Chapter Text
Audrey watched in horror as Evie, reacting to Chad's vitriol, pulled out a small bottle and sprayed him directly in the face. Her heart leapt into her throat. This wasn’t part of the plan. Of course, the emergency plan of ‘yell at the VKs so that Leah doesn’t get close to them’ was never supposed to be used either. Chad's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Chad!" Audrey cried out, rushing to his side. He wasn't waking up. Fear gripped her heart as she shook him gently. "Chad, please wake up!"
This was her fault. She should’ve been more aware of what was going on, but she’d let her grandmother get too close to Mal. Now she was paying for it. Tears stung her eyes and her hands tightened on his shoulders. The only reason she hadn’t lost her mind was the fact he was breathing.
But before she could do anything more, she felt her grandmother's iron grip on her arm.
"Come, Audrey," Leah hissed. "We're leaving. Now."
Audrey tried to resist, her eyes still on Chad's motionless form. "But Chad—"
"Now, Audrey!" The steel in her grandmother's voice brooked no argument.
As Audrey was dragged away, she caught one last glimpse of the chaos behind her. Ben had finally arrived, trying to calm the situation. Evie and Jay were kneeling beside Chad, looking worried. And Mal... Mal stood in the middle of it all, looking lost and hurt.
The moment the door slammed shut behind them, Queen Leah rounded on Audrey, her face contorted with rage. Audrey instinctively flinched, but years of conditioning kept her rooted to the spot. She doubted that her legs would move even if she tried to run away.
"How dare you embarrass me like that?" Leah hissed, her nails digging into Audrey's arm. "Associating with those... those villains! Have you forgotten everything I've taught you?"
Audrey's voice was barely a whisper. "Grandmother, please—"
"Silence!" Leah's voice rose to a shout. "I've worked too hard to secure your future for you to throw it all away. And for what? Some misguided attempt at being 'nice' to those degenerates?"
Each word felt like a physical blow, but Audrey remained still, her eyes downcast. She could feel her grandmother's nails breaking skin, but she didn't pull away. This was familiar territory – to resist would only make things worse. She tried to breathe instead. Despite the way the world was spinning, she pinned her gaze to the second button on her grandmother’s shirt.
"You are a disappointment, Audrey," Leah continued, her voice dripping with disdain. "Allowing that fae’s daughter to steal your prince, failing to maintain your status. You're weak, just like your mother."
And you are a vile old hag who never cared for anything beyond your status. How she wished she could say that. Instead, she bit her lip and forced back the tears that were building in her eyes. Crying would only fuel her grandmother's anger.
Outside the door, unbeknownst to either of them, Carlos de Vil stood frozen in shock. He'd followed out of concern when he saw Audrey being dragged away, but what he was hearing now chilled him to the bone. It reminded him of his own mother's tirades, of the fear and helplessness he'd felt on the Isle.
As Queen Leah's rant continued, Carlos found himself torn. Part of him wanted to burst in, to defend Audrey the way no one had ever defended him. But another part, the part still conditioned by years on the Isle, kept him rooted to the spot.
Inside the room, Audrey stood silently as her grandmother's words washed over her. She felt numb, disconnected from her body. It was easier this way, to retreat into herself and let the familiar patterns play out. She stared blankly at the woman in front of her. It was moments like this she wished that she had to deal with Chad’s grandfather instead. The man might be militant and strict but at least he’d never hurt his grandson. She barely noted the blood that was running down her arm until it dropped onto the floor.
Queen Leah's tirade continued, the venom in her words seeming to sear into Audrey's very soul. Audrey stood frozen, her eyes downcast, trying to will herself to disappear. She knew from experience that any attempt to defend herself or argue would only make the situation worse.
"And now you've embarrassed me in front of the entire school," Leah spat, her grip on Audrey's arm tightening painfully. "This is unacceptable. I will not allow you to continue to disgrace our family's name."
Audrey felt her heart sink as she realized what her grandmother was implying. "Grandmother, please—"
"Silence!" Leah snapped. "I've made my decision. You are coming home with me. You are no longer fit to attend Auridon Prep."
Panic started to well up inside Audrey. Auridon Prep was her chance at a life beyond her grandmother's control. "But Grandmother, my studies, my responsibilities—"
"Enough!" Leah's voice echoed in the small room. "Your 'responsibilities' have only led you astray. It's clear I need to take a firmer hand in guiding your future."
Audrey felt the blood drain from her face. She opened her mouth to protest, but the steel in her grandmother's eyes told her it would be futile. Leah had made up her mind, and there would be no reasoning with her.
As Leah began to pull Audrey towards the door, Audrey cast one last, desperate glance back towards the chaos she had left behind. Chad, still unconscious. Mal, looking lost and hurt. And Ben, trying to restore order. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving them, of losing the fragile sense of purpose she had found.
But Leah's grip was unyielding, and Audrey knew better than to fight. With a resigned sigh, she allowed her grandmother to lead her away, the weight of failure heavy on her shoulders. As the door closed behind them, Audrey felt a part of herself slipping away, replaced by the familiar shroud of her grandmother's control.
The past three days had been a blur for Chad. He'd woken up in the infirmary, groggy and disoriented, only to be met with the devastating news that Audrey had been taken away by her grandmother.
"There's nothing we can do," Ben had told him, his usually bright eyes dimmed with guilt and helplessness. "Queen Leah is adamant. She's withdrawn Audrey from the school."
Chad had felt his world crumbling around him. Audrey, his closest friend, his confidante, torn away from him just when she needed him most. The thought of her alone, at the mercy of her cruel grandmother, filled him with a simmering rage.
But rage gave way to despair as he realized the futility of the situation. Leah was powerful, well-connected, and utterly unyielding. Challenging her would only serve to worsen Audrey's plight. So, Chad had been forced to stand by, watching helplessly as the life he and Audrey had built began to unravel.
And now, as he stood and witnessed the villains pouring off the Isle, his apathy was palpable. Let them come, he thought bitterly. What did it matter anymore? Audrey was gone, and with her, his desire to care about anything. Why should he help Ben when Ben had abandoned them? Let Mal fix this mess after all she was Ben’s ‘true love’. Surely the girl could handle a few political minefields. Oh wait, Mal had let villains overturn the Kingdom. Oops.
He watched, shoulders slumped, as Ben and the others rushed to contain the situation, their faces etched with a determination that only served to highlight Chad's own numbness. Even the chaos unfolding before him failed to elicit any reaction beyond a weary sigh. He just didn’t care.
If only Audrey was here, he thought. She would know what to do, how to navigate this crisis. But Audrey was gone, and Chad felt adrift, unable to muster the energy or the will to assist Ben. After all Ben hadn’t helped him. As the villains swarmed the campus, Chad turned away, unable to bear witness to the unfolding disaster. He couldn't bring himself to care anymore. Not without Audrey by his side.
Now Chad moved through Audrey's dorm room, the familiar surroundings only served to deepen his sense of loss. The plush duvet, the cozy armchair, the carefully curated bookshelves - all of it a testament to the vibrant presence that had once filled this space. She’d even left her coffee mug on her desk.
Gently, he gathered Audrey's belongings, his fingers tracing the spines of her favorite novels, the delicate edges of her sketchpad. It felt wrong, somehow, to be the one packing up her life, as if he were erasing the very essence of who she was. His grip tightened for a second before he forced himself to relax. He couldn’t break her things, no matter how much he wanted to break something.
So, he packed up his partner's room, he couldn't bear the thought of anyone else touching her things, of rifling through the private moments she had captured in her journals or the sketches she had lovingly rendered. This, at least, he could do for her - preserve the sanctity of her space, even as the world around them descended into chaos.
As he carefully placed the last of her books into a box, the sound of the door opening caused him to stiffen. Whirling around, he found himself face to face with a pirate, his kohl-rimmed eyes and hook-for-a-hand marking him as unmistakably one of the new arrivals from the Isle. Chad noted absently that the pirate was his and Audrey’s type before shoving the thought away. Who cared about attractive pirates when his partner was trapped with that old banshee she called a grandmother.
For a moment, the two stared at each other, the air thick with unspoken tension. Chad's grip tightened on the box, his body poised for a fight, even as a bone-deep weariness threatened to overwhelm him.
"Shouldn't you be out there, trying to stop us?" the pirate drawled, his voice laced with an undercurrent of mocking amusement.
It was a nice voice, unfortunately Chad didn’t have any time to play around with pirates right now.
Chad's jaw tightened, but he forced himself to respond in a level tone. "Fairy Godmother's office is that way. I'm sure you'll find plenty of confiscated magical items to, uh, play with."
The pirate's eyes narrowed, and Chad braced himself for a confrontation. But to his surprise, the pirate simply shrugged, a grin spreading across his face.
"Nah, mate. I'm more interested in what's got you looking like you're about to keel over." The pirate's gaze swept over Chad, probing and assessing. "You got a name?"
Chad hesitated, caught off guard by the unexpected question. "Chad," he finally replied, his guard still up.
The pirate's grin widened. "Well, Chad, the name's Harry. And I can't help but notice you're a bit, shall we say, out of sorts." He took a step closer, his hook glinting in the soft light. "Care to share what's weighing on that pretty little head of yours?"
Chad's initial instinct was to tell the pirate to mind his own business and get out of his way. His grip tightened on the box of Audrey's belongings as he braced himself to brush past Harry.
But something in the other boy's tone, a subtle undercurrent of interest, gave Chad pause. Why the hell did Harry’s voice have to sound so damn soothing? It made it hard to ignore the pirate. Still, old habits die hard, and Chad couldn't quite bring himself to open up, even to this relative stranger. He tried to sidestep Harry, hoping to simply leave the confrontation behind. But as Chad moved to pass, Harry's hand shot out, a surprisingly strong grip encircling Chad's arm. The sudden contact made Chad freeze, memories of Leah's iron grip flashing through his mind.
For a heartbeat, Chad was transported back to that moment, the terror and helplessness of hearing that Audrey had been dragged away. He’d begged Ben for help, quite literally gotten on his knees and offered the prince his eternal loyalty but nothing had worked. If he’d been better then Audrey would still be here. His breath caught in his throat, and he found himself unable to meet Harry's gaze, the weight of his own failure threatening to crush him.
"Let go," he managed, his voice barely above a whisper. The words lacked any real conviction, however, the fight drained from him. He felt so utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally, that even the prospect of a confrontation was more than he could bear.
Harry's grip, however, did not relax. Instead, the pirate studied Chad's face, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Somethin' tells me you've got a story to tell, mate," he murmured. "And I've got a feelin' it might be worth listenin' to."
Chad's shoulders sagged as the weight of the past few days came crashing down on him. Clutching Audrey's belongings tightly, he let out a shuddering breath, his composure fracturing. If the pirate wanted to know so badly then he’d tell him, it wasn’t like Harry could do anything to help. But at least it’d cause Harry to let him go.
"I-I went to Ben, but he said there was nothing he could do," Chad said, his voice wavering with a mixture of grief and frustration. He wanted to sink into the floor and never come back up. "Audrey's being held captive by her own grandmother, that vile, abusive-"
He broke off, his nails digging into the box.
Harry's grip on Chad's arm tightened slightly, as if the pirate wasn't quite sure how to respond to the sudden emotional outpouring.
"Whoa there, mate," he said, his brow furrowing in concern. "Slow down, yeah? What's this about your lass being held captive?"
The gentle pressure on his arm and the softness in Harry's tone caught Chad off guard, and he found himself spilling the whole story – Audrey's betrothal to Ben, her grandmother's cruel machinations, the incident with Evie, and finally, Leah's decision to withdraw Audrey from school.
As the words tumbled out, Chad's composure crumbled entirely. Tears began to stream down his face, and he made no effort to wipe them away, his grip on the box of Audrey's belongings growing increasingly desperate.
"I-I can't just leave her there, with that... that monster," Chad choked out, his eyes pleading with Harry for some kind of understanding. "But there's nothing I can do. I'm so useless."
Harry's eyes widened, clearly unaccustomed to dealing with such raw emotion. He shifted his weight, his hook-hand releasing Chad's arm as he raised both hands in a placating gesture.
"Easy there, luv," he murmured, his tone surprisingly gentle. Fuck his weakness for pretty things. "I, uh... I don't know what to say, to be honest." He paused, his gaze flickering between Chad's face and the box he clutched. "But I can see you care about this lass a great deal. Maybe there's somethin' I can do to help?"