Chapter 8 – Hanover

-:-:-

They woke up early the next day to travel to Hanover, which led to them arriving sometime during the afternoon – the weather a markable difference from the unforgiving heat of Tangu. Hanover was a place of majestic forests and large, impressive mountains, and with its comparatively mild weather, Chad went from layering up against the sweltering heat to wearing a light sweater to combat the minor chill of wind that blew over the land.

The first day in Hanover was a rest day – one scheduled to allow the diplomatic envoy time to settle in and maybe sightsee a little, get a feel for the castle without the pressure of dealing with foreign royalty. Despite this, Ben was of course still in high demand, though he'd promised Chad that he'd scheduled his own rest day on Wednesday – when his meeting load was lightest.

"No exceptions, Ben," Chad warned him as they settled into their room. "I don't care if they rearrange meetings – you are going to sleep in and get some fresh air and read books and do non-royal stuff for a full day, or so help me I will call your mom."

Queen Belle had given Chad her contact information shortly after his grandfather's arrest. He knew it was her effort to seem open while also giving him a solid adult figure to turn to when his father seemed to be fracturing, but they were both kind enough to ignore her motivations. As it was, he mostly contacted her to give updates on Ben's status, though it just about always devolved into Chad showing off his latest creations, the same way he would with his father.

It was, without question, nice, and Chad tried not to look into that, knowing that Queen Belle was very much Ben's mom and not his.

"Alright, I yield," Ben said with a chuckle, seeming both relieved and fond of Chad's insistence. "Wednesday will be a free day no matter what."

"No matter what," Chad echoed before he went back to unpacking.

That was only a temporary distraction, though, and after Ben left for his meetings, Chad had been at loose ends. At this point, he would normally go to the library or out to explore the surrounding city, but in light of his recent promiscuity, he thought it would be best to avoid such things until he knew for sure that Mal and Jay were occupied elsewhere. Ben would come back with a schedule for the other teens so Chad could know where not to be later, but that left him with limited options in the moment.

He could take a nap, but he felt too restless. He could work on some of his projects, but he faced the same problem.

When all else failed, he turned to the one companion who had always had his back, which was what led Chad back to the stables he had left not long before.

"Hey, buddy," he greeted Major, giving him a few comforting pets. "Phillipe," he offered to the brown horse in the next stall. "I know we already had a walk this morning, but how do you feel about a little exploration? Something beyond following a line of other horses?"

Major released an interested neigh, Phillipe Junior perking up from his stall.

"We could go bareback," Chad offered Major. "I'll have to keep your reigns on until we're outside the castle, but after that, we could run free for a little bit? Have a good gallop? I'm sure the birds will let me know of some good trails we can take."

Phillipe let out a wary sound, the horse seeming to doubt that the groomsmen would allow Chad to take out two horses when there was only one rider.

"Don't worry, Ben already got that paperwork sorted out," Chad assured him. "I'm allowed to take you out whenever I please. So, what do you say?"

It wasn't much of a surprise that both horses were eager for the opportunity, allowing Chad to get their bridles in place before he led both of them towards the front of the stables where the groomsmen on guard was waiting.

It seemed that even with Ben's paperwork, he was having a bit of a difficult time understanding why Chad would need two horses.

"I'm just getting him some exercise while Ben's busy," Chad said, as though they hadn't ridden all morning. "I could call him, if you like?"

For whatever reason, the prospect of Chad having the Prince of Auradon's number was generally enough to see him through, despite the fact that he could very well be bluffing. He supposed the people of Hanover preferred to play it safe rather than be sorry?

Now if only he could echo the same sentiment, maybe he could have avoided getting poisoned by a snake.

Chad forced the thought from his mind, focusing on climbing up on Major's back and leading Phillipe off towards the riding trails Chad had seen earlier. He managed to acquire the attention of some local birds, who like every other animal he'd encountered in Enchancia, seemed entirely surprised that they could understand him.

"We just need a meadow or something," he explained to a black tern, the bird settling on his wrist with a few confused blinks. "Somewhere they can run free for a bit that's out of the way? Do you know anywhere like that?"

The bird considered this for a moment before letting out an excited trill. With that, he took off, urging Chad to follow him.

And, well, Chad had been looking for directions. He supposed you couldn't get more direct than this.

They followed the bird at a gentle pace, Chad memorizing their path on reflex and almost missing a turn off the wider trail. There was a small offshoot, easy to miss if you didn't look for it, and the tern tittered around it with a few enthusiastic chirps until Chad followed it down into a more secluded area of the forest.

Chad would have worried for the remote factor if he hadn't specifically requested something out of the way, and it was a bit of a relief when they were finally led into a grassy meadow that ran alongside a waterfall rather than into some kind of trap. This really was exactly what Chad was looking for, and he wasted no time hopping off Major's back, relieving him and Phillip of their bridles so they could have a chance to run around and be free for once.

"Have fun!" he cheered as they began to explore the area, and with that he started his own perusal, hoping for a quiet spot to maybe work on his sketching.

The tern seemed determined to help with that too, swooping and fluttering near Chad's face with a few excited calls as he guided the prince towards an area near the falls, a shady nook centered around a collection of sweeping trees, and beneath it-

"Oh." Chad paused, causing Evie to startle up from her own sketchbook, the other teen's horse resting on the ground not far away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"Chad?" Evie pressed, as though processing his appearance before she managed to get a hold of herself. "No worries, I wouldn't consider you presence an intrusion." She paused, looking at the two bridles he was holding. "Did you lose your horse?"

"No, he's playing with Phillipe," Chad said, motioning over his shoulder where the other two horses were enjoying the open spaces of the meadow. "They'll come back when they're tired."

"That's right," Evie laughed. "I forget that you can talk to animals."

"Sortof talk to animals," Chad clarified, taking a tentative seat on the stone bench next to her while the black tern fluttered happily overhead. "That was actually how I was guided here, though I hadn't realized there would be company."

"I suppose that's just the wildlife of Hanover looking after me," Evie said, almost sighing. "I was trying to find some peace."

"I can leave," Chad offered, his heartrate spiking. "Or um- just go to the other side of the glen. It's no trouble."

"Peace from anyone but you," Evie clarified, shooting him a fond look. "Or at least, people like you. You're not someone I have to worry about."

"Trouble with the diplomatic contingent?" Chad asked, trying to walk the fine line between prying and comfort.

"You could say that," Evie sighed, wrinkling her nose. "The heirs of Enchancia seem to have little interest in finding their future spouses, and I've tried to do my duty – their flippancy be damned – it's just… hard," she settled on. "The Auradon kids really are sweet too."

"I know I might be hopelessly biased, but I can confirm pretty much all of them are amazing," Chad offered. "Except like, Fritz. But I didn't tell you that, if anyone asks."

That earned him a delighted giggle. "Noted," she said, her shoulders seeming to relax somewhat. "And what brings you out here? I'd have thought you'd be exploring the library."

"I will, in good time," Chad allowed, knowing that Carlos had likely passed that information on. Carlos, who was close friends with Evie. "I thought I could use some fresh air. Maybe work on my own sketches."

"Then by all means," Evie said, motioning for Chad to get started. He set his satchel and bridles down at his feet and got to work, bypassing the half-finished sketch of Jay and choosing to focus on Major instead, who was always an eager model.

It was a nice way to spend an afternoon, and the more time passed, the more at ease Chad felt. It was nice to have company without the pressure of maintaining a conversation, nice to sketch out a dress design he had in mind for Jane and offer it to Evie for her critique.

"Adorable as always," she surmised, her eyes seeming to sparkle with joy, or perhaps a muted sort of inspiration that came from collaborating with someone who understood her craft. Mal had much been the same way. "You know, if you have some free time, we could work on some projects together in my sewing studio. It'd be nice to have an eager audience to talk to. I'm afraid I always bore Carlos."

Chad tensed. "I don't know how much help I'd be," he admitted. "I really only know how to embroider."

"You say that like it's some small feat," Evie said, making Chad's cheeks heat with warmth. "You can do that – keep me company and grace some jackets with your handiwork."

"And Carlos…" Chad didn't know how to word the next part, had no idea how much Carlos shared with Evie, though he suspected it was a lot since they were best friends. "Will um- he be there?"

There was a pause, and then Evie sighed. "He mentioned what happened," she said quietly. "Sort of. At least I know he's embarrassed by it. Enough that he's probably avoiding you as much as you're avoiding him."

If Chad had been flushed before, he knew he was absolutely crimson now, his embarrassment felt so acute. "I forgot myself," he settled on, wishing his heart wouldn't pound so furiously. "Forgot my place, I mean. This might seem like a vacation, but everything that's happening here – it's much bigger than myself, and I jeopardized that."

"Technically," Evie began, her voice careful. "Jay's snake jeopardized that."

"But I trusted him," Chad said. "And eating food from an unknown source goes against most of my training. Sure, it was- that, but it could have been actual poison."

"There's no sense beating yourself up over it," Evie advised with a frown. "Carlos is already doing that enough for everyone. I can't even get him to come out of his lab anymore." She sighed. "And still, I have to be the perfect host without him."

"I'm sorry," Chad said, his shoulders slumping. "I know you're probably under a lot of pressure right now, and here I am adding my own squabbles onto it."

"Your problems are hardly unimportant," Evie replied, her voice even. "And they involve my best friend, of course I'm interested, just- this whole situation." She released another sigh, which seemed like a direct contrast to her usually composed disposition. "I suppose new trials are to be expected when you discover a large union of kingdoms on the other side of the world. Everyone's nervous, everyone's worried about making a wrong move, and yet still we fight, because sacrificing our freedom does not come naturally to us."

"Are they trying to get a marriage contract for you too?" Chad asked carefully.

He knew they were trying to set up the Enchancian heirs, but he supposed since there were so few of them, it would make sense for them to try and enhance their odds by arranging marriages for other children of nobility to cement the peace between Enchancia and Auradon.

Evie considered him for a moment, her face perfectly expressionless, before she turned her attention back to her sketchbook. "Something like that," she decided. "They all know someone has to take the hit, but no one wants to do it, even if there's nothing wrong with the Auradon heirs." She paused, and then added, "With the exception of Fritz."

"Allegedly," Chad said, earning a laugh from her. "Are you guys really so worried about Auradon?"

"Enchancia is six kingdoms," Evie said. "That seemed like a lot to us, but Auradon…" She trailed off, and there was no need to elaborate, as Chad knew well enough that the Auradon kingdom count easily doubled, maybe even tripled, what Enchancia had. "Even without your reliance on magic, it's still a force of power to be reckoned with. And you're already unified – sharing trade, technology, information all with an effortless sort of ease and cooperation. It's something Enchancia has been working for but hasn't managed with six kingdoms. King Adam did it with thrice that – of course it's a intimidating. Someone's going to have to marry into that."

"It's not as scary as you may think," Chad said. "Though I'm obviously biased. Our kingdoms work together for the benefit of the whole, but we don't entirely surrender our individual strengths. Every kingdom has a seat on the United Auradon Council, and every royal family the authority to rule over the particular aspects of their own individual kingdoms as they see fit. If anything, the council exists to keep royal families in line that might abuse their positions, which they haven't done to date, but if there was ever a bad apple…" He trailed off with a shrug. "We try to put up what protections we can to ensure our citizens are taken care of."

"I think I like that," Evie allowed. "The power checks, at least. Queen Grimhilde…"

"I heard," Chad said, making her startle. "I listened to Queen Scheherazade's stories back in Tangu."

He knew of Queen Grimhilde's attempts to kill Queen Snow after the death of her father, how after the initial attack had failed, she'd tried again and again, all while unknowingly being pregnant with Princess Evelyn. The baby had come just before the queen had fallen, and Queen Snow had taken in her younger sister, raising her as her own as they brought in a new age for Hanover – at least before it was incorporated into Enchancia.

"Then you know we could benefit from such things," Evie allowed. "It is still an intimidating prospect, but one I suppose won't get easier until we get a better understanding of how Auradon works." She quirked a smile at him. "Your Prince Ben is very good at articulating the functions of his kingdom."

Chad felt himself blush when she referred to Ben as his, even though he knew she meant Ben was Auradon's as a whole, not Chad's specifically. "We're very lucky to have him representing us," Chad said eventually. "He's trained hard to be a good ruler for the united kingdoms."

"That he has," Evie murmured. "It makes me wonder why he isn't one of Auradon's candidates. Would not the prince of all princes be the greatest show of peace?"

"Perhaps," Chad allowed, feeling uncomfortable for some reason. "But Ben's been promised to Princess Audrey pretty much since childhood. She's one of the more powerful heirs in Auradon," Chad explained. "The princess of two of the most powerful kingdoms we have." In terms of both magic and prosperity. "I don't think they have a marriage contract yet, but it's been a done deal for as long as I can remember, and the Florians honor that kind of thing."

"I don't doubt that," Evie said, though Chad wondered if she meant the concept from her experiences with Ben, or if she just didn't doubt Chad specifically. "But I can't help but wonder if his heart will be willing to commit to that unspoken agreement."

"I guess I've never asked him about it," Chad said, the entire thing seeming completely beyond his paygrade. "Ben… likes everyone." Which was the only thing that explained why he so regularly hung out with Chad. "Or at least, he tries to find the good in all of them, and he and Audrey have been friends for a long time. For the sake of Auradon, they'd make it work."

"You're very certain," Evie hummed, watching him with an unreadable look.

"I don't believe in much," Chad said. "But I believe in Ben."

To date, it had never been a bad bet for him.

"Spoken like a true friend," Evie declared, and that time, her smile was wide and true.

-:-:-

They passed the rest of their afternoon rather congenially, moving onto easier subjects as they worked on their respective sketches. Evie confirmed that with Carlos' behavior, it was unlikely that he'd visit her sewing studio, so Chad agreed to meet her there the following day when she wasn't busy with the diplomatic envoy.

"I need to track down a bookshop too," Chad explained. "Get Ben the presents he wouldn't buy for himself."

"I'll send some squirrels your way with some good recommendations," Evie said, her eyes sparkling with mischief, and Chad wouldn't know until later that she hadn't been lying. As it so happened, Queen Snow had a way with animals as well.

It really was a small world they lived in.

Because Chad had been in a rush to leave, he didn't have any food on him, though Evie was kind enough to share the snacks she'd packed in her effort to find peace – firm bread and hardy cheeses, dried dates and a few links of tasty sausage. There were honey cakes for dessert, Evie flushing when Chad startled at the impressive spread.

"The chefs spoil me," she murmured as she cut up the cheese into respectable slices. "Even though I insist it is not necessary."

"If I may not be to bold to say, you seem like a person who is worth spoiling," Chad said, earning another pleased laugh. "This is perfect – throw in some cornichons and you've got yourself a proper Sardinian charcuterie board."

"Elaborate," Evie prompted, and they spent a pleasant half hour discussing the various delicacies of their respective kingdoms.

When all else failed, it seemed like food always brought people together.

"And Central Auradon has the same food?" Evie prompted, brows raised in intrigue.

"Our cultures are very similar," Chad said. "We suspect that we derived from the same settlers that split into two different factions. We have the same national language, same foods, and same holidays for the most part." He shrugged. "It's nice, though, because it's something I can bond with Ben over."

"I'll admit, I am intrigued by the food," Evie allowed, making Chad grin. "Perhaps I will taste it someday."

"Come to Auradon Prep and you could have it every day," Chad said, making Evie laugh.

It wasn't much, but after the utter failure of Tangu – or at least, the final curdled note that seemed to ruin Tangu, it was a definite reprieve.

"I think your horses have finally tired themselves out," Evie noted a few hours later when Major and Phillipe made their approach. "I suppose it's time to go back and be responsible."

"Speak for yourself," Chad said, offering her a cheeky wink. "I think I'm going to take a nap."

"Braggart," Evie giggled, tossing her bundled up handkerchief at him, laughing when Chad managed to catch it out of the air. "Keep it," she said when he tried to return it. "With that coordination, you've earned it."

"As my lady wishes," Chad chirped, tucking the handkerchief into his pocket and turning to put the bridles back on Major and Phillipe.

"Yes," Evie said, her tone fond, though there was a hint of something else Chad couldn't quite place. "Your lady wishes it very much indeed."

-:-:-

Chad returned to his room in much higher spirits, having spent a good portion of time brushing both Major and Phillip down and feeding them treats before he was eventually bustled off by the stable hands who likely didn't want him making the other horses jealous. He sent his apologies to the other rides and felt substantially better when he came back to his shared room, intent to take a nap or maybe read one of his books. The possibilities were endless.

And things were looking even better because the lights were on, indicating that he'd managed to catch Ben between meetings, and distantly he heard the other prince fumbling around the bathroom, though the door was open, so maybe he was just arranging his toiletries.

"Hey, Ben!" Chad greeted, dumping his satchel on the foot of his bed and making a silent promise to himself to organize it later. "Everything going okay? I managed to run into Evie-"

He cut off when he noticed something distinctly out of place on the table – a container carelessly strewn open that hadn't been there before, containing…

Modaks, Chad realized with a flush. In his embarrassment, he'd forgotten that Iago had left some in his room, apparently in his bag – maybe one of the side pouches because Chad hadn't seen it – and now it was out and open on the table, meaning-

"Ben!" Chad cried, immediately running towards the bathroom to see what state the other prince was in.

Shit, Ben had probably thought Chad had made those in Tangu. After the Moors, it sort of just became a habit to invade their hosts' kitchens and acquire lessons on how to make the different foods, bringing the fruits of his efforts back to share. Chad had already left him an open invitation to help himself, which had been fine when Chad made the food, and less fine with a crafty snake familiar had enchanted them with aphrodisiacs.

As such, it was a very flushed Benjamin Florian he found waiting in the bathroom, his hands braced against the counter and head bowed, chest heaving and the water still running in the sink beside him, like he'd tried to splash off his face to cool himself off, and between his legs-

Well, Chad definitely shouldn't have looked there but um- yeah, it looked like Ben also wasn't immune to Tangun sex magic.

It was enough to have Chad darting back towards the door to their room, locking it in a few deft motions before he fumbled for his phone, making a hasty call to Lumiere.

"Prince Chadwick?" Lumiere answered, seeming confused because Chad literally never called him. "Is something the matter?"

"I need you to tell people that Ben's um- sick," Chad settled on. "And he can't go to the rest of the meetings he has today. Something happened and his beast's acting up – it will be fine, we don't need to panic, but he's not going to be able to go anywhere else today so can um- can you take care of that?"

"Consider it done," Lumiere pledged, taking Chad at his word despite the fact the blond didn't deserve it, as demonstrated by the fact that he'd poisoned Ben. "Will he need a doctor?"

"No, I don't think so," Chad said, running a frantic hand through his hair. "I'll call you if that changes, though."

"I'd appreciate it," Lumiere murmured. "And if you could give me an update later, I would appreciate that as well."

"Consider that done," Chad said, pausing when he heard Ben let out a few rumbles from the bathroom. "I have to go now. I'll call you later."

He hung up before Lumiere could reply, cutting an immediate path back towards the bathroom.

He wasn't sure what was waiting for him there, but one way or another, they would get through this.

Someway. Somehow.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

I mean, Chat might not know what's in store for him, but I think the rest of us have a fairly good idea ;)

And with that, I leave you ;D Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you guys all have a wonderful day. I hope you have good food and a bounty of entertainment content to work through, and if not, I hope those things are immanently on the horizon.

Happy holidays, team. I'll see you Wednesday.

Until next time ^_^