Chapter Text
The Three Good Fairies wept, surrounding where Audrey sat and continually touching her to check she was real. Ben dismissed everyone else from the room and stood by and let them take their time. They deserved this moment. He’d never seen the three fairies lose composure like this; only for their beloved princess. And as for Audrey, they were closest thing to family she had and she warmed herself with their every kiss and embrace.
Fauna blew her nose with a handkerchief. “Bless Mama Odie and her wonderful magic. It’s her vision that brought you back to us. Otherwise we would’ve always believed…” she was overcome and could say no more.
Flora clasped Audrey’s face and kissed her on the forehead. “Thank The Powers you’re safe my dear. We thought we’d lost you.”
Audrey smiled and patted her hand. “I was lost. But you found me, like I knew you would.”
Merryweather scrubbed her cheeks angrily. “Look at us, blubbering like a bunch of ninnies! Let’s get you out these rags.”
With a wave of her wand, Audrey’s matted hair shivered and fell in glossy waves, her torn and filthy dress was replaced by a blue tea dress and ballet flats appeared on her feet. Audrey rubbed the material of her dress between her thumb and forefinger. She thanked the fairy quietly. She was still shockingly thin and the makeup could not completely hide the strain of her imprisonment but some of her loveliness had been restored.
“Audrey,” Ben said, and she looked up at him. Guilt and shame were thick in his throat when he gazed into her familiar brown eyes. With an effort, he spoke. “I know it must be difficult. But…could you tell us what happened?”
Fauna wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively. “You don’t have to, love. If it’s too soon…”
“No. No, it’s okay,” Audrey took a deep breath. “When…when Maleficent was attacking the castle. My parents disguised me as a commoner and sent me to hide with the servants. Then, when the roof was caving in and…and fire was everywhere….” She bit her trembling lip.
Flora shot a reproachful look to Ben. “She needs rest. Do we have to do this now?”
“Godmother, please,” Audrey said and took a deep breath. “Many died. It was horrible. We tried to escape but we were surrounded and rounded up. I saw…when Maleficant brought out Mom and Daddy and Grammie and…and executed them, I was right there,” she swallowed, “I wanted to scream and cry and let her know how much I hated her. But I couldn’t make a sound. Not if I was going to live.”
Audrey bowed her head under the weight of her story. A silent river of tears were now shed by the fairies as they mourned anew for their adopted niece and her family. Behind his back, Ben’s fists clenched. Pain, fear and anger had never blemished Audrey for as long as Ben had known her. Fishhooks were clawing through the chambers of his heart, seeing her like this, hearing how much she’d endured.
Her eyes were dry but sharp with memory when she raised her head. “They thought I’d died in the fire or when the castle collapsed. Of course no one recognised the plain, dirty, desperate creature I’d become. So I survived. I fought to live even when I didn’t want to, hoping against all hope that one day I could come home. And then suddenly,” her expression gentled, “there you were Ben.”
She got up and came to wrap her arms around him. Ben squeezed her tight and then had to draw her back and tip her face up to look at him. There was so much that needed to be said. And even though it was tainted by a selfish desire to get some small relief, he knew what had to be aired first.
“Audrey, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. For everything you went through. And for not being able to protect you, as a boyfriend or a prince. I failed you and your family.”
She caressed his cheek as if reacquainting herself with the feel of him. “Maleficent is to blame. Not you. Don’t let her destroy us too. Sometimes the thought of you was the only thing that kept me going.”
And she pressed her lips soundly against his. Her mouth was soft and sweet and his was frozen, her eyes were closed in bliss but his were open, staring at her face so close to his. She grinned up at him and laid her head against his chest.
“Benny-boo, I almost can’t believe we’re together again. It’s like a dream.”
“Now, what a picture that is. Could there be anything more perfect?” Flora clasped her hands together and held them to her chin, peering over at them with satisfaction.
Fauna raised her eyes to heaven. “True love really does overcome all obstacles. Just as your dear mother taught us. She would be so proud of you both.”
Audrey smiled back at the fairies and then looked at Ben with complete trust.
There was so much to say. And how could he possibly say it?
He was a coward. A fool. A beast. He said only, “I have to get back and make arrangements for the others who we freed. Is there anything you need, anything I can do for you?”
She shook her head then seemed to think again. “May I visit them soon? I’d like to see for myself that they’re okay. We’ve been through a lot together.”
Her kindly impulse and the reminder of her trauma made him feel even worse. He managed a smile. “Of course. Of course you can. I’ll send someone for you when they’re ready.”
She clutched his arm. “I know you have your duties. But try and come yourself Bennie. We’ve spent too long apart.”
And she gave him one last lingering kiss before he made his escape.
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Lonnie sprang up from the chair when her king entered his quarters. He looked dazed, concussed even. She supposed that was to be expected when one’s girlfriend comes back from the dead.
“How is she?” Lonnie asked.
At school, Lonnie had developed a dislike for the princess. Not only had they nothing in common but Audrey had fancied herself the exalted leader of all the girls in the school. Lonnie remembered thinking she’d never do as her mother wished and apply for a position working with the royal family if it meant serving the prince’s girlfriend.
But Audrey was still someone she knew, an Auradonian who had been though the hell of war, and Lonnie found herself as emotional at the news as if it were her oldest friend who been recovered.
“She’s okay,” Ben said, “Physically, I mean. She’s malnourished and obviously exhausted, but we can fix that.”
Lonnie noted the tension in his shoulders as he turned his back and poured himself a glass of water from the carafe on the side table. He drank deeply and continued speaking with his gaze on the floor. “I think she’s going to be all right, thank gods. What she’s been through…and to still be…she’s stronger than we ever knew.”
“Good. That’s good.”
He still wouldn’t meet her eye.
“Ben. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said immediately, then winced at the crack in his voice. “It’s…it’s not important right now.”
“Something about Audrey?” she guessed.
“If I tell you, you might lose all respect for me.”
“I doubt that. But I’m just in this for the paycheck anyway so...”
He looked at her, muttered, and put his glass down and went to sink into a chair. She sat down opposite him, watching him carefully.
“Audrey is acting like the last few years don’t matter. Like nothing’s changed, when it comes to her and…and me.”
“Ah,” she said.
“And you know how untrue that is. You’re the only one who knows.”
“Yeah,” she said. Lonnie knew very little about romantic relationships. Okay, she knew nothing. She figured it was best to be blunt. “You don’t love Audrey.”
Ben groaned and his head fell into his hands.
“It’s not a crime,” she comforted.
“I couldn’t tell her it’s over. How could I? She’s been hurt so much already and then she comes back and I immediately…but is it any better to lie to her? What if I tell her and she completely falls apart? But how can I go along with her when I’m in love with…”
“Mira,” Lonnie said.
Ben slowly raised his head. He wore a curious expression with many shades of guilt and confusion.
She raised her eyebrows. “…right?”
He didn’t answer.
“You’re in love with Mira, aren’t you?
His expression glazed over. “Yes,” he said, then flinched as if in sudden pain. “I…I don’t know. Sometimes….”
“What?”
“When I’m with Mira, I forget about everything else but her. I’m soaring through the clouds and drunk on every word she says.”
“Yes and her eyes are like chocolate fondue you can dip marshmallows in. I know,” she reminded him, having heard all this before and at great length.
He nodded. “She’s beautiful. Perfect. And I think ‘nothing could be better than this.’ But, then…when I’m with Mal…”
Lonnie rubbed her temple. Wonderful. Now Mal was in the mix. Lonnie’s training had not prepared her for this. “Yes, I’ve noticed the two of you have gotten…chummy. Go on. What’s it like with her?”
Ben stopped fidgeting. He looked at a point over Lonnie’s shoulder. “Different,” he said simply.
With a noise of disgust, he stood up and paced about the room. “Audrey’s down the hall, half-dead and reliving her horrors, and I’m worried about not being with the girlfriend I want. What’s wrong with me?”
That was the question. Lonnie had been ninety-nine percent certain that the VKs had somehow trapped Ben in a love spell. She had only desired a little more time to observe his behavior and remove all doubt, then she could betray the trust of her poor hoodwinked king and report all to Fairy Godmother. But why would the VKs spell Ben to pine for Mira and Mal? How did that help them? It was an awkward, attention-grabbing ploy. It made no sense.
Perhaps Lonnie had been wrong. Maybe this affair boiled down to nothing more but the romantic melodrama she had bypassed as a teenager and which she was currently receiving too much second-hand experience of.
“I am one of the few anchors Audrey has at the moment,” Ben continued rambling, “You should have seen her Lonnie, she…If I break up with her I don’t know what kind of damage I’d be doing. I can’t do that to her. I can’t. Especially if right now I cannot even be with…with whoever it is I want to be with!” he ran his hands through his hair and growled, “I’m a total mess.”
“I agree the situation is a total mess,” Lonnie stood up and went to put a bracing hand on his shoulder, “Don’t feel guilty for thinking a little about yourself, your majesty, when the impact on your life is this huge. But that’s as far as I can advise you. You need wiser counsel. Which is why…I think we should tell someone about all this. Fairy Godmother. Or the queen?”
Ben was already shaking his head. She pressed on. “Ben, they could help you untangle this, help you choose the best course – “
He shook her off almost angrily. “I promised Mira I wouldn’t tell anyone. The least I can do for her is keep my word. She’s going to be hurt enough about my charade with Audrey.”
The look on her face must’ve been pitiable because he pasted on a reassuring smile. “It won’t be like this for long Lonnie. Once Audrey finds her feet and her confidence returns I can come clean with her. As for Mira and Mal…” his smile faltered and collapsed, “This way, I have a little time to get my head on straight.”
Lonnie agreed with resignation. The VKs were up to something – she’d overheard as much when spying on Gil and Hook at the stinkeri – but what direction their plot was taking and where the king fit into it, she hadn’t a clue anymore. The king was even more oblivious than she – that was the ultimate burden of being captain of the royal guard. Only she noticed the vibrations of the ground beneath their feet and the threatening rumble overhead. She was stuck with her suspicions and could only stay close to Ben’s side and wait for the cave-in.
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It had been a long, emotionally excruciating day and all Ben wanted to do was get into bed. He contemplated his sallow appearance in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. He deserved every tired line and much worse for playing with three women like he was. What would his father have said?
For Dad, love had shot straight and true and that love proved eternal and singular. And that’s how Ben had always hoped it would be for himself. What kind of man was he if his heart was this changeable?
A knock came on the bathroom door. Mouth full of toothpaste, he gurgled questioningly.
“Mal is out here. She wants a word. Should I tell her to come back in the morning?” Noah called.
Ben spat in the sink. For once, he didn’t feel up to seeing Mal. He washed his mouth out and sighed. “No, it’s okay Noah.”
He was already in his sleepwear and he was suddenly acutely aware of the tiny gold crowns patterned on the cotton. He didn’t want her to see that. He grabbed a bathrobe off the hook and put it on and tied the belt tight around his middle. There. Now he was merely…fluffy. He sighed again and walked from his bathroom and bedroom and out to the main room of his royal quarters.
Mal regarded his bathrobe with alarm and he shrugged in embarrassment. Behind her, Lonnie was giving him warning looks. His captain wanted her out of here and probably thought further entangling himself with Mal was a bad idea. It undoubtedly was.
“I can go if you’re busy,” she cringed.
He looked askance at her. “No? I was just getting ready for bed. Something going on?”
Lonnie gave up and closed the door and took up her post beside Noah. Mal was standing with her arms crossed, leaning into one hip. It was the stance she favored when she was feeling defensive.
“Nothing major. No disease. No famine. How the castle’s newest occupant settling in?”
He scrubbed his face. “Audrey? She’s doing great, considering.”
Mal looked to her side as if she could X-ray the wall and see beyond the bricks and plaster. “She’s staying next door right? That’s what Mira said.”
“Yeah.”
“I mean, naturally,” she said with an odd chuckle, “Where else would you put your girlfriend. You two must be thrilled. Reunited after so long. It’s just like one of those sappy romance novels Evie likes to read.”
“I’m grateful she’s back.”
“Hmm-hmm,” she offered through a tight smile.
He waited in vain for her to speak. He stepped a little closer to her. “I understand it’s…awkward for you, suddenly having her here.”
Mal’s eyes widened. “Awkward? Why would it be awkward?”
Ben frowned. “With all the family history between you two? And with what Maleficent’s done to her in person…”
“Oh. Yeah. Well, don’t lose any sleep over it. It’s her problem. I don’t care.”
“Okay then. Uh,” he stepped closer, so Noah couldn’t overhear, and asked, “How’s Mira?”
A muscle in her face twitched and she didn’t seem to want to discuss it. At all. But she looked away and answered quietly, “She’s upset. She liked how things were with you and now that your proper princess is back it’s all gone goblin-shaped…”
“I told her everything!” Ben whisper-shouted, desperation gushing out at the thought of a displeased Mira. “I explained over and over why I have to do this. Mira is the one I love…doesn’t she know that?”
Mal bit her lip and looked down. His gaze was drawn to the sharp incisor pressing down on that plump bottom lip. It was…distracting. He felt calmed and unsteadied all at once.
“She knows. And she won’t forget it,” she said.
He looked up just as she did and he tried to not give away just where he’d been staring. Gods, the spot she had bit was a darker pink now.
“Are you going to tell the princess about us?”
Ben’s heartbeat staggered. “Us?”
“The VKs.”
“O-oh,” he said, fighting the heat rising to his face, “I imagine the Three Good Fairies will tell her before I get a chance to. I’d have liked to give Audrey all the facts and not…”
“Not the hacked version of events the fairies will brainwash her with?” she finished drily.
“You were right there with me when we rescued her. And you’ve worked miracles for the kingdom. She’ll come to see you for the hero you are.”
“Hmm-hmm.”
“She will.”
“Whatever. I didn’t come to talk about her.”
“Really?” he asked, with some surprise. She was the one who’d brought her up.
“The war stops for no one, and I’ve been giving our next move a lot of thought and I’ve come up with something.”
He gestured for her to take a seat and they sat down where he and Lonnie had spoken about his feelings for Mira and Mal only hours before. He told himself to get a grip and turn his mind to business. It was like trying to lead a horse out of deep mud.
“I think we should begin sowing misinformation that Auradon is about to launch an attack on Winter’s Keep. Let a few magic ships be seen scouting the nearby waters. Get your guy Doug onto it; like he said, Maleficent’s minions still use electronics. A couple of stray emails or chatroom gossip could go a long way if the right person thought their mistress would be interested in hearing about it.”
“Why would we want her to think we’re going to attack her capital?”
“So General Shan Yu and his army won’t return to Camelot. She’ll pull them back to defend the capital and Camelot’s forces will remain halved. It will be as defenceless as it’s ever going to get.”
Ben scooted forward in his chair, excited. “The plan is to take back Camelot?”
“No. Maleficent won’t let us hold it. We’re going to assassinate the Evil Queen. Then run like the devil himself is chasing us.”
He didn’t hide his disappointment. “What good does it do to kill the High Warden if we can’t take back the region? I won’t kill for revenge's sake.”
“Ben, this isn’t any other villain we’re talking about. It’s the Evil Queen. She’s my mother’s only friend; she calls her ‘Queenie’ and her nickname is ‘Cheekbones’. That is the most affection I’ve ever witnessed from that woman. We want Maleficent to not know where to turn and make big mistakes. Believe me, nothing will turn her world upside down or make her doubt herself more than being disconnected from her best friend.”
He clenched his jaw. His hand inched forward, aching to reach over and take her own.
Ben had noticed that the rift between her and Evie had not been repaired. It hurt her. Deeply. He walked through the garden once or twice a day to check she wasn’t crying alone there again.
She realised she had failed to hide her pain and crossed her arms with a glare.
“Mal,” he urged softly, “You can tell me what happened between you and – “
“Don’t.”
He heard the ‘please’ she didn’t voice.
He leaned back. “There was no other region more bitterly fought for and lost than Camelot. It remains the hotspot of the war. After somehow getting past the blood-soaked frontline we’d be in a fortress city full of soldiers – “
Mal held up a finger. “– half full.”
“ – not to mention whatever black magic the Evil Queen’s cooked up. We practically strolled into Agrabah. This will be…difficult.”
“Does that mean you approve the mission?”
“I’m approving the misinformation campaign. It'll be good to at least keep Shan Yu at a distance.”
“But – “
Ben shook his head. “We can’t just parachute into Camelot tonight. I don’t know if the mission’s doable yet. Give me some time to talk to the council and look over our options.”
“All right,” she said reluctantly, “But don’t take too long. I know this is the right play.”
“Then we better be up for it.”
She raised her chin in that stubborn way of hers and he put on his best kingly mask, both pretending their focus and convictions were the same as when they’d started this enterprise together: as clear and invulnerable as a diamond. Uncrackable. A touchstone they couldn’t possibly be foolish enough to tamper with.