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CHAPTER 9
The red hair swayed delicately in it's braid. With each step the braid swayed a little further one way to another. The purple dress fell modestly to the woman's knees, and she listened to the intimidating clicking and clacking the heels she wore made in the hallway. She stood in front of a set of grand doors guarded by two Auradonian guards. They swiftly opened them while bowing at her, despite not having a title. Her brow quirked at the guards, for it had been a long time since she had been in the main castle of Auradon.
She bowed to Queen Belle and King Adam, as well to His Majesty Prince Ben.
"Would you like some tea, Anastasia?" The queen asked. Anastasia Baker nee Tremaine settled her hands in front of her purple dress. Several rings glittered in the light playing with the reflection on the walls around them. One ring in particular she fingered carefully, a large aqua-blue gem rested on a shiny gold band.
"As lovely as that would be, I would like to know where my child is?" Anastasia said as calmly as she could.
"She's in my bedroom, resting," Ben said. Anastasia rested her hand on her forehead.
"Good, considering you put my child in front of those vicious hyenas, a nap is the least she deserves. You swore to me you'd never put her in front of any media campaign!" Anastasia rested a hand on her bosom, and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Finally, she sat down across from them on a fainting sofa. Ben swallowed his own nerves. Paparazzi he could deal with, but an angry mother is another thing entirely.
"Mrs. Baker, your daughter proved herself stronger than most individuals in our court-"
"My daughter is not part of your court! We relinquished our titles-"
"Enough, both of you," Belle finally said with a calming tone. Both the mother and the future king looked at the queen.
"Your daughter provided us with a service that many wouldn't even dare consider at the age of 14 no less. And, you, Benjamin, you knew that the contract would be broken the moment she stepped in front of a camera if you refused. As is your responsibility as king!" Belle finally finished.
A silence fell on the group. King Adam had remained quiet throughout the exchange. The ball was in Ben's court, would he take it? Ben closed his eyes and sighed through his nose.
"Your daughter has been accepted into the internship she applied to and Cris has already been contacted," Ben said, nervously looking at Anastasia. She rested her mouth on her fist. Scared to say anything which would get her family into any further trouble. Finally, Anastasia let her hand fall and turn her full attention to the royal family.
"I want to see my daughter."
"Absolutely not!" The red-headed mother said. She looked around the room desperately searching for an ally. Surely the queen would understand.
"Your majesty, as much as I support my daughter's courage, I'm worried," Anastasia explained. The queen glanced at her husband. Antoinette and Ben sat across from the royal couple, while Anastasia sat in a chair in between the two couches.
Antoinette took a sip of her tea.
"Mom, I know you're worried, but what are you exactly worried about?" Anastasia sighed heavily.
"My dear, we relinquished our titles. We have a bakery with your father. We are happy. However, when I relinquished my title originally I was the center of every camera lens, every front page paper, and it was too much. My dear, you do not understand the pressure I was put under. I almost lost everything," Anastasia sighed heavily, "I almost chose to lose everything."
Silence followed after. Queen Belle placed her tea cup on her little tea plate. Beast watched silently.
"What if Antoinette becomes the Prince's public relations manager as long as she is to never speak in front of the cameras officially?" Queen Belle suggested. Anastasia glanced at her daughter only to have eyes pleading back at her. Anastasia nodded.
"I'll agree to it, but if she speaks in front of the camera she's done. As well as if she chooses to be done with the position before she speaks in front of the journalists," Anastasia agreed. Nods followed her decision from several others in the room. Paperwork had been drawn up within an hour and both parties signed the paper.
Antoinette rolled onto her side as the bed dipped. She pretended to be asleep.
"I know you're awake, my dear." The voice called. Antoinette flipped over to her back and turned her neck to look at the voice. Her mother's bright smile, large nose, and red hair came into view.
"Am I still asleep?" She asked. Anastasia reached out a hand and stroked her daughter's red hair.
"Do you still want to be asleep?" Anastasia asked Antoinette. Antoinette thought for a moment, before shaking her head.
"I don't think so," she replied. Anastasia smiled, and continued stroking Antoinette's red hair. It was times like these that Antoinette had a hard time remembering that her mother had at one point not been so caring and loving to those around her.
"Mama, so much has happened," Antoinette said. Her mother smiled warmly.
"I heard you got your internship you've been eyeing." Antoinette nodded in excitement and giggled. She started to sit up. Anastasia shifted so her daughter had room.
"I met a boy." Antoinette bit her lip. Anastasia raised an eyebrow at her with a grin.
"What's this boy like? Who is he?"
"His name is Jay, and he's wonderful. He makes suggestions, and he's super supportive. Jay is one of the kindest people I've ever met, especially since-" she cut herself off. Her mother was looking at her with a big hopeful grin.
"Especially since?"
Antoinette sighed.
"Especially since he's from the Isle," Antoinette watched her mother's face carefully. "His father is Jafar."
Anastasia smiled at her only child, and gently brushed a stray hair behind her ear. She was glad that Antoinette had decided to not wear the same ringlets she used to wear.
"I should've known your heart was on the Isle." Anastasia hugged her daughter close. "Your father and I are going to want to meet him, you understand this right?"
Antoinette nodded. "I know, but we've only been on one date, and I don't want to scare him just yet."
Anastasia laughed.
"That would probably be better if you wait another date or two before you bring him to the bakery." The two women giggled again.
"And then I got into the internship I wanted, and I spoke for the royal court, and I-" Anastasia put a hand on her daughter's shoulder to have her stop for a moment. Antoinette leaned her head on her mother's lap as she had done when she was a small child.
"You're going to be a very busy one, aren't you?"
Several days had passed since the interview and Carlos sat on his bed in his dormitory, scrolling through a series of clips completed by world famous tourney teams. He clicked on one video, which showed the men running towards the kill zone. Carlos looked up as his dormitory door creaked open. Jay entered and sat on his bed. Neither said anything as Jay layed back on his bed, hair still wet from the showers.
"I'm gonna miss this, you know," Jay said. Carlos glanced up.
"Miss what?" Jay grinned to himself.
"Hot showers, decent meals, and, well, you know, the girls here aren't too bad, all giggly and stuff," he commented. Carlos raised his eyebrows at him, but Jay couldn't see him.
"You know, I don't really see Antoinette as the giggly type," Carlos said, while typing in a name that kept appearing. Jay turned to look at him.
"Yeah, she's really not. But her laugh is amazing, and she laughs at the strangest things." Carlos brought his attention back to Jay. He moved his jaw to the side and back before trying to phase his next words.
"Do you think you could convince the villains to maybe spare her?" Carlos winced out. Jay looked at the cloth above his bed and let the question float in the air. He knew his father, kindness wasn't something taught to him, or many other children on the Isle. In Auradon he had learned a new phrase, "the worst they could say is no", but growing up on the Isle, he had learned there were much much worse things than being told no.
"I don't know if they will. They might just try to hurt her even worse if they find out who she is. You've seen how Lady Tremaine acts anytime someone even mentions how she had a second daughter, nobody's said Anastasia's name for years. I don't know if I can take the risk of her getting hurt by them." Kindness had not been taught to the Isle kids, but had been shoved down their throats by a periwinkle fairy in a classroom. However, even Jay wondered, would it be crueler not to say anything to Antoinette?
Antoinette sat in her dorm room looking over her internship papers, filling them out, waiting for that moment where the news would finally hit her. It had been days since the interview and the headlines had been all over the place.
FUTURE KING DIDN'T MAKE INTERVIEW
ROYAL HR RESIGNS
ISLE BOY AND FORMER LADY IS FRESH CATCH OF THE DAY
Antoinette had to roll her eyes. Honestly, she thought they would be more creative when it came to her and Jay starting to go out. A knock on her door caught her attention from her paperwork. She walked across the room to find Jay on the other side. She smiled at him.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey." He grinned. Antoinette motioned for him to come in and Jay followed without question. Jay kissed her cheek, and Antoinette blushed.
"You know it's funny," he said, laying on her bed while she sat back at her desk, "You kissed me on the beach without a second thought, but a little kiss on the cheek and you're turning all red."
"Shut up," she said bashfully, while finishing her paperwork. Jay leaned over on his side.
"What are you doing over there?" She paused, and sat her pencil down.
"Jay, I got accepted into an internship, so I'll be leaving after coronation," she explained. Antoinette winced by how much it hurt to say out loud. Jay hummed in response, and laid back onto his back. Silence wrapped around them, and it held so tightly that Antoinette felt herself suffocating under it. Leaving so soon after a relationship began was usually a bad sign in Auradon, was it the same on the Isle? Did Jay no longer want to be with her because of it? Would he be willing to have a long distance relationship?
"Jay? Are you mad?" Silence followed her question. Please, talk to me, Jay.
"No. I don't think I'm mad," he paused before continuing.
"I think I'm confused mainly. It's a lot for a guy to take in after all," he explained. Antoinette stood from the desk and laid on the bed next to him. They turned to face each other.
"This is really important to me. At least we have until the coronation." Antoinette wanted to make Jay happy again, but was unsure how. Jay pulled a small smile that still had a sadness behind it. He reached out to tuck some hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, we have until coronation," Jay agreed. Antoinette leaned forward and kissed him. It was only supposed to be a small, hopeful little kiss, but that didn't last long. Jay ran his tongue against her bottom lip and she hummed in response. She ran a hand through his hair, and gave another hum of satisfaction when he kept kissing her gently. Jay laughed.
"Didn't know Auradon girls were so forward," Jay said in between kisses. Antoinette pulled back.
"There's still more to learn about Auradon girls," Antoinette explained. Jay grinned and leaned in closer.
"Maybe you could be my teacher?" She leaned in, and let their lips touch. Antoinette thought she should get back to her paperwork, but Jay caught her attention when he tugged her closer. Antoinette swiped her tongue against his bottom lip, just to see what his reaction would be. Unlike her, who simply gave a hum of joy, Jay allowed his bottom lip to open a little further allowing her entrance. Just as Jay's hands rested a little lower on her waist, the door flew open.
"Antoinette! Have you-" Ben's voice called out. Antoinette got off of Jay quickly, trying to save some modesty in front of the future king, and her best friend who wouldn't be afraid to tease her in the near future. Ben stared, gobsmacked, first at Jay and then at Antoinette.
"I can, ahem, come back later." Ben's hand rested on the door handle ready to leave at the drop of the word.
"I mean, you already kind of ruined the mood," Antoinette explained. Ben nodded, still not really meeting their eyes. He fiddled with a jar of pencils, unsure of how to proceed.
"I know you resigned-"
"Three days ago, and you have Cris," Antoinette interrupted with a pointed look. Jay watched the two interact curiously. Ben gave a nervous laugh.
"Yeah, we have Cris, and he's great! However, Jane's helping throw the after party for just us kids, and she's unsure about the playlist." Antoinette rolled her eyes and leaned up against one of her bed posts.
"Okay, and?" She couldn't hide the bitterness in her tone. Jane hadn't exactly been supportive of Antoinette's decision in her romantic interests and since the interview Jane hadn't exactly been reaching out to her either. Honestly, the text message conversation had been completely one sided for the past several days.
"Can you just review her playlist?" He asked, holding out his phone which had the playlist pulled up. She browsed through them. Her thumb scrolled through them noting which ones she thought should be pulled.
"Tell her to get rid of at least three songs with the word 'king' in it. Doesn't matter which ones, but we know you're king, we don't need a reminder every other song. Also, add some slow songs, couples are going to want to dance with one another without having to worry about keeping up with the beat." Antoinette handed his phone back to Ben. He nodded.
"Thank you, Ant. I really appreciate your help," he explained. Antoinette looked at her nails.
"You're welcome. Do you need anything else?"
"No, thanks again." Ben grinned at her and nodded at Jay. "I'll catch you later, okay?"
"Yeah. I'll see you later," Antoinette replied to her friend. Ben left with a nod to both and let the door shut behind him. Antoinette sat on her bed, Jay leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her on the cheek, somehow it felt more intimate than any of the tom foolery they had been doing before Ben had interrupted.
"I resigned three days ago, and they still can't seem to understand that I'm no longer a part of Ben's team." Antoinette leaned into Jay and he hugged her tighter. She let out a sigh and let her worries wash away.
"Can I do anything to make you happy?" Jay asked, his breath warm on her ear. Antoinette thought for a moment. What would make her happy right now? Then an idea popped up in her head, and she grinned to herself bashfully, a little embarrassed to have even thought of it.
"You know the gaming system in your room?" Jay nodded.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"I'd really like to see if you have any skills on the game screen," Antoinette explained. They glanced at each other.
"I'd crush you," Jay explained, a little unsure. Antoinette smirked.
"Bet."
