Chapter Sixty One
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek myths.
Okay! I think this is the break chapter that everyone had requested the most and I hope I was able to do it justice! I unfortunately do not have siblings so I always worry whenever I write sibling dynamics that they're either too idolized or I'm making a mistake basing them off of the relationships my mom has with her siblings.
I also went ahead and included a small talk with the Rose family because I figured it'd be needed. Maybe two more chapters before I wake Leah back up though—as much as I hate writing her, she should definitely be awake for some upcoming chapters.
Hope you all caught the small reference to Cinderella 2 I slipped in there! :D
AmethystDragon14: Yay! Oh I'm happy to help because you're right, he did openly admit it and it fits better with his uncles' names than 'Doug'. I think everyone would want Freddy locked in a dungeon so Claudine's not alone! And yeah Harry's definitely in hot water with mom!
61394: Oh yeah, that's a good point. I guess with Henry's sword fighting, I've gone tell, not show. Unfortunately I don't really know a lot about swords to really show his skill. Glad you liked the chapter though!
Marcus Emrys: Oh yeah, I like the idea of Audrey making bunnies her theme! And just having her own style too. Well they'll go ballistic when she changes her eyes, Mal never changed her hair in the Choosing Universe.
CrystalKarouri: Oh trust me I wanted to wring Natalie's neck whenever I wrote her. Sometimes I can't believe I came ups with a character like her when all I wanted was a small reason as to why Mal changed in the six months between D1 and D2.
danifan3000: An oatmeal eating contest? Note to self, make sure to include that somewhere in Choosing Life.
JaclynnM: Oh yeah Harry's in a spot of trouble.
Star Wolfheart: Oh believe me, nothing's out of the realm of possibilities for who'll be brought over. :D
OceanBlueSeaEyes: Yes unfortunately Queen Bat does need to wake. But soon she'll be gone—much to my delight!
miranda88: I would allow someone to throw a fireball at Natalie if she was there lol!
smc-smfan1: Eh, probably because it was already a pretty serious conversation and he didn't want to bring the mood down? In all honesty I don't really remember why I had him think it rather than say it.
twilightgirl587: Dogs are definitely a joy and therefore I will forever hate Cruella for making Carlos afraid of them. And yeah I hate the phrase too—spent too much time in retail for that phrase to ever be good. And yeah, according to Tangled: The Series, Eugene is a Prince, he meets his dad.
Guest: I can see your point and I'll try to limit the characters going after Audrey. However, hypocrisy is kinda Auradon's bread and butter. I won't say that it's a good thing but the fact remains that a man who kidnapped another man and held a girl hostage is the leader of their kingdom while a man who ran a circus was trapped on the Isle of the Lost. As for Audie? She's been where Audrey is before and can see the other side. Can see how frustrating and annoying it can be.
DGD: Ooh another amazing one shot! I loved it! :D
Mirror Mirror: Oh that makes kinda makes sense since having them be regional rulers makes the combination of Auradon feel more cohesive than having them be separate kingdoms. Also…EQ was Snow's aunt?
disneylover2002: Phil Jr.'s about two years older than Melody but he's in the same group as them since he's a younger sibling.
Say I'm In Love: Okay Herkie being the nickname for Heracles makes way too much sense though I don't really see Herc naming a kid after himself like that.
IIWantColouredRain: Hope you enjoy the chapter!
charlottethebean: I think we all would like a Zeus slapping! :D
Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Milah and Harry made their way to one of the side rooms, with Milah gently closing the door behind her. She knew that her son's friends would be by his side in a heartbeat if they thought anything might happen to him.
Plus she knew that Lady Persephone would personally escort her back to the Underworld should anything happen to Harry during their talk.
Not that Milah would do anything to Harry of course, but she could understand the protectiveness. Especially after reading about how her husband had…no, it wasn't time to focus on that.
After all, it didn't excuse Harry for making CJ think it was her fault Milah had died and it didn't excuse Harry basically tormenting his sister for fourteen years.
I know life is cruel on the Isle but that's no reason to be that cruel to his sister, she thought. After all, CJ missed out on a chance to know me, know Harriet as a sister rather than a mom…and apparently lost a chance to have a brother in her life.
"So…what did you want to talk to me about, mom?" Harry asked, breaking the silence that had begun to build between them.
Milah sighed. "Your treatment of your sister."
"I treat Harriet just fine!"
"I wasn't talking about her. You have another sister I believe, don't you Harrison?"
"Who, Mal? I mean she's one of my captains so of course I treat her with the respect she deserves. Plus she's a Godling like Uma so Lord Hades would fry my arse to Tartarus if I hurt Mal."
"Language Harry. And I'm talking about CJ."
Harry scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why would I want to talk about the Runt?"
"Harry…" Milah sighed. "Enough. I know that life was hard after I died but that doesn't give you any reason to blame CJ for my death."
"If you weren't pregnant with her, you would have kept your strength and you would have still been alive! Especially because of how cold it was! Harriet told me, it was one of the coldest winters we had on the Isle! I don't see how this isn't the Runt's fault!"
"Harrison James, this is the last time I'm going to say this but do not refer to your sister by that name!"
"Good luck with that," CJ's voice came from the doorway and both Hooks turned around to see her.
"I thought I closed that door," Milah said.
"You did but you didn't lock it," CJ said as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her and making sure to lock it. "I mean, I know Uma, Jay, or Harriet would be able to pick that lock if need be but still. It's a barrier. Anyway, good luck with trying to get Harry to not call me 'Runt'. Harriet can't even get him to stop and she's a Captain."
"Well I'm not Harriet," Milah said. She wasn't going to lie, she was a little thankful that CJ had snuck in here. Because they could air their grievances out face to face rather than have to wonder what was being said.
This conversation pertained to CJ, she should be there as well.
"Why does she even need to be here?" Harry grumbled.
"Because this conversation is about her too, Harrison," Milah said, trying to hide the frown as she saw her son flinch slightly at the repeated use of his full name. "I think she deserves to know why you've been so cruel to her."
"Oh does she? Figures you've gone over to her side. Just like the Captain."
CJ snorted. "Oh yeah, the Captain is so on my side. It's why I've spent most nights sleeping on the ship with Harriet rather than at home."
"Oh what did he finally make you work at the fish shop after Lord Hades brought me in to work in his restaurant instead of lounging at home while Harriet and I did all the work?" Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"…no," CJ said, her voice low.
Milah pinched the bridge of her nose. "Harrison, stop it. You are sixteen years old. It's time you stop treating your little sister like she's a pariah just because I happened to be giving birth to her when I died."
"…I was two," Harry said after a moment of silence where he and CJ just stood glaring at each other. "I was two and all of a sudden I didn't have a mom anymore. And on top of that, the Captain was walking around holding the…holding CJ in his arm and looking at her like he used to look at me. Like she was the light of his life and could do no wrong. Hell, she's the one who got matching letters with him while Harriet and I were both saddled with 'H'."
Milah sighed. "Harrison was my father's name," she said softly. Yes it was slightly derailing the conversation but Harry deserved to know why he didn't share a first letter with their father the way CJ did. "Calista was my mother's name and Jane was your father's mother's name."
"No offense, but I much prefer CJ as a name," CJ said.
Harry sighed. "Well after that and then when I was four and the Captain started…started treating me like his personal punching bag while treating CJ like she could do no wrong, what was I supposed to do?"
"CJ wasn't the reason your father did that though," Milah told him. And thank you for reminding me that I need to find a way to talk to my 'dear' husband.
Harry shrugged. "Harriet kept trying to get me to hold her but after she took you from me and then took the Captain and then took Harriet, why would I be willing to—?"
"Oh that's rich," CJ exclaimed. "So the reason you hated me all these years was because I was a baby and because our father thought it would be a brilliant idea to make a five year old act as a mother to a newborn? Gods you're supposed to have a brain and yet I think Gil uses his more than you do yours!"
"CJ!" Milah scolded. "There's no need for insults."
Harry ignored his mother, however, and marched right up to CJ, towering over the fourteen year old. "Oh really? Tell me, did our father decide to kick you in the ribs because you dared to leave the counter to save your drowning captain?"
"Oh you want to play compare the pain?" CJ asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "Tell me, did our father ever slap you when you were ten because you were crying for your brother because that's all you wanted for your birthday that was coming up? But you knew you wouldn't get it because that was the same day as the death of our mother and said brother always doubled his efforts to avoid you around your birthday?"
Harry stopped cold. "…he what?"
"Harry…" Milah said but Harry took no notice of her soft voice and stormed out of the room, only pausing because of the locked door, before he marched right up to Harriet who'd been in a conversation with Sammy.
A rather cozy conversation but that was besides the point as Harry pulled her away from the conversation so that Harriet was facing him instead.
"Oi! Can I help you Harrison?"
"You can 'help' me by telling me why you never told me that the Captain slapped our sister!"
Harriet sighed. "You weren't home, Harry. Telling you would have just hurt you."
"I would have gotten her out of there!" Harry shouted, completely unaware of everyone else looking at them. "I put up with being the Captain's punching bag so you girls didn't have to be! The only reason I even packed up and moved into Lord Hades' was because I reached my limit and I knew he wasn't going to touch you girls, you looked too much like mom for him to ever think about hurting you."
"Well clearly that changed," Harriet sighed. "But it only happened the one time. CJ got good at keeping her cries quiet and really it's been years since she cried at all. You know the motto of the Isle after all."
"You cry, you die," Uma muttered. She'd been keeping a shark like eye on the room Harry had been in, just in case she had to break down the door.
There was a part of her that knew Milah wouldn't hurt Harry the way Hook had, but then no one had thought Hook would turn the way he did either.
"They…they do know how unhealthy that is right?" Ashaki whispered to Emir.
"After everything we've read, why are you surprised?" Emir whispered back. "And hush. If you talk any louder they're going to realize that they're not in a private room and clam up."
CJ's voice broke into the older Hookling's conversation. "You…you would have really come back for me?"
Harry sighed. "Look ru—I mean CJ. I'm not going to lie. Every day you get older you…you look more and more like mom. And that hurts. But if you think I would ever let someone hurt you just because of my own feelings? Then you're the one one with less brains in your head than Fish for Brains."
"It's true," Uma nodded. "After all, he almost skewered Freddy for that comment he made last year when CJ was thirteen."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," CJ said. "He said something about wanting to play with my pirate booty."
A silence fell over the room as they heard that.
"…yeah my brother's not getting off the Isle alive," Claudine sighed, shaking her head. "I'd be surprised if he avoided becoming a hyena's dinner for that comment. Though I'm still amazed that he survived the first time he uttered that comment."
"Because I had about half a dozen Rats holding me from murdering the bastard where he stood!" Harry growled. "And yes that included Jay and Henry!"
"To this day I don't know why I bothered," Henry shook his head.
"Because Ryan also snuck off for the face off and you didn't want him seeing Harry actually murder someone," Jay reminded him.
"Oh right. Thank you Jay."
"You…you fought for me?" CJ asked, her soft voice stunning Harry, but she never gave him a moment to speak. "Oh wait, because I'm a Rat and it's Freddy we're talking about."
Harry sighed. No…because I'm your brother and didn't protect you from hearing that filth in the first place. It was my job to make sure you stayed on the ship little miss under fifteen but you didn't. So once again I failed at keeping you safe.
He could feel Mal and Uma's eyes on him, along with Lady Steph's, and Harry knew that sooner or later he'd have to say something.
Or risk disappointing both his mom and the woman who'd quickly become a second mother to him.
Well…more like a third mother since Smee's wife had tried her best to be a mother figure when she could but being the new captain of Red Jessica's ship after her death took a lot out of the former First Mate.
"I mean, Jade was the one who got me out of there so I just figured…"
"Jade got you out of there because I ordered her to," Harry said, his voice gruff as he didn't look CJ right in the eye. "If I was going to murder Freddy, I didn't want you seeing that. I…look I might hate you CJ but…I didn't want you to fear me."
Everyone knew the words that Harry didn't want to speak, that were almost hovering in the air around them.
I didn't want you to think of me like our father.
"…well this got awkward," Evan muttered to Neal.
"Awkward? Dude, I almost feel like we shouldn't be here," Neal muttered back. "Phil's lucky he's missing this."
"Yeah I honestly think this is the only time I'd take a potentially awkward conversation between my parents, sister, and an alternate timeline version of said sister."
Sure enough the Roses were in the other side room that the Fates had produced, back when the Charmings needed to have a family conference of their own. Well, maybe not all the Roses.
Leah was still passed out after all, and no one was interested in carrying her unconscious body into the room.
"I think it's time we all have a conversation," Phillip said, looking over at his son.
Phil shook his head. "Dad, honestly, we don't. Audrey's horrible, we all know it, and that's never going to change."
"…surprisingly you're wrong," Audie said as she sat on one of the chairs. "I mean, I was just like her and I changed."
"Yeah, after the Blue Fairy apparently showed you viewings of your future. That's kinda an extraordinary circumstance you know?"
"You're in a room produced by the Fates talking to an alternate timeline's version of your sister while reading about things that may or may not happen in the future? What would you call that?"
"…touché," Phil muttered.
Audrey rolled her eyes. "Honestly. Why do we even need to have a conversation? Why not talk about how horribly they're treating Grammy?"
"Pretty sure they have the right to after Grandmother made it so they didn't have access to food Audrey," Phil said, his voice flat.
"The people on that Isle are villains."
"They're people! Just like you and me! Then again with how you've been acting, you probably wouldn't see me as a person."
Phillip stood up straighter at that and opened his mouth to ask his son what he meant by that but Audie shook her head.
"Trust me," she whispered. "If this Phil's anything like mine, he's got a knack for not telling you guys things. Especially if it pertains to Leah."
"Oh honestly Phillip," Audrey scoffed. "There's no reason to—."
"No reason? Seriously?!" Phil exploded. "Okay, let's count the reasons and see if you still think I don't have reason to think you don't think of me like a person. Number one: I know you think of me like I'm just a spare!"
"The saying's 'the heir and the spare'. It's not my fault you were born second!"
"Audrey, that's saying's older than Grandmother and you know it! Just because mom was able to actually bond with me when I was born doesn't make it my fault. Nor does it make it my fault that our grandmother's a miserable old shrew of a woman who was jealous that our mother did the thing she couldn't! Mother dared to have another child!"
Audrey gasped but Audie looked impressed.
"I didn't know he knew about Leah's issues with conceiving another child," she murmured.
Phil rolled his eyes. "If you know how to look up anything, information's not that hard to dig up," he said. "Especially when one's grandmother is technophobic and prints everything out to keep in a manila envelope."
"All you've listed is your issues with Grammy, Phillip," Audrey stated. "None of those pertain to me."
Phil glared at Audrey. "How many times have you made Alexandria feel bad about being fourth in line for her throne? How many times have you implied to her that she's merely a spare? Same with Ashaki, though you treat her worse for being 'half Royal'. If you have no qualms about saying that to the daughter of one of our allies, one of my friends, then I know you have no qualms about saying it around me, about me!"
"Enough!" Aurora said as she stepped between them. "Now, Audrey. Is this true?"
Audrey shrugged but Audie noticed that she couldn't meet Aurora's eyes.
There's still good in her, she thought. Disappointing mother was always the worst feeling in the world, I could never meet her eye when it happened…well with the exception of how I acted during the first viewing that is.
"Of course it's true!" Phil exclaimed. "Why would I lie about this, mom?"
"Because you're determined to get Grammy in trouble. Because for some reason you hate her," Audrey sniffed.
Phil rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, because the woman who practically ignored me throughout my childhood is someone I should defend. Because the woman who has called me to my face things like 'spare' when mom and dad weren't around is someone who should be defended in the first place."
"She did what?" Aurora shouted.
"…I'm sorry, what?" Audie said at the same time, her voice cold and her eyes hard.
Phillip sighed. "Briar, scale to one to ten. How likely is it that I'm not going to have a mother-in-law after this?"
"Phillip, do you honestly care about that?"
"Oh no, I just want to know so I can be appropriately prepared."
Phil sighed. "Dad, it doesn't matter."
"Yes. It does Phil," Phillip said, his voice soft yet firm at the same time. "I won't have anyone make either of my kids feel like they're lesser. Even if that person's 'family'."
"…I meant it doesn't matter because Grandmother's being sent to the Isle remember?" Phil said after a moment.
"Oh. Right."
Aurora shook her head before looking over at her daughter. "As for you Audrey…I know that what we're reading now is the future and that it would be almost insane to punish you for such things…but I know I raised you better than this. To treat your fellow students with such distain? Just because of how they were born? I'm sure you know how your father and I met."
"Of course I do!" Audrey nodded.
"Then you remember that your father was prepared to step down from his place in the line of succession to marry a girl who he thought was a mere peasant even though he was betrothed," Aurora said. "We tried to teach both of you kids that rank and titles don't matter as much as how the person treats you or how you treat that person. Unfortunately though, it looks as if your grandmother got her hooks into you."
Audie sighed. "It's not too late," she said as both mother and daughter looked over at her. "I was like her once. In fact, I was worse. But I was hurting and angry and felt like no one bothered to check on me, they were all too busy with Mal and Ben."
Turning to her other self, Audie handed her the stuffed rabbit that the Fates had provided, having grabbed it before they went into the side room. "Don't bottle everything up, Audrey. I know Leah taught you that a Princess must act a certain way but…in the words of Queen Ella, 'don't let them tell you it's simply not done.'"
"What…what do you…?"
"If you want to hold your stuffed rabbit, you do that. If you want to be a normal human being and not be bound to a contract that determines who you marry, say so. Because the only thing that matters to your…to our parents is our happiness."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a ring materialize on her finger and Audie smiled as memories of her and a certain son of the Charmington Captain of the Guard came to her mind.
As the Fates had said, they had made it so that copies were over in their timelines, living their lives, and they would get their memories. Audie didn't truly understand it but she figured it'd be a bad idea to question the Fates.
"Look what we get when we choose our own happiness," she said, showing Audrey the ring.
She gasped softly and stared at it. "It's…I mean it's not…oh who am I kidding, it's gorgeous."
"It's not a ring for royalty, was that what you were going to say?" Audie asked, her voice gentle. She knew Audrey wasn't going to reverse the mess Leah's teachings had done to her overnight. "It's alright. It doesn't have to be a ring for royalty because I stepped down from my spot in the line of succession. But that doesn't have to be your path."
Audrey bit her lip but stayed silent. She knew she had a lot to think about—even if her brother seemed to be determined to punish their grandmother, her mother had a point.
Neither one of their parents cared about rank or someone's place in the line of succession. And they never taught her or Phil to care about such things either.
"I'll just say this one last thing Audrey," Audie said, her voice soft. "When we go back out there, take a look at how everyone else is sitting with someone. They're able to goof off or provide comfort to them if needed. Who's doing that for you?"
There's nothing to lose when you're lonely and friendless, Audie thought as they made their way back out of the room. I only thought I was friendless, if you keep down this path you're going to be guaranteed a lack of friends.
"…what did I miss?" Phil asked his friends as the Roses walked back out. He could tell that the atmosphere was tense but he didn't know why.
"Everyone wants to kill Freddy Frollo," Neal said.
"I thought that was already established?"
Alex rolled her eyes. "It was and then we found out that he made a very crass comment about CJ when she was thirteen."
"Wait…isn't Freddy older than Mal?" Phil asked.
"Yeah," Melody nodded. "Three years older. It said it in one of the scrolls."
Phil shook his head. "So that makes him five years older than CJ. Since she's two years younger than Harry and he's the same age as Mal."
"…when CJ was thirteen, Freddy would have been eighteen!" Ashaki exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, Fred's not making it out alive," Claudine shook her head as both Harriet and Harry growled, having heard Ashaki's comment.
"How about we get back to reading?" Hercules offered.
"Wonderboy's right," Harry nodded. "The sooner we get back to reading, the sooner I'm back on the Isle and can kill Freddy!"
"That's…that's not what…oh fair enough," Hercules sighed. "Who's reading next?"
"I'll read," Cinderella offered as everyone sat back down at their spots. If anyone happened to notice that CJ and Harriet had switched spots, so that CJ was sitting next to their mother and that Harriet was on the end next to Sammy, no one really commented on it.
"Let's hope this scroll can calm the murderous feelings in the room," Kit muttered.
"You know perfectly well it'll only fan the flames," Cinderella sighed.
"True. Very true."