Chapter Seventy
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!
Happy May you guys! Though it's honestly hard to believe that we're five months into 2022—time seems like an illusion not going to lie. Then again, I'm still working from home so maybe that's why I'm easily amazed by the passage of time.
Apologies for how long this took to get out! I've been juggling the other three stories and with the new tactic of listening to the muse, delays may happen when updating. But I'll try to keep it to about two weeks max for delays.
Tracie Adams: I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Katt Kiki: It's definitely going to be interesting, that's for sure.
AmethystDragon14: Yay! :D Yep, dinner time for the cackle! Leah's no longer in the mortal plane for the scrolls and is no longer a threat since she wasn't sent out of the Fate's Lair! Go Alex! And Lucy definitely wins for insults! Eh for Audrey, let's just chalk that up to shock shall we? Glad you enjoyed it! :D
Marcus Emrys: Yeah, people do care about Chad even if it is hard for him to believe. That's not a bad idea and I might borrow that later on I won't lie! Oh yeah the earplugs will definitely be on standby. *adjusts glasses* And now we have two with Mirabel!
OceanBlueSeaEyes: Yep a break chapter! There probably won't be a lot of chapters where the younger kids will be forced to plug their ears but…chapter 12 of Choosing Home is definitely going to be one of them.
61394: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Alex slapping Leah was my favorite part to write, I won't lie just because someone had to be the one to slap Leah so why not Alex? :D And that's a great idea for Leah's torment!
JaclynnM: You're right on both fronts—closer at getting rid of Natalie and closer to the death.
danifan3000: Not going to lie, definitely forgot about Shan-Yu and his body count!
a-person-on-the-internet-75: As always, loving your one-shots! :D
Guest: Yep! She certainly can! :D
SnowWhite45: Trust me I was just as happy to write that as I'm sure you were to read it! :D
miranda88: I won't lie, I got the headcanon about the hypnosis because of the difference in how Chad acted between the first and second movie. First movie, he seemed okay with Audrey but still shocked that she wanted him as her boyfriend. Second movie, he was almost obsessed with her.
smc-smfan1: So glad you liked the chapter! Castle Across the Way is Evil Queen's and Bargain Castle is Maleficent's castle—it's their canonical names in the books.
CrystalKaouri: So glad you liked it! Yeah, Alexandria definitely should have punched Leah but no crying over spilled milk I guess! :D
twilightgirl587: Rourke's the main bad guy in Atlantis, the one who partners with Helga (the blonde). Yeah Kit's not happy one bit and to be honest I don't blame him! That's a good point about the goblins but still, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were still able to keep it a secret for sixteen years. And nope, considering I hear Whoopi Goldberg's voice whenever I write Shenzi's lines :D
Lord of the A.U. FanFiction: I'm so glad you liked it! :D
The Christian Dino: Oh I'm so glad you liked the chapter! And I think that's a great idea re: Leah! I'll definitely borrow if it you don't mind! :D
Unknown Person67: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! Yeah parts of the traditional myths are a bit…maybe odd is the best word to use. But anyway I tend to veer more toward the traditional myths but just Disneyfy them where I can! :D
LOST MUSES: I'm sos glad you enjoyed the chapter! And I promise, an Akiho/Mal story is coming! Just need to finish what I'm already working on because if I don't, I'll definitely get burnt out. Four at a time is my limit :D
IWantColouredRain: Indeed hurray! :D
jedblack1997: So for right now no plans on bringing in Varian but Cass and Ginny are definitely going to come in at some point! :D
Lauriverfanboy1: I liked your idea though I did tweak it just a smidge! Hope you enjoy! :D
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
The Charming family quickly made their way into one of the side rooms, followed of course by Fairy Godmother; though no one else in the reading deterred them one bit. They all knew the importance of getting the hypnosis off of Chad.
Jane had opted to stay out in the main area; for although she had grown up with Chad, she figured it would be better to give him as much privacy as he could.
"I think the first course of action would be to determine if there is a hypnosis still," Fairy Godmother said. "I know Kitty said that young Chad had said that he had experienced a compulsion and memory loss but hypnosi need to be reapplied. Especially non-magical ones due to their weaker nature."
"Whatever you need to do Fairy Godmother," Kit said as he sat next to his son. He'd gone through the same ordeal when he was not much older than Chad, the last thing he wanted was for his son to go through what he went through.
Fairy Godmother nodded and then looked over at Chad. "Chad? I'm not going to lie, this may be a bit painful if the hypnosis is still on you. If Leah hasn't had a chance to reapply it, you won't feel anything but I'll be able to see its presence. Hypnosi always leave a trace, almost like a stain for lack of a better word."
"Just…just do it FG," Chad said, his voice soft as he stood up. There was a part of him that really didn't want it confirmed that he had a hypnosis on him at that moment. He didn't want it confirmed that what he felt for Audrey wasn't him.
He didn't want it confirmed that the only way he could get a girl was through outside influence. He didn't want it confirmed that he'd basically become the laughing stock of the school once it got out.
Oh sure Ben wouldn't say anything because well, it was Ben. But Emir and Akiho were two cogs of the school gossip chain even if they didn't know they were. And Ashaki was there as well and everyone knew she and Lucy were two cogs in the gossip machine as well, only they took pride in it.
All it would take would be half an hour and Chad would get the reputation of a guy who could only get a girl if her grandmother helped him.
The only saving grace was that no one but his sisters knew about his claustrophobia. Well his sisters and Ben but as he said, Ben wouldn't tell anyone. That just wasn't him.
"Alright," Fairy Godmother said and waved her wand, which she had been able to summon to her. While the force field and the siren prevented anyone from stealing it, it didn't prevent her from being able to summon that which was connected to her.
Before Chad had a chance to react, it felt as if a battering ram was pounding his skull demanding entry. His hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms but Chad was going to force himself to stand tall.
He would not show pain. Not in front of his father who'd had a hypnosis put on him himself. Chad knew the stories, how could he not? He knew how Lady Tremaine had stolen Fairy Godmother's wand and put his father under a hypnosis so that he'd marry Anastasia Tremaine and not his mother.
What, you thought that Anastasia was put on the Isle because she'd been cruel to his mother? Change of heart or not, going back in time to change who a royal married was seen as a coup and coups weren't exactly lauded in Auradon.
Kit gently wrapped his arm around Chad's shoulders, to remind his son that he was there and that if he needed to break, he could. No one there was going to judge him for being in pain.
"Well…" Fairy Godmother sighed. "There is definitely a hypnosis still on Chad. It looks as if the reapplication was fairly recent as well."
"But you can remove it?" Cinderella asked, her hand resting on Chad's shoulder.
Fairy Godmother nodded. "I most certainly can. But…in the event that you ever need proof, though I doubt you will since everyone who would need to know read the scroll confirming it…the hypnosis did have a subject. And the subject was young Princess Audrey."
"No way for Leah to lie out of that one," Kit muttered though he resisted the urge to clench his fists. Not while his arm was still around Chad.
He would not hurt his son.
"Quite right," Fairy Godmother nodded. "Just give me a moment. I haven't done magic like that in about twenty years or so and so I am just a smidge out of practice."
"Of course," Cinderella nodded and Fairy Godmother sighed. She hadn't been lying when she said it had taken a lot out of her.
"Fairy Godmother, can I have a word?" Kit asked, getting up for a moment.
Fairy Godmother nodded. "Of course Kit."
"Thank you."
The two of them stepped off to the side while Cinderella took Kit's place at their son's side; Alexandria quickly making her way to Chad's other side while her sisters ranted in the corner.
Well more like Kitty ranted. Lucy was just there to keep her older twin in the room as to make sure she avoided a murder charge.
"I'll take a page from Yzma's book and turn her into a flea. A harmless little flea. And then I'll put that flea in a box. And then I'll put that box in another box. And then I'll mail that box to our castle. And when it arrives, I'll smash it with a hammer!"
"Are you sure you want to deprive the hyenas of a nice meal though?" Lucy asked.
"She hurt our brother!" Kitty growled. "We're the only ones who get to mess with Chad and even then we'd never hurt him! Remember how we went after Li and Akiho when they broke Chad's nose and bruised his ribs after he pulled his homework stunt with Rose and Elle?"
"Oh yeah," Lucy nodded, both girls not noticing Fairy Godmother and Kit staring at them. "We had to go home for a holiday weekend right after that and he played it off as a Tourney injury though he had to practically beg dad not to call Coach Jenkins about his ribs. One of the few times Chad was 'normal'…though I guess he was always normal whenever he didn't have that hypnosis on him."
Kit sighed and looked over at Fairy Godmother. "We can address that later."
"Of course," Fairy Godmother nodded. "What was it you wanted to talk about Kit?"
Kit sighed. "Bring him home? Fairy Godmother, please. Bring my son home?"
Fairy Godmother couldn't help the small, sad smile that pulled at her lips and rested her hand on Kit's. "I'll do everything in my power, Kit, you know that. I watched Chad grow up and it pains me that I never once questioned his change in behavior."
"Are you removing the hypnosis, FG?" Lucy asked, as she and Kitty turned to Fairy Godmother and Kit.
"I am, yes girls," Fairy Godmother nodded.
"And you'll bring our brother home?" Kitty asked.
Fairy Godmother gave the girls the same sad smile she'd given Kit. "I'll certainly do my best though he might be a bit subdued at first. Coming out of a hypnosis is not the best feeling in the world."
"You don't need to tell me twice Fairy Godmother," Kit sighed. There'd been days, following the mess of the Tremaines messing with the timeline, that he hadn't even wanted to get out of bed.
He did, of course, because he had his royal duties to attend to but his heart hadn't been in them. It had been his loving wife lending him an ear and always being there for him that allowed him to begin to feel normal again.
"Alright," Fairy Godmother said as she walked back over to Chad. "Chad, I won't lie to you, removing the hypnosis might hurt."
"Yeah well…can't hurt worse than when you were in my head earlier, FG," Chad whispered as he stood back up. "Just do what you have to."
Fairy Godmother nodded before looking over at Cinderella and Kit for the go ahead.
"By all means," Cinderella nodded.
"Please," Kit nodded as well.
Fairy Godmother sighed softly before waiving her wand and Chad's hands clenched into fists as he tried to not let the wave of intense pain show on his face.
"Don't be brave honey," Cinderella said gently.
Chad shook his head. "…Princes don't show pain…" he whispered.
"Who told you that?" Alexandria asked, glancing at her sisters who could only shrug in response.
"Does…does it matter?"
"When it's untrue? Yes it matters," Kit nodded.
"Mom? Dad? Alex? Please…can this wait?" Chad choked out, his knees threatening to buckle from the pain but he was determined to stand tall. His parents were already disappointed in him and his sisters hated him. No sense in giving them more ammo.
"Chad, bud, like your mom said you don't have to be brave. We know it hurts, it's just us," Kit said, his voice gentle as he looked at his son.
Chad shook his head, biting his lip so hard that little droplets of blood appeared, but it grew to be too much and he sank to his knees.
Kit quickly rushed to Chad's side and caught him. "It's alright, it's okay. We're here bud, it'll be over soon," he said, gently rubbing Chad's back.
This is my fault, I asked Fairy Godmother to bring my son home but I never wanted him to go through this pain, Kit thought.
"….It hurts dad…" Chad said, unable to keep the whimpers at bay.
"I know, I know bud. Just a little longer and then it'll stop. I promise."
"Why…why are you down here? I thought you were mad at me for the stuff with me getting girls to do my homework…"
Kit sighed. "Just because I'm upset with you doesn't mean I stop loving you Chad. If that happened, then you and your sisters probably wouldn't be born if your mother and I had a fight early in our relationship."
"Your father's right Chad," Cinderella nodded as she knelt down by her son, rubbing his back. "A parent loves their child unconditionally. Just because we're upset with you doesn't mean we stop loving you. And it certainly doesn't mean we want to see you in pain. As we've said, don't be brave. Not for us."
"Mom's trying not to cry," Lucy muttered to Kitty.
"Well yeah," Kitty muttered back. "When's the last time you saw Chad curling into dad like that?"
"Good point."
Kit wrapped his arms around Chad, holding him gently. "Let it out bud, it's okay. It'll pass and then then pain will be over. I promise."
"It…it feels…it feels like my skull…it's going to crack open papa…" Chad whimpered as he gave up trying to pretend and buried his face in Kit's shoulder.
Kit felt his heart break as he heard his son's words. Chad hadn't called him papa since he was four or five. It had definitely been after they had Alexandria.
"I promise you bud, when this is over, your mom and I will make sure you never have to go through this pain again," he whispered into his son's hair. "No one will be able to hurt you like this again…"
Though that reminds me, I need to talk to Kristoff about Akiho beating up Chad. I'm not condoning the whole homework thing but a: it wasn't something that Chad was consciously doing and b: two wrongs don't make a right. And hopefully I can at least talk to Shang or Mulan about Li, isn't he Ling and Ting-Ting's kid? So he'd be practically family to them, Kit thought as Chad curled even deeper into his touch, his teeth biting into his lip in an attempt to keep any remaining whimpers at bay as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"What…what is this thing?" Chad asked, the pain audible in his voice.
"It's okay bud, just a little longer and then it'll be done," Kit said, glancing at Fairy Godmother as if asking her to confirm that.
Fairy Godmother nodded. "It's almost off of you Chad. I'm so sorry."
"…Not your fault FG…just…just get it over with…please…"
Fairy Godmother nodded once more and with one last throb of agony for Chad, the pain finally faded and he slumped against his dad in relief.
"There we go," Kit said gently as Cinderella softly rubbed his back.
"I never want to go through that again," Chad whispered.
"And you won't sweetheart," Cinderella said, keeping her voice soft to avoid potentially hurting him more.
"How…how do you know it won't come back?"
"Well mainly because the only person who would reapply it is going to the Isle when all this is over," Kitty pointed out. "And if she somehow gets out of the cell the Fates provided for her, she's going to have to get through us, Ben, Emir, Akiho, all the VKs, and Lord Hades and Lady Persephone just to name a few."
"Not to mention King Beast and Queen Belle," Lucy added.
Chad sighed and shook his head. It was a nice thought but after everything he did in the scrolls, Leah and Audrey were probably the only ones who wanted to be near him. His sisters were likely only being nice because his parents were in the room.
Kit gently rubbed Chad's back and opened his mouth to speak when someone knocked on the door.
"I'll get it," Fairy Godmother said, not wanting to have Kit get up. Not that Chad would let him with how he was curled into him though Fairy Godmother didn't blame her student for that at all.
"Thanks Fairy Godmother," Kit said softly as Alexandria squeezed in as best she could and Cinderella started brushing Chad's hair out of his face, singing the lullaby they'd always sing to the kids.
"…Lavender's green dilly dilly, lavender's blue…if you love me dilly dilly, I will love you…"
Fairy Godmother couldn't help the slightly sad smile that pulled at her lips and turned to open the door.
"Oh! Prince…I mean King Ben—."
"Title's not necessary FG," Benji said as he held up a glass of water and some pain medicine. "I asked the Fates for them. Chad…my Chad I mean, he'd said that when the hypnosis broke for him, he had the worst headache he'd ever imagined. I thought…if Chad's going to be in the rest of the readings, we might head that off at the pass."
"Thank you Ben," Fairy Godmother said as she took the water and pain medicine.
"How is he?" Benji asked.
Fairy Godmother sighed. "It's…it's hard to say. It's been removed, of that I'm certain."
Benji nodded. "Let me know if there's anything I can do….actually there might be something."
"What?"
"When this happened with Chad in my time…well it was a mixture of things but the hypnosis was part of it. Anyway, King Kit and Queen Ella got Chad a dog. I could ask the Fates if they could bring in Chad's dog?"
"Wouldn't that be unfair to your time's Chad though?"
"Oh…that's a good point."
Fairy Godmother gave Benji a small smile. "I'm sure we'll figure it out but thank you."
"He's my best friend," Benji said. "Or at least one of them. And I never noticed the hypnosis the first time around so however I can help this time, I will."
"I know," Fairy Godmother said. "Judging by how your younger self acted, I've no doubt about that Ben."
Benji smiled as he heard that. Meanwhile, back with the group, Audie had gone over by Malinda. There was something she had been wondering and figured now would be the best time to ask.
"Mal?"
"Hmm? Audie? Is there something you needed?"
Audie nodded. "When you arrived…you gave hints about everyone's future or even just flat out told people in the case of Uma and Harry. But you…you didn't say anything for this timeline's version of me."
Malinda sighed. "Audie…I can't. I just…it's not the sort of thing I want to say around her family."
"Oh…oh…"
"Yeah," Malinda nodded. "But it's clear that you had a better future than this timeline's Audrey."
Audie smiled and nodded. "I did. I married Derek, the son of the Charmington Captain of the Guard and we have two kids…the copy the Fates made really helps with keeping my memories up to date."
"Guess some things never change no matter the timeline," Malinda smiled. "How're Ari and Paige?"
"Who? I have two boys…" Audie said with a small frown.
Malinda paused. "Huh…I stand corrected then. That…that's weird to think about, Ari and Paige not being around."
"You like the other me's kids?" Audie asked.
"Of course," Malinda nodded. "Why wouldn't we? If I judged Audrey's kids because of who their mother was, I'd be doing the same thing that Auradon did to the kids of the Isle. Plus Ari and Paige never asked to be related to…to who their father was."
"Why do I have a sinking feeling I don't want to know?"
"Because you don't."
"Joy."
Malinda sighed and soon everyone came back together to read. Though Malinda had to smile as she saw Estelle trot over and rest his heads on Chad's leg.
Good boy, she thought. We should find a way to get Bruno over here, he did so well with our time's Chad.
"Who wants to read?" Ashaki asked.
"I'll read," Lil Shang said as he took one of the scrolls.
I'm not going to lie, quiet Chad is weird, Akiho thought as he glanced over at Chad. I don't blame him though. After all that…plus like Grandpabbie said, the head's more easily swayed than the heart so at least I know FG was able to remove it.
"Alright, let's do this," Lil Shang said with a small sigh. Hopefully the scrolls would begin to lighten up after this.