Chapter 14 – Reunion
-:-:-
"Look," Chad said later at breakfast, when Cogsworth had given up on herding them into actual chairs and let them congregate in one giant cuddle pile, occasionally feeding each other breakfast pastries and strips of bacon. "I'm not going to say I knew you were a prince, but I'm honestly not surprised. You've essentially been a prince for as long as I've known you – all dashing and brave and stuff."
Harry made a face, feeling his cheeks flush. "I'm not brave."
"My dude," Aziz began, his expression communicating the utmost seriousness. "You almost died in the ocean and yet you have zero squabbles taking Chad on strolls along the beach because you know it makes him happy."
"It makes me happy too," Harry said, feeling his blush darken because beaches and clear waters always reminded him of Uma and that private cove. As much as he hated sailing, he could never hate the ocean outright – not when Uma loved it so. "That's not the same."
"That is a thousand percent the same," Aziz declared. "Scientifically speaking. It's very complex and irrefutable math."
"You're brave enough to wear clothes that make you happy," Doug pointed out.
"On the weekends," Harry huffed.
"In front of Ben's parents?" Doug challenged, his brows raised. "Brave enough to be the Isle's lone representative."
"You are fucking brave," Lonnie said, not bothering to make a case so much as declaring this as an irrefutable fact. "And you're definitely sweet and dashing."
"Thoughtful," Ben listed off. "Considerate, dedicated-"
"All the makings of a good prince!" Chad cheered. "I would know, because my grandpa gave me many checklists that I never managed to complete, but you did!"
"Your grandpa's a piece of shit," Harry snarled, rage rekindling at the thought of Chad's abuse. "You're a great prince and I'll hear no arguments."
"Cool," Chad chirped, giving him a wide grin. "Then you are too, and I will also hear no arguments."
"Clever minx," Harry muttered, cheeks heating as he slumped in surrender, flushing when Lonnie and Aziz rewarded Chad with kisses for an argument well won.
They did that now, kissed in front of their collective parents and their collective parents didn't even care. It was honestly bizarre. Harry kept expecting one of them to throw up a fuss after his little show yesterday, but none of them said anything, not even King Adam.
"Are you scared?" Lonnie asked when they trooped back up to Ben's suite.
Even with Harry's surprise lineage revealed, they'd still had the planning session they were supposed to cover last night. They still had their list of interviews scheduled where they would properly inform the public of their new relationship. They'd gotten a breakdown of what to expect from Doug's courtship trial. Ben's parents had advised that they continue to go at a slow pace to allow for Ben's beast to properly adapt to having so many people it was devoted to, and Lonnie's parents mentioned something about a tea ceremony that they wouldn't have to worry about until things got really serious.
It had been a lot of information on top of the imminent arrival of his biological family, and the weight of the growing pressure had rendered Harry entirely exhausted. The others seemed to read this though, most agreeing that a nap was the next logical step despite having just gotten up.
Weak. Indulgent. Spoiled.
Harry wondered if he would even be respectable by Uma's standards by the time he finally returned to the Isle.
"I'm worried more than anything else," he admitted when Ben herded them into his room.
"Do you think they won't like you?" Chad asked. "Because they will definitely like you. You are very likeable."
"You're biased, sweetheart," Harry pointed out as the blond determinately dragged him towards Ben's bed.
"In the best possible way, though," Chad chirped.
"Look, most of us have met Ruby's parents," Aziz said as he watched Chad drag Harry under the covers. "They're nice, eccentric people. And honestly, most of them weren't raised to lead kingdoms either. Queen Rapunzel was locked in a tower for the first eighteen years of her life. King Eugene was an abandoned prince turned orphan turned conman. Lady Cassandra came up through the guard ranks. None of them had conventional backgrounds, but that doesn't stop them from being good leaders."
"Just like you will be," Chad declared, grinning when Aziz climbed onto the bed after Harry, curling around the first mate's back. "We'll help each other, right? Because I'm scared to be king by myself, but if I have you guys…"
"You'll have us," Lonnie declared, reaching over to ruffle his curls.
"Then we're going to be fine," Chad said. "All fine, so don't worry."
They kept talking like this was going to be permanent, and Harry worried for that, but they were teenagers, this was fine. There was no way they'd found their 'true loves'. Harry already had his back on the Isle, and though he greatly cared for these partners, maybe even loved them-
No. Nope. He didn't have time for that, he had to focus.
His biological parents would be arriving soon and he needed to make a good impression for them. He needed to be calm.
So he rested, surrendering to his exhaustion so he could appropriately face the trials that loomed ahead.
-:-:-
Eventually, Harry got down to actually meet his partners' parents, since he'd fucked that up a few times over, missing opportunities for small talk by being kidnapped or hiding out in the gardens or needing cuddles and naps.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, trying to swallow his embarrassment when he talked to Lonnie's parents. "I promise I don't mope this much normally."
There really wasn't anything else to call his sporadic retreats.
"It'd be fine if you did," General Shang said, getting a fond look from both his wife and daughter. "We're used to seeing trauma manifest in the soldiers we served with during the war. You underwent a very trying ordeal, many times over. None of us judge you for working your way through it."
"What he said," General Mulan offered with a wink. "I wouldn't have handled the blows you've been dealt nearly as well, and those are just the ones we know about."
Harry felt himself flush horribly, wishing Lonnie would stop hanging off him with that obnoxious grin of hers, even though he loved it. "Resilient, strong," Lonnie hummed. "Everything a matchmaker would want."
"You could say that about all your partners," General Mulan chirped. "You did well, Lo-Shen. I'll admit, we've been waiting for you and Aziz to get together. That seemed like an inevitability, though we weren't sure how long it would last."
"Mom," Lonnie said, her cheeks heating in a lovely blush that Harry savored while he could.
"I think this works better," General Mulan continued. "This is balance. Hard and soft, day and night. This is an excellent partnership, and you have our full support."
"Thank you," Lonnie gushed, seeming to truly mean it, and that was how Harry had gotten pulled into what would become the first of many Fa-Li group hugs.
"Oh, Sonny," Fairy Godmother gushed, looking him over with wet eyes and a happy smile. "I know we haven't really had a chance to talk since Aziz's little snafu, but I just want to reiterate how sorry I am for my suspicions. That wasn't fair of me, not after you'd been such a good friend to Chad. You, young man," she began, bracing her hands on his shoulders. "-are a phenomenal person. Chad is very lucky to have you, and I know Ella would be so very grateful that you met her son, that you got him the help he needed before you even really knew him."
Harry tensed. "I just-"
"That's more than decency," Fairy Godmother said, further proving just how often Chad talked about Harry. "That is kindness, which Sardinia – and I – appreciate very much."
"I love you," Chad said without any kind of reservation, cuddling against Harry's arm like it was his damn job.
"And this is my surprised face," Lord Consort Aladdin said when Aziz finally dragged Harry over to meet his parents, the Agraben prince unapologetic with his happiness. "I called this, I totally called this. After that first Tourney game where you insisted Aziz get looked over-"
"Dad," Aziz grumbled, like he was still embarrassed by that turn of events for whatever reason.
"We knew then you would be a great addition to Aziz's friend group," Sultana Jasmine cut in. "So we had no qualms with you becoming his partner."
"Never have, never will," Lord Consort Aladdin added for good measure. "Aziz worships the ground you guys walk on-"
"Dad," Aziz repeated, squeezing Harry's hand. "If anyone's going to overwhelm him with affection, I would like that to be me."
"That's a good attitude to have," Sultana Jasmine declared, her eyes shining with approval.
It was easy to fall back into conversations with Doug's dad and his Uncle Dwalin. It was slightly less easy to talk to Ben's parents – especially King Adam, who didn't know what to do with him – but Queen Belle was twice as welcoming to make up for it, sure to dote on him and embarrass Ben in equal measures, somehow managing not to overwhelm Harry despite the fact that he very much felt like the clock was ticking down on his future. This was casual, nice, but they all knew they were biding time, at least until Cogsworth slipped into the room, delicately clearing his throat.
"Your royal majesties," Cogsworth began. "Ladies and gentlemen – may I present the royal family of Corona and the Dark Kingdom – her royal majesty Queen Rapunzel, his royal majesty King Eugene, her royal majesty Lady Consort Cassandra-"
"Gonna have to cut the formalities short," a new voice cheerfully declared, and in strolled the king of Corona flanked by his two wives, various others crowding behind them but Harry couldn't focus on that because he felt the king's gaze pin him in place. "Sorry, we've been waiting a while, can't really last the extra few minutes it would take to announce everyone."
"Cayden," Lady Cassandra said, making Harry freeze as she crossed the room in determined movements. "My- I um- I mean, you go by Sonny, right?"
"Sonny's a great name," King Eugene chirped, half a step behind her, Queen Rapunzel beaming next to him. "The best name, in fact. Corona's insignia is the sun, did you know that? Sonny, sunshine, it's like a sign. Isn't that amazing? I-"
"Eugene," Queen Rapunzel interrupted gently, her hand squeezing the king's bicep. "Breathe."
"Right," the king said, though he didn't tear his gaze from Harry, seeming to look him over with something like wonder. It was the same expression they all wore, even the people behind them. "Sorry, I'm not the best at first impressions. I- we are just- we're so happy-" He cut himself off, moisture building in his eyes. "We're so happy."
"I'm sorry," Lady Cassandra said, seeming to want to reach out and curl a hand around his shoulder but restraining herself. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. We should have- after everything that happened, we should have had better security. I should have known my mother would come back to haunt us-"
"Hey now, that's not on you," the king interrupted, pulling his gaze from Harry to look at his distraught wife. "The only people at fault here are the assholes that kidnapped Cayden."
"I'm just so happy you're alive," Lady Cassandra said, her gaze wet with unshed tears. "You were dumped there and you survived…"
"Don't- don't have such low standards," Harry said, feeling embarrassed and slightly overwhelmed. "I'm an asshole."
"Join the club," Lady Cassandra muttered, taking Harry entirely off guard. "I am too. So's your Uncle Lance. And your dad, depending on how obnoxious he feels like being."
"I am not obnoxious," the king sniffed dramatically, rearing back with mock offense. "I am delightfully charming at all times, and I'm sure Sonny is too."
"The most charming," Chad chirped, making Harry flush. "And I'm kind of an expert on that."
"It's always important to defer to an expert opinion," King Eugene said, brightening up. "Cayden – Sonny – I know this is… this is probably a lot. You went through something horrible and now suddenly your royalty, but I promise we know how you feel. I thought I was an orphan for most of my life until we investigated the Dark Kingdom, so yeah, I understand the surprise prince, thing. And Blondie here understands being a surprise princess."
"It's an adjustment," Queen Rapunzel said. "We won't lie about that, but I can promise you that you have a family that will gladly be with you and support you every step of the way."
"Which includes your Isle family," King Eugene chirped. "Those are still yours, only they're ours now, too. They're getting adopted into the Fitzherbert family."
"Sorry not sorry," Queen Rapunzel sang, earning a fond look from Lady Cassandra.
"I…" Harry blinked. "Ye mean…"
"We mean we are always happy to adopt more kids," Lady Cassandra said, making Harry pause. "That includes the Smee family as well."
"But-"
"Kiddo," a new voice said, and Chad looked over to see two other gentlemen grinning down at him – a bald man with a deep, booming voice while the other sported a pair of large goggles on his head that Harry, for the life of him, couldn't discern a purpose for. "Most of the people in this family are adopted," the non-goggled guy said. "We are always looking to recruit."
"This is you Uncle Lance," King Eugene explained. "And your Uncle Varian."
"And behind us is an assortment of grandparents and cousins," Queen Rapunzel said. "Along with your sister, Ruby."
Across the room, near who Harry assumed were his grandparents, Princess Ruby offered him an enthusiastic wave, followed by a double thumbs up that was honestly more fanfare than Harry deserved.
"Your new sister, Ruby," Lady Cassandra corrected. "To add to your current brothers and sisters."
Harry felt like he should warn them, because they were looking at him with far too much hope, far too much adoration that he hadn't earned. He wanted to caution them against growing attached out of nostalgia or desperation, because he wasn't that great, but he was pretty sure if he voiced as much, more than one person would object to his statement.
It left him floundering, wondering how he was supposed to proceed when they kept looking at him like that.
"Can I hug you?" King Eugene burst suddenly. "I mean- it is totally fair if you say no. We just met, and we respect your personal space-"
"Will ye-" Harry cut himself off, working his jaw as he tried to sort out his thoughts. "Would ye stop looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" Queen Rapunzel asked while King Eugene settled into a look of confusion.
"Like that," Harry murmured, his cheeks flushing dark. "Like I didn't murder a dozen people on live tv yesterday."
There was a pause, and then- "Less than a dozen," King Eugene corrected. "You knocked out the ones you could."
"That doesn't make it better," Harry snarled, because it was like they kept forgetting that. He was still a little shocked he hadn't been sent back to the Isle yet, but he supposed being Ben's sweetheart allowed him a certain measure of protection.
Well, that and the surprise prince thing.
"You think I haven't killed people before?" Lady Cassandra said, reminding Harry that before she'd married into royalty, she'd been part of the royal guard. "It's a burden, Sonny, and you seem to get that. You moved efficiently and quickly in an effort to keep yourself alive, and when you could afford it, you didn't go for the killing blow. That makes a difference, and it certainly isn't enough to make us hate you."
"Or stop us from loving you," Queen Rapunzel said, because those were two entirely different prospects. "You think we're not furious about what you had to go through to survive the Isle? Because we are. We don't have words for it, but none of that anger is aimed at you. You were a child conditioned to survive an unregulated prison – the fact that you came through that as loving as you are speaks volumes to your character."
"Ye don't know me," Harry hissed, ducking his head with embarrassment.
"Oh, I'm sorry," King Eugene chirped. "You think we didn't spend the ride here talking to Queen Belle and Fairy Godmother and all of your teachers? Because we totally did that. We did it. We snooped. We're snoopers because we wanted to know our kiddo, and as luck would have it you came out pretty damn awesome even though we didn't get to be there to watch your journey."
"Fucking hell," Harry muttered, moisture building behind his eyes as he scrubbed irritably at them, trying to stay composed. "Ye really are an asshole."
"Not this time," Lady Cassandra said, her voice firm. "He's not an asshole for acknowledging how wonderful you are. No one is, because you deserve that, and deserve it frequently."
"We forget that the Isle's only been under your queens' rule for less than a year," Queen Rapunzel said. "Been safe for less than a year. I know this is all likely new to you, that you're reluctant to open yourself up to something you feel might get taken away, but this isn't going anywhere. No matter what happens, no matter what you do, we will always be here for you."
"I went rogue for a little bit," Lady Cassandra offered casually. "Betrayed your dad and mama in some misguided effort to find my place in the world, and despite that, they still took me back. That's what love is, Sonny. It's unconditional."
"And our love for you is very unconditional," King Eugene said, his gaze meaningful. "Which might seem too good to be true, but that's okay, we'll prove it to you. Just give us the chance."
"Lunatics," Harry muttered, rubbing at his eyes. "The whole lot of ye."
"Afraid that runs in the family," King Eugene chirped. "Entirely hereditary. Can't shake it if we tried."
"Then ye'll like my sisters," Harry murmured, flushing when he realized what he said. "I mean-"
"Yeah, we will," Queen Rapunzel chirped. "May we hug you, please?"
Harry considered this, shifting his weight uneasily. The last hug he'd gotten from a guardian figure had been from Mr. Smee before he'd left the Isle. The first mate had looked proud of Harry, had informed him of this much, his eyes shining with moisture when he said without restraint how much he would miss Harry. His entire family had been there – Harriet and CJ, Mr. Smee, Sammy, and Squeaky and Squirmy, both miserable because as little as Harry had been able to contribute to their survival before, what minor things he'd done had cemented him as a sort of hero in their lives.
It went without saying that Harry missed them. He missed their weekly family dinners, he missed Harriet dropping by his work just to bother him, he missed CJ invading his lunchtimes with Gil, Sammy laughing on her heels as the older Smee tried to keep her in check. Without the rest of the poisonous pirate crew of the Jolly Roger looming over them like a threat, they could enjoy each other, openly love each other, which had been a gift Harry had never taken for granted.
If Harriet was here right now, she'd be snarling at Harry for being such a damn drama queen.
'Hug the fucking royal, Harry,' she'd likely mutter. 'They're, royal, idiot. Ye may as well get a fancy story out of it for the rest of us.'
Harriet hadn't been able to look after Harry as much as she had CJ – they'd been too close together in age, but in the new Isle, they were definitely friends. Definitely watched each other's backs, as little as it was needed. If Harriet were here, she'd have already shoved Harry into their arms by now and not lost a second's sleep over it. The others would have done the same, assuming they weren't absolutely disgusted with him.
"Okay," he said, voice sounding small. "If that makes ye happy."
"It does," the king said, so very earnest. "It really does."
All three of them hugged him. Individually at first, and Harry would have tensed with King Eugene by habit but he seemed too overwhelmed, teary eyed and sniffly over Harry, and Lady Cassandra's hug was a fierce thing that left him aching in just the right ways. She held him, and then the other two were there, crowding in because they couldn't help it, and that Harry could relate to, that he understood, because if he'd been parted from Gilly or Chad or Uma, he wouldn't have been able to help himself either.
"Baby," Lady Cassandra sniffed, her voice thick with tears. "My baby."
"M-Mom," Harry murmured, trying the word out and earning a shudder for his troubles, something that seemed to rock through both of them and maybe that was okay, because she was struggling with this too, he wasn't alone in his fears.
They really were a family.
And fuck if that wasn't terrifying.
"We've got you," King Eugene said. "We've got you and we're not letting go, Sonny. We're here, we're here."
And just like that, Harry was crying, only these were new, overwhelmed tears. It caught him off guard, startled him to find that he was happy, or so relieved that he didn't know how else to express himself, but that was okay, because they seemed to be crying to.
He had a father that wasn't an attempted child killer. He had mothers. He was wanted.
And maybe he didn't deserve it, but it was here, and if that was the case, then Harry might as well savor it while it was available.
It was what Harriet would have wanted him to do.
-:-:-
Eventually, his parents managed to detach from him long enough to pass him over to the rest of his family – to the assortment of aunts and uncles and grandparents and a very enthusiastic sister who seemed determined to hug the life out of him.
"I'm so glad you're my brother," she gushed. "You're so kind and so cool and I love you a lot. You can quote me on that. I'll paint you a picture to demonstrate as much because I love you a lot."
Harry just sort of awkwardly patted her shoulder, realizing belatedly that she and Sammy would get along like a house on fire.
"Look at him!" King Edmund cried, a true beast of a man who would be large and intimidating were it not for his perpetually jovial smile and the way he kept slapping King Frederic's back, like that was the only way he could hope to express his pleasure. "That is the model of Fitzherbert adventuring might." He seemed to just barely restrain himself from clapping Harry on the back, choosing to chuckle cheerfully instead. "You'll make a great heir to the Dark Kingdom."
"What?" Harry said, blinking confusedly as he tried to puzzle his way through that statement.
"The Dark Kingdom!" King Edmund repeated, like maybe Harry hadn't heard him right the first time. "Ruby is the heir to her mother's kingdom – Corona – and you are the heir to me and your father's homeland – the Dark Kingdom." He sighed somewhat wistfully. "It's a small place made entirely of refugees. We have weathered a lot, but our people are hardy, and they'll definitely love you!"
"Refugees?" Harry echoed, the panic in his chest managing to still somewhat. "Like the Isle?"
The king considered this for a moment, then beamed. "Yes, exactly! Perhaps we're a bit ragtag, but we're still mighty!"
Harry didn't know a lot about the Dark Kingdom. They hadn't sent anyone over to the Isle, so he'd only heard of it in passing from Gothel's mutterings at the school.
"We took care of most of our punishments in-house," King Edmund said. "But I also felt that the entire concept of the Isle was terribly misguided, so even when we did have violent offenders, I refused to use it! Much like Corona."
Which was true, because with the exception of Mother Gothel, Corona criminals were taken care of by their own kingdom rather than the Isle.
"As you can imagine," Queen Arianna began, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "We are in full support of the Isle reforms."
"I can show you how we operate, if you'd like," King Edmund said.
Out of curiosity, Harry followed the king and his father to a study where they reviewed the Dark Kingdom's current policies. It was a comfort that the Dark Kingdom really wasn't all that different from the Isle. After years of poverty and abandonment, the Dark Kingdom was rebuilding. It'd had more time to do so than the Isle, but it was still getting settled, and small enough that Harry could make suggestions of some of the things they'd implemented on the Isle that might help with the isolated kingdom.
"Brilliant!" King Edmund declared, and Harry was beginning to realize that the man – his grandfather – mostly communicated through enthusiastic shouting, which he was struggling to reconcile with, but at the very least he was pretty sure Gil would love him for it. "You're a natural!"
"They're not my ideas," Harry said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Evie came up with them, I'm just sharing."
"Good leaders know how to recognize functional policy to implement in their own homes," King Eugene murmured, sounding the wisest Harry had ever heard him. "You are a natural, but no worries, it's going to be a long time before you have to take over the Dark Kingdom."
Harry still felt uneasy at the prospect, even if of all the kingdoms in Auradon, giving the villain kid the 'Dark Kingdom' seemed the most appropriate. Apparently it was named as such because of an old mystic relic it used to house that made the kingdom dark. Now the black landscape was a wash of purple, teal, and gold – finding its own kind of color from the latent magic that had seeped into the land.
"Our colors are black and teal," King Edmund informed him proudly. "Though we did consider changing them to white and gold, like the Flynn Rider books."
"Oh, we've got to get you a copy of those!" King Eugene said, and somehow Harry ended up in the library nestled in Ben's lap, blinking down at a white and gold book and entirely confused as to how he had gotten there.
"Yeah," Ben said, nuzzling his hair. "They're very enthusiastic people, but they love you a lot."
"Do ye think they'll love my siblings too?" Harry asked, feeling that hint of unease curl in his stomach. "I don't- I'd hate to get this-"
"The answer is yes," Ben informed him, his lips buried in the curve of Harry's neck. "They're yours, so of course they will love them, regardless of whether they feel like they deserve it or not."
"Ben," Harry sighed, his cheeks flushing hot, but the prince was unrepentant, pulling Harry into a kiss he couldn't help but sigh into.
It was a very overwhelming day.
At dinner, Doug formally asked Harry's parents for permission to court him, and they'd all given enthusiastic yes's, including Harry's new grandparents (mostly King Edmund), his adoptive grandparents (Quirin – Uncle Varian's father), and his Aunt Adira, who was apparently married to Uncle Lance.
It was a baffling amount of people, and for whatever reason, none of them seemed to have the good sense to even be slightly wary of him. It was a whole family of people who lacked basic survival instincts. It was a damn nightmare.
"I know that face," Lady Cassandra said, ruffling his hair. "I have felt that despair. You'll get used to it."
"But-"
"You will," she simply repeated. "I promise. Now, may I have another hug?"
Harry flushed. "Ye don't have to ask every time."
"Yes, I do," his mom – Lady Cassandra hummed. "Because you deserve to have your personal space respected. It doesn't matter who's asking, okay? If they're family or your partners, you don't owe anyone anything you don't want to give."
"It's just a hug," Harry said, making a face.
"It's your body," she corrected. "And you will do with it exactly as you please, and not a single thing else."
Her gaze was serious as she explained this, making Harry shift his weight, a sudden anxiety spiking through his chest. Uma was really the only other person who had tried to establish these kinds of boundaries with him, and it felt odd to face that with someone else, and stranger still with someone who was supposed to be his mother. Then again, maybe this was regular mom stuff, and Harry just didn't know because he didn't have a positive maternal relationship.
"We can hug," Harry decided, as though he didn't revel in the slight contact he knew he shouldn't be getting attached to. They might decide he was unfit, or…
Or things could go well, he supposed. This could be a great help to the Isle. If- if he was an actual royal, that meant he could be on the council one day, that meant he could help Mal and Uma even better, but that was assuming they didn't think he was too incapable to do so. It didn't seem like that would occur to them, though. Harry had already tried to convince them he wasn't worthy of such a thing, and literally none of them would believe it.
"Full day, huh?" Aziz said when Harry curled up next to him later that night, the six of them out on Ben's private balcony, surrounding a firepit as they looked up at the stars.
"They keep enforcing rules and shit," Harry said, nuzzling his shoulder. "It's weird."
Lonnie gave him a knowing look. "That's parenting, Sonny. They're parenting you."
Harry felt his cheeks flood with heat. "Oh."
"Don't be embarrassed," Doug said. "This doesn't mean that Mr. Smee didn't parent you either – he just had to focus on other things because he was struggling to keep you and your siblings alive. Now that you're out here though, you have different things you need to focus on, and that's what they were trying to cover."
"It's still weird," Harry muttered.
"Yeah," Chad agreed. "I feel the same way with Fairy Godmother sometimes. You'll get used to it. Like, eventually. Not now. It takes time."
"Okay," Harry said, trusting the blond's judgement. "What going to happen, going forward?"
"You'll probably be getting a lot more phone calls," Ben offered. "But in the more immediate sense, you're not leaving the castle until we know for sure that you're safe, and then your parents will probably make a formal announcement to share the good news." He paused, letting that settle in. "You'll likely be coronated too."
Harry winced but managed to swallow his protest. This crown could do good things for the Isle, he had to remember that, as ill-prepared as he felt to receive it. "Will ye guys be able to come?"
There was a pause, like they hadn't expected that response, and then Lonnie scoffed. "Like they could stop us."
It was a threat and promise rolled into one, and Harry latched onto it, trying to find what footing he could in this brave new world of his.
-:-:-
Endnotes:
We're very close to the end now, folks! We've got two more official chapters to go, and the last one's a doozy in an attempt to wrap everything up.
Story notes:
Shout out to my 'Lesson Number One' reference. One of the best parts of Mulan 2, if you ask me.
Look, Ben got his awkward tendencies from somewhere, and it wasn't his mom. King Adam's doing the best with what he has, though what he has is admittedly not much ;)
A lot of the characters mentioned in this chapter are from the Tangled animated series. The Dark Kingdom, Cassandra, Vance, Varian (goggles man), Quirin, Adira, and Edmund are all featured in the series, and if you haven't, I'd suggest giving it a try. It's pretty good :)
Until next time :D
