip said, substantially less diplomatic. "This is ridiculous. Why did he have you running around so much?"

"He was trying to keep me out of his hair," Chad offered with a shrug. "But I um- wouldn't miss going to less competitions."

"Do you actually like any of this stuff?" King Phillip asked, and then they went through the process of sorting through Chad's electives, because it turned out he committed to most of them for the sake of appearances rather than any actual desire. Sure, he was proud of being a good equestrian, proud of being a good fencer, he just didn't see the point in competing in either of these things when he should be focusing on Sardinia.

"Do you even like Tourney?" Audrey asked, making Chad pause.

"All the popular princes play it," he said somewhat helplessly. "And it's a good off-season credit for Swords and Shields."

"You've already got all your PE credits filled for Auradon Prep," Queen Aurora said gently. "Would you like to take a different class? Perhaps another language?"

Chad flushed, wondering when exactly they had found him out as a nerd.

"You wouldn't be mad?" he asked instead, pretending to look over his schedules despite knowing them perfectly.

He'd never really had a choice in his schedule before. It was usually dictated by one of his grandfather's many assistants, and Chad had long given up fighting him on it. He had to prioritize his focus on the issues that more greatly affected Sardinia, and his schooling wasn't part of that.

"No," King Phillip said, making sure to hold Chad's gaze. "We wouldn't."

"Why don't we take another look at the Auradon Prep course catalogue?" Queen Aurora offered. "And then we can get a better feel for how we'd like to proceed."

-:-:-

In all honesty, Chad hadn't changed much before in regards to his school schedule. It hadn't occurred to him to do so. The others hadn't found him out until school was starting back up again anyway, and there hadn't been time to change things around. He'd cut back on the competitions he competed in on the weekend to spend time with them, but otherwise things were much the same as they had been before, though granted, with more people to love and no interference from his grandfather.

Under the gaze of Audrey's parents, Chad ended up trading out his electives for things he actually liked. He dumped Tourney for Latin – which he'd always wanted to take but his grandfather thought he was too stupid for. He got rid of choir (which he had never wanted) and tentatively selected a creative writing class. He quit the school equestrian team and tested into a high-level legislature class because most of his knowledge had been self-taught and he wanted the added confidence of professional guidance as well as the opportunity to take advantage of the specialized education tracks Auradon Prep was known for.

"There," Queen Aurora said when he had finished his selections. "That's much better."

They pulled Queen Snow into a conference call, and all of them listened to Chad explain his daily obligations towards Sardinia. He passed over the contacts he had spent years accumulating, his tech guy, his media people, the people he wined and dined to spread the appropriate gossip. He explained the basics of their security system and gave Queen Snow her own set of access codes.

By the end of it, more than one person looked impressed, though that was hampered by the mild looks of sorrow that tinted their responses.

"You've worked very hard," Queen Aurora explained, giving his hand a squeeze. "But these were extents you never should have been forced to achieve."

"We're proud of you," King Phillip said, somehow sensing the validation Chad needed without ever feeling brave enough to ask for it.

Things got better with help. Intellectually, Chad knew there was a benefit to delegating, he'd just never been allowed the gift of having trustworthy individuals to delegate to. He still checked in with his kingdom every day, still helped, but the time was restricted and filled with breaks, which left Chad worried, but Audrey's family worked together to help alleviate that concern.

There were plenty of distractions, plenty of encouragement for him to just enjoy himself. To spend time researching the things he wanted, and not what he needed. Time to allow for him to sew or read books or design new clothing collections. He contacted Captain Anozie every day and tried to visit his father once every few days after Queen Rapunzel gave him the all clear. It was obvious that his father wasn't in a great place, but the relentless cheer of the Corona royal family seemed to be helping him through.

Audrey had already coaxed a promise from Princess Ruby to be allowed updates from her point of view about how things were going with Chad's father.

"I'm so sorry, Chad," Ruby said during one of their visits, her hands curled into her thick braid. "I never realized how bad it was."

"He's doing his best," Chad offered, feeling very tired. "He just… he's been floundering since mom died, and I wasn't able to help him."

"I will," Ruby said. "I will give him many hugs on your behalf."

"I appreciate that," Chad said, sincerely meaning that. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Chad," Ruby said, and then she hugged him too.

So it was better than he expected. His grandfather was out of the picture, Sardinia was recovering, and his father was given a chance to live, being monitored by a very invested family instead of wasting away in silence with only Captain Anozie to keep him company.

If Chad's luck held out, he wouldn't have to worry about being king for a long time. It wouldn't suddenly be dumped in his lap by the Sardinian Council, all of them demanding that he provide the security and assurance Sardinia needed with a real relationship – something that could produce heirs.

Chad hadn't known that Jay would get so upset by Chad asking if he could marry Jane. He'd thought- Carlos and Jay had known each other for so long, loved each other for so long. It seemed natural for them to fall together. Chad thought they would have been happy to be allowed the opportunity to claim each other in public.

It turned out he'd been very, very wrong.

But that was another life. This was the one he was focusing on now, and it was the one that mattered.

He couldn't look behind him anymore.

-:-:-

It wasn't all one-sided, though. Chad refused for it to be – because as much as Audrey helped him, he was determined to return that favor, determined to give the aid he had denied before in his blindness and depression.

As much as Audrey distracted him, he distracted her, pulling her from her thoughts when she seemed to be going to a dark place, brightening her day with corny jokes that made her smile. He complimented her, and told her all the things he admired about her, his true thoughts instead of the Chad Charming ones. He took her on dates around Auroria Castle and often shared her bed at night, the two of them cuddling while her parents looked the other way. He was there when the nightmares came for her, there to shake her out of them when she was sobbing apologies, pulling her against his chest until the worst of her tears died down and then dragging her to the kitchen for late night cocoa or to the blanket fort to watch a movie or, when it got really bad, waking up her parents, which Audrey almost never wanted but definitely sometimes needed.

"I'm sorry," she would croak into her mom's shoulder. "I didn't want it. I didn't want it. I just- I wanted things to be right again, I wanted grammy to be proud."

They had words about Audrey's grammy.

Dinner was usually a full family affair – which included Audrey's grandparents – King Stefan and Queen Leah. It seemed that the former queen wasn't as critical of Audrey in front of her parents, but she did have a mindset that led to Audrey beating herself up over things she couldn't control.

"It's good to have you back, Chadwick," she said, her smile small, reserved. "The backlash of Audrey's time under the scepter's influence has not been… savory," she settled on, making a face. "There's rumors – awful talk – that she was so determined for Benjamin's hand to cover up romantic inclinations towards females." She shuddered. "We would appreciate it if you helped clear that up."

Chad put his fork down, hating the way Audrey tensed in his peripherals, but it was Queen Aurora that spoke. "Mother, there is nothing wrong with homosexuality."

"There is if you're royal," Queen Leah said, giving her daughter a sad look. "Auroria needs certainty that the royal line will continue. If the people think Audrey's interest lies elsewhere-"

"Everything would be fine," Chad interrupted, tired of hearing this conversation. "Because there's nothing wrong with it. And you saying that kind of stuff is hurtful to Audrey."

"Chad," Audrey hissed, her cheeks flushed.

"No," Chad countered. "It isn't fair. Sure, Audrey's dating me now, but if she dated a girl later, it wouldn't be a problem. If she dated me anda girl later, there wouldn't be anything wrong with it as long as we respected and communicated with each other, and you implying anything else is an injustice to your granddaughter, who has done a lot to try to please you, including shutting off half of who she is."

A tense silence fell over the table, Audrey holding herself still as a statue, though her hand was shaking in her lap. Chad wasted no time grabbing it, holding it firm, and while she didn't look at him, she did squeeze his hand back.

"Is this true, Audrey?" Queen Leah asked eventually, sharing a look with her husband. "Are you attracted to girls?"

A dark flush blossomed over Audrey's cheeks. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I… I tried not to be. I do like boys, I just- I also like girls, and fighting that really made me hate myself."

"Oh, sweetheart," Queen Leah said, her expression falling. "I'm so sorry. I always thought that sort of thing was a choice-"

"But it's not," Queen Aurora interrupted. "It isn't, and we support you no matter what, Audrey. Love you no matter what, no matter who you date."

"Yes, dear," Queen Leah cut in. "I know I was disappointed when King Benjamin proposed to Miss Bertha, but I wasn't angry at you. I was frustrated with the situation, but I took that out on you instead of aiming it at someone who actually deserved it."

"Like Benjamin," King Stefan grumbled. "You had to get possessed by a scepter for him to apologize to you for ending your courtship in such an awful way." He took a sip of his wine, grumbling into the lip of his goblet. "Little rat."

"Scatterbrained rat," Chad offered. "He did his best, he just… fell through a lot."

"Tell me about it," Audrey sniffed, but they all seemed to bond over the occasional air-headedness of Ben, and family dinners went a lot smoother from that point further.

That said, Audrey's family troubles had not entirely ended.

"I'm sorry to bring this to your attention, King Phillip," Chad said during the private meeting he had arranged with Audrey's parents. "But I suspect your mother, Queen Ingrith, might be acting in a manner not unsimilar to my grandfather."

While Queen Leah had been stern, Queen Ingrith was an entirely different creature altogether, relentless with the pressure she placed on Audrey. She was the one Chad referred to as evil, because he was pretty sure she was.

"Here," Chad said, turning over copies of the texts, emails, and voicemails the former Queen of Ulstead had left Audrey over the years that constantly criticized and picked at her behavior. "I don't have evidence for her manipulations in Ulstead-"

"But I do," King Phillip said, sighing heavily. "I had hoped I'd been mistaken, though."

"I'm sorry," Chad said on reflex, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"This isn't your fault," Queen Aurora said. "So you will not take the blame for it."

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention," King Phillip said. "It seems that another emergency meeting is in order."

"You call this one," Queen Aurora said. "I'm going to check on Audrey."

"Please do," the king hummed, and with that, they broke apart.

-:-:-

"I can't believe you took care of my grandmas," Audrey sniffed, wiping away her tears as they cuddled on her bed that night. "I was so scared of telling my parents. Especially my dad. I just figured, if I wasn't a bad princess, they wouldn't have been so hard on me-"

"You're not a bad princess," Chad interrupted. "And you could never be bad enough to warrant what Queen Ingrith has done." He nuzzled Audrey's hair, looking towards the future, which seemed so very bright. "I'm sorry she was allowed to harass you for so long."

"Fuck her," Audrey sniffed, curling against Chad's chest. "She's out of my life now and I don't want to waste another second thinking about her."

"Fair enough," Chad said, then returned to the important duty of cuddling.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful support and feedback! I was concerned that the sudden emergence of Audrey would seem out of the blue, so I'm glad everyone's here for it! Audrey redemption was not what I expected from this story, but it was fun to be able to explore this version of her from a different angle :)

Story notes:

The Dark Kingdom is from the Tangled Animated Series.

Westerly is my name for Prince Eric's kingdom, because man, can I not find an actual name for that place.

I realize that Chad's Aunt Anastasia is out in Auradon in this version of Descendants, but for security purposes, Queen Rapunzel suggested Audrey's parents get guardianship over Chad due to their protection of him.

I assume Chad was in choir because he was part of the 'Be Our Guest' Parents' Day performance.

Princess Ruby is Rapunzel and Eugene's daughter – she's from the Descendants Wicked World webseries, though only her hair is ever featured ;)

Technically, Chad outed Audrey which is definitely not cool, but they're at a point in their relationship where they trust each other to make these kinds of calls. So like, it still isn't something to be emulated, but Audrey was okay with it in the moment.

Queen Ingrith is the main antagonist of the live action movie 'Maleficent – Mistress of Evil'. She's Prince Phillip's mother, and suuuuuper crazy.

Until next time :)