Chapter 16 – Unraveling

WARNING – Intentionally triggering trauma in the first scene. Ceremonial-related trauma that might not seem like a big deal to everyone else, but very much is to Chad.

-:-:-

The culmination of their summer in Enchancia was to end in a grand ball that would hopefully demonstrate the new potential couples to the entire diplomatic contingents and high-ranking officials of Auradon and Enchancia back in the Moors. The parents of the Auradon heirs had all been invited under the guise of networking (and perhaps learning who their future son or daughter-in-law might be) and in truth, that was what Chad was looking forward to most. Despite their many phone calls, he'd missed his father in the months they'd been apart, and it would be good to see him in person again. They hadn't been allowed much time to reconnect after the arrest of Chad's grandfather before Chad had set out on this trip, and while Chad knew his father still cared about him and was engaged with him and wouldn't forget him again, there was an added comfort to seeing him in person. Plus, Captain Anozie and Fairy Godmother would be there too, making it a proper reunion.

While Chad still had reservations about public appearances – specifically for balls due to his grandfather's abuse – Ben had promised him that Chad wouldn't need to make a royal entrance like the other Auradon heirs. No, Chad wouldn't be attending as the crown prince of Sardinia, but rather as just another tagalong, same as he'd been this entire time, so he'd get to use the side entrance and hide in the crowd with his family until Ben finished attending to his duties.

They'd go home after this, and Chad could only hope that they figured out how to connect Auradon and Enchancia's communication networks soon. Despite the ups and downs of this trip, he wanted to keep in touch with his new friends. Now that he knew he couldn't sabotage the intended purpose of the trip, it'd be nice to get their numbers or email or something so they could still keep up with each other. After all, he'd be sad if he didn't get to see more of Mal's art of Evie's designs. He wanted to hear about Carlos' magic theories even if he didn't understand all of them, wanted Jay to share the new stories he'd collected from his mother. He wanted Gil's bright commentary on his blossoming relationship with Harry and Uma's sarcasm and Harry's grumpiness.

Seven new friends, and Ben was sure Chad would make more now that he wasn't living under the weight of his grandfather's unrealistic and strict expectations. It was the type of bounty he'd never thought to expect, and even then he still knew how to cook new dishes and draw and embroider and carve new things.

This summer really had done wonderful things for him. It made Chad grateful that his grandfather had signed him up for it all those months ago, even if his only goal had been to get rid of Chad.

Well, the joke was on him, Chad was staying in Sardinia and he was thriving, and he wasn't an embarrassment or a shame or pathetic in any way.

Chad was looking through his suits, trying to determine which would be the most suitable without being too flashy when Lumiere knocked on the door, the chaperone bringing what seemed to be a small collection of stylists that usually attended to Ben's family for formal events.

"Um," Chad said, watching them pile in. "I thought Ben was getting changed with his family?"

"He is," Lumiere assured him with a strained smile. Chad wasn't sure how he knew it was strained, he just did. "King Adam sent his assistants to help prepare you for the ball. After all, you deserve the best."

Chad wasn't entirely sure where that thought process came from, though he supposed he appreciated the sentiment. He tried to hold onto that because if he didn't, he would start freaking out. Stylists and handsy assistants were a constant from Chad's childhood, all carefully selected by his grandfather to make Chad feel as much like a piece of meat as possible. They worked around him, talked around him, but rarely spoke to him, ordering him around in harsh tones that made preparing for intimidating events all the more awful.

From those similarities alone, Chad would protest, but this was a gift. From the king of Auradon, no less. Chad couldn't deny him. And besides, Lumiere probably wouldn't let them be mean to Chad.

Probably.

"Thank you," Chad settled on, watching one of the women unfurl a bundle of makeup brushes atop the vanity. "That's very kind of him. I was just in the process of picking out a suit."

"Ah, we can help you there," Lumiere cheered, motioning to another gentleman who on second glance was carrying an expensive garment bag. "King Adam brought a version of traditional Sardinian formalwear with him for your use."

"But um- that's… pretty flashy," Chad settled on, thinking about the last time he had worn such garments.

It had been the ball where things had finally come to a head, Captain Anozie managing to drag his father away from whatever scheduled trip Chad's grandfather had sent him on to reveal the horror show that had become Chad's regular reality. Chad's formalwear, while harmless on its own, had never represented anything good for him, and as such he was still working his way up to regularly wearing it. He was still working his way up to a lot of things, like attending balls or press conferences or having a private tutor. Dr. Sweet said it was okay to go slow, that they would approach these things when he was ready.

Doing it in a foreign kingdom for a very important trip did not make Chad feel ready, and he knew he needed to put his foot down, he just wasn't sure how.

"You deserve to have a little flash, mon amie," Lumiere burst as the assistants scattered to start unpacking their respective bags. "Especially for tonight – it is quite the big occasion for you."

"It is?" Chad asked, a thread of confusion stringing through his growing panic.

"But of course!" Lumiere chirped. "Now, let's get you dressed."

"I, but I-"

But it seemed to be for not, as Chad was no match for the whirlwind intensity of Lumiere, he found himself urged into a chair so one stylist could give him some subtle makeup while another tended to his curls.

It wasn't helped when he finally slid into his formal clothes, that battle lost so thoroughly that Chad didn't know how it occurred at all. He loved his kingdom, but the traditional pants were always quite tight – something that had been used to humiliate him more than once. They were designed to be worn under black knee-high boots which Lumiere also had – seemingly Chad's most formal pair with gold embellishments swirling around the top. The jacket acted as sort of a shirt and tunic in one – high collared and snapping all down the middle from throat to waist, the back flaring out into traditional twin tails. There was gold piping and buttons and cuffs, his ceremonial sword hooked to his left hip and gold fringe epaulets that could do nothing but shine in the light. It was all topped with an ornate sash that went from his left shoulder to right hip, and Chad was spending so much time freaking out over the obnoxious picture he presented that he didn't realize the outfit wasn't complete until Lumiere was approaching him with a very familiar box.

"No," Chad said on instinct, taking a step back. "No, I- I'm not um, attending as a prince," he said, staring at his crown harmlessly buffered in a cushion of blue velvet. "My dad said I didn't have to wear that yet."

Because like his clothes, nothing good had ever happened to him while he'd worn it, but that seemed so much more pointed because the crown felt like an ultimatum, and Chad knew the moment it was ripped off his head he would be thrown to the wolves, same as he'd always been.

It was then and only then that he caught a glimmer of strain in Lumiere's eyes, something that was there and gone in an instant. "It is King Adam's request," he said. "He would like the full Auradon contingent represented at their very best."

Chad was pretty sure his best didn't involve stress tears and a lot of panic, but he also knew that any arguments offered on his part would likely fall on deaf ears. The king had given an order and he had to respect it, but Chad had hoped that maybe there could be an exception. He was still working his way up to dealing with this. It didn't seem fair. He had only felt mildly comfortable representing his kingdom in his regular suits, and now like this- It felt like a recipe for disaster, and Chad could only be comforted by the fact that he'd spend the entire ball surrounded by his family where he knew he would be protected. His grandfather wasn't going to descend from the woodwork and ruin everything. The Sardinian nobility that had enabled Chad's abuse had been arrested, he was safe.

He was just also very scared, which didn't lessen any when Lumiere finally placed that familiar crown on his head.

Chad avoided looking at himself in the mirror, quietly following Lumiere through the halls of Moors Castle, down towards the grand ballroom he had spent so much time avoiding.

The hallways seemed relatively empty, which surprised Chad. In Auradon, the areas leading to the ballroom would be bustling as people prepared to make their grand entrances for the pre-crowds that had already been let in through various side halls. Proper nobility had to be announced, but no one liked to do that to an empty room, which required minor nobility to be in their positions early, which usually required a lot of movement.

"Are we late?" Chad asked, his heart beating furiously in his chest. Lumiere had informed him of a time change just that morning that allowed Chad a couple more hours to prepare for the ball, but he hadn't realized that might just be an individual thing rather than everyone's schedules getting pushed back.

"No, we are right on time," Lumiere assured him, shooting Chad a comforting smile. "We should be in the receiving hall shortly, and then the steward will announce your entrance."

"I- what?" Chad understood what he said, but it went so strongly against his plans that he couldn't seem to wrap his head around it. "No, I'm supposed to use the side hall. My family's meeting me down on the floor, because of- you know."

The grand entrances had always been the worse, Chad suffering under the contemptuous gazes of the Sardinian nobility before all hell broke loose in some capacity. In truth, he knew he wasn't ready to attempt such a thing yet. His dad had promised they'd work their way up to it in small steps – with teatimes that hosted his friends before having strangers in the audience – but now this was- it was too much.

Lumiere sighed. "I know you are not quite comfortable with this, your highness, but King Adam-"

"No," Chad said, feeling a certain heat build behind his eyes. "No. No. I can't- I can't do this yet. I can't-" He swallowed hard, trying to keep a hold of himself, trying to keep from making a scene because they were getting closer to the grand hall. "Is um- is Ben going to be- can I enter with him?"

"You must go alone," Lumiere said, seeming regretful. "Mon cher, you can do this. You have already made such a wonderful impression here."

"I- t-that's not the same," Chad said. "It's not- I haven't been to a ball since-"

Since he'd almost gotten raped at one, though he hadn't realized that was what was happening at the time, hadn't put those dots together until later, so sure it was just another cruel punishment his grandfather felt like enforcing in front of the entirety of their guests. No one knew what happened that night save for those that had been there, Chad's father determined to offer Chad at least that much protection, but the implications of something horrific had gotten out, and Lumiere should understand that much.

Lumiere paused, grabbing both of Chad's hands and holding them tight, trying to offer what reassurance he could. "You can do this, soleil – Auradon is counting on you."

"It is?" Chad asked, somewhat dazed.

Why would Auradon be counting on him? He'd literally spent the last two months on a glorified vacation.

"Very much," Lumiere confirmed. "You will not know how much until you get in there but…" He trailed off with a considerate look, then shook his head. "The master thinks it is best for you to learn in the moment, but know that he has every faith in you, your highness. We all believe in you very much; you merely need to believe yourself."

Theoretically, that sounded nice, but it all seemed like too much.

"Are you sure I can't use the side hall?" Chad asked weakly. "My dad won't mind, I know he won't mind."

"It is not your father I am worried about," Lumiere offered gently, and Chad knew without him having to elaborate that he was referring to King Adam.

Chad's shoulders were wrought with tension by the time they made it to the grand hall, and while he'd worried about what kind of impression he'd make on all the other royals waiting to be announced, he realized things were even worse when Lumiere brought him to an entirely empty hall.

"We're early?" Chad asked, feeling terribly confused.

"Still right on time," Lumiere chirped, his voice tense.

But that meant- if they weren't early, that meant everyone else had already been announced. They'd waited to bring Chad in last, though he didn't know why. That was generally only done for the person of honor, or if the ball was being hosted in someone's name in particular. Neither applied to Chad, but this rang too close to his past experiences for him to be able to process that carefully.

His grandfather had always brought him in last. His grandfather had always made him wait, made him watch every person be announced, made Chad understand who would be watching his humiliation should he fail, and he always did, and it always hurt.

Chad was grappling with this while Lumiere spoke quietly with the footman attending to the door, and there was another whispered conversation where they likely informed the steward of Chad's arrival, and Chad just- he wanted to leave, King Adam's orders be damned. He couldn't do this. This wasn't the same as last time and he knew that, knew his grandfather wasn't there, but the eyes-

"Come now," Lumiere said, gently guiding Chad towards the large double doors by his elbows. "Nice and easy, just like your mother. It will be over in no time."

The reason Chad's grandfather had taken so much time to create Chad's fear of proper announcements and grand entrances was because of his mother's arrival to the ball. It irked him that a commoner had commanded that much attention and as such Chad was to pay for her folly, to never be allowed the confidence to think he could be worthy of such a thing.

Chad panicked over that, knowing that he'd avoided his grandfather's other preparations – the gallons of water, the hours of being run ragged, the sleep deprivation, the too-tight clothes. The starvation and chastisement and last-minute etiquette lessons piled onto him when he was at his least receptive until it was all jumbled in his head in one big unmanageable mess.

He panicked over that while the doors opened, revealing a very full ballroom and a very grand staircase.

"Introducing his royal highness, Chadwick James, the crown prince of Sardinia!" the steward cried, earning a soft round of applause from the contingent.

It always started off with polite applause. It always ended in jeers and thrown food or torn clothes or stepped on feet or ridicule, mocking voices asking him where his Fairy Godmother was. Didn't have magic to save him now, did he?

Chad barely remembered to offer a polite bow before he descended the staircase, conscious of the hundreds of eyes pinned to his person. The sea of faces seemed to all blur together into one unforgiving mass, and distantly, Chad could hear a steady buzz of white noise building in his ears.

He was disconnecting. He knew he was disconnecting and when that happened he was supposed to step back so he could be present. He needed to pick something to touch and something to hear and something to smell but all he could feel was panic, panic, panic, Chad waiting for the sharks to circle closer until he was dragged down the stairs by his hair or shoved down for being such a failure. How could he fail to navigate a staircase? Anyone could manage a staircase. Even children could manage a staircase, but not Chad, the crown fool of Sardinia. He always missed a step or stumbled or faltered because he was so tired or so hungry or his boots were too small and made it difficult to walk, and he was fine, none of that was happening now, but-

He missed a step.

His heel caught on the edge of the previous step and he stumbled slightly, nothing noticeable, except everyone would notice because they were all staring at him, there was no one coming behind him it was just him and he'd managed to fuck up walking down stairs without any handicaps and his grandfather was right. Chad was useless. Chad was a fool and a blight and a shame and how dare he fuck this up in front of non-Sardinians? It was bad enough that he couldn't do this at home, bad enough to make a fool of himself in front of his own people, but to dare disgrace himself in front of foreign dignitaries. It was like he wanted them to think poorly of his kingdom, and they should, because he was garbage.

Chad fumbled for the ornate handrail beside him, trying to steady his breath and struggling against the furious ringing in his ears. He couldn't seem to breathe right, couldn't stop the heat from building in his eyes, and belatedly he realized he was crying – he was stuck on the damn staircase crying because his grandfather was going to come for him, he was going to let those men strip Chad's clothes off in front of everyone and show his people what he was really good for.

There was motion from the corner of his eye, someone drawing closer, and Chad found himself crumbling to the ground, curling up against the rail in a defensive position. He knew it was pointless, knew there was no point in resisting, but he couldn't help but try. He always seemed determined to try, however little good that did him.

"Kit," a voice said, gentle and insistent, and Chad looked up to see his father's worried visage through the blur of tears, wearing his crown and formalwear despite what they had discussed before. "Kit, sweetheart, it's alright, no one's going to hurt you, I promise."

"I'm here, your highness," Captain Anozie murmured, and Chad realized that Fairy Godmother was there too, the three of them falling in to be some kind of protective bubble around Chad. "I will protect you to the bitter end."

"As will I, sweetheart," Fairy Godmother said, petting a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry," Chad gasped, his chest feeling tight. "I'm sorry, I tried. I- I wanted- I asked to use the side hall but they wouldn't- K-King Adam wanted me to-"

"Is everything okay?" a new voice said, and who arrived but none other than King Adam himself, Queen Maleficent standing beside him with a worried expression.

"You know it isn't," Chad's father said, his voice a low murmur. "Did my son really ask for this, or did you order him?"

King Adam sighed. "Extenuating circumstances, Christopher," King Adam explained. "Things changed-"

"Go to hell," Chad's father replied, his voice low, tight. "I should have known Chad would never want this. That two months of finding himself wasn't enough time to overcome a decade of trauma. What is this even about, Adam? Why are we doing this?"

It was then that Queen Maleficent spoke up, her eyes narrowed in consideration. "Your son has proven to be the most viable candidate for a marriage contract, King Christopher. We wanted to properly introduce him to our people and give him the opportunity to engage with our heirs in a public fashion before any courtships could be initiated."

"That's preposterous," Chad's father said, standing to block Chad from view, Fairy Godmother shifting to wrap a comforting arm around Chad's shoulders. "Chad was never a candidate for a marriage contract."

"For an Enchancian marriage contract, yes," Queen Maleficent said. "We understand that Chadwick is an only child, your majesty, but so far he is the only individual that our heirs seem to have any interest in. Because of this, we are willing to negotiate a Sardinian marriage contract, with the understanding that whoever is chosen to marry Chadwick would be living with him in Sardinia, not Enchancia."

That was- that was a lot, but mostly Chad couldn't help but be confused. Why would he be the most suitable candidate? He hadn't even met the Enchancian heirs, it didn't make any sense.

"I am… grateful for your heirs' interest in my son," Chad's father said diplomatically. "But I don't understand where this is coming from. He wasn't included in any of the matchmaking events."

"I didn't meet any of the heirs," Chad murmured, adding his own piece now that he was buffered by the presence of his family. "Why would- why would they pick me?"

There was a pause where Queen Maleficent shot King Adam a confused look.

The king sighed. "It so happens that you've met all the Enchancian heirs, Chadwick," he explained gently. "Outside of the official events, of course, but you have managed to befriend all of them and win them over in one fell swoop."

"I don't understand," Chad said, struggling to wrap his mind around this. He'd made seven friends on this trip, seven, but none of them had shared titles with the Enchancian heirs, except-

Except Mal could easily be short for 'Malissande'. Evie could be short for Evelyn. Harry could be short for Harrison and Uma, Umali and Jay could be Jadir which was why he was so insistent on the hostess using his nickname, why Queen Scheherazade was so amused by his antics.

Chad turned, following the line of King Adam's finger towards the foot of the stairs where all his new friends, sans Carlos and Gil, were waiting. Except instead of their usual clothes they were dressed up like proper royalty, each proudly clad in their kingdoms' colors and sporting various crowns and diadems, all looking up at him with worried expressions-

"I didn't- I didn't know," Chad whispered, feeling fresh tears burn in his eyes. "I didn't- they didn't tell me, they-" Chad was startled by a quiet sob, and he immediately shoved a hand to his mouth to silence it, though it seemed like a useless thing, he felt so very humiliated. "I didn't know," he urged his father. "I promise. I would have avoided them otherwise. I would have."

He wasn't stupid, he could follow basic rules. Except apparently he couldn't, because he couldn't even make his way down a flight of stairs without freaking out about it, without crying horribly.

"We know, darling," Fairy Godmother murmured against his curls. "Trust me, we know."

"We mean no slights against your heirs," Chad's father explained, his tone hard. "But my father's main goal in including Chad in this contingent was to see that he was married off. When he was arrested, I instructed Chad to do the exact opposite of what he'd intended."

"And I didn't," Chad gasped. "I'm sorry, you trusted me-"

"Chadwick," Queen Maleficent interrupted, her gaze gentle. "If anyone is in the wrong here, it is not you. You did not hide the fact that you were not part of the prospective future partners, and I know for a fact that my daughter intentionally hid her title from you for fear of scaring you off." She approached him carefully and then, with Captain Anozie's permission, settled in next to him on the stone staircase. "You know by now how different Enchancia is from Auradon. Our heirs weren't given the opportunity to bond with their peers and be treated with respect outside their given positions. They have always been somewhat revered, and that isolated them. Having you treat them so casually – it was a gift, one I think they didn't want to lose."

"So they lied," Chad murmured, and even if he could understand the reasoning, that didn't make it hurt any less.

"You should have told me of this development the moment it happened," Chad's father informed King Adam. "They're hosting a ball in my son's honor and I didn't find out about it until he was being announced."

"Chadwick signed the same paperwork as all the other heirs," King Adam sighed. "I know it's not ideal-"

"The paperwork he was coerced into signing?" Chad's father snapped. "The paperwork whose guardian signature was provided by a man who is now in prison? In a court of law that paperwork has no legal standing and you know it. That you would consider my son for this after all he has been through-"

"Auradon is not at fault for what your son has suffered," King Adam said, strong, certain, and for a moment Chad's family held still, seemingly unable to respond. In that time, the king's shoulders fell, the man seeming to realize that he'd crossed a line. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "That did not come out as I intended."

"I think it did," Chad's father said coolly. "And I think we're done here." He turned his attention to Queen Maleficent. "Thank you for your generosity in hosting us, your majesty. My son has told me nothing but wonderful things about the kingdoms of Enchancia. I hope this will not reflect poorly in your consideration for Sardinia or Auradon as a whole, but we must leave."

With that, Fairy Godmother seemed to summon her magic wand with a flick of her wrist, Captain Anozie and Chad's father falling in close.

"It really has been… interesting," Fairy Godmother offered, always one to look on the bright side, and then she was shifting her wand in fluttered patterns, chanting out a familiar – "Bibbidi, Bobbidi, boo!"

With that, the world around them was consumed in a bright light, and it wasn't until it faded that Chad realized they hadn't teleported back to the guest quarters but to Sardinia itself, the four of them standing awkwardly in the entrance of Sardinia Castle, Fairy Godmother's cheeks flushed from exertion.

"Oh, that man," Fairy Godmother huffed, disappearing her wand with a flick of her fingers. "It's like sometimes he doesn't even bother to think."

"This, I suppose, is why we have a council," Chad's father murmured, seeming suddenly exhausted. "Kit, my sweet, what do you need?"

"Um," Chad blinked, trying to get over the events of the evening, all of them just sort of horrible. "I would like to not be in these clothes anymore."

"Done and done," his father said. "Would you like us to call Dr. Sweet?"

"I… yes," Chad said, his face feeling hot and blotchy. "I would like that a lot."

"Then that's what we'll do," his father said, and with that they were ushered into the castle, which was definitely safe and definitely free of all the employees on his grandfather's payroll so Chad didn't have to be afraid, even if he sort of was.

But such was his life.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Hey, it's been a bit since I've had King Adam be the worst, thought I'd make up for lost time!

Story notes:

Sardinian formalwear is based off the costume Prince Charming wears in the live action remake of Cinderella from 2015, so if you want a better idea of what it looks like, you can look up his wedding outfit, which is the one I deferred to.

Mon cher – My Dear

Soleil – Sun

Until next time :)