Choosing Home

Chapter Thirteen

When Mal and the gang finally got to Fairy Cottage from Auradon Prep, it was almost dusk. Apparently teleporting on an empty stomach wasn't the best thing for mortals—plus Lonnie had gotten queasy as well and Jay spent about half an hour arguing as to why they should be able to stop.

"Alright, so before we go in, just to go over everything," Mal said as she stood in front of Fairy Cottage. "Someone has to stick to Ben like glue. I don't care if it's me, one of Ben's shadows, Estelle, whoever."

"Whoa, Mal, no!" Ben exclaimed. "Guys, one of you stick to Mal. You guys weren't there to hear Freddy's comments."

Mal shook her head. "Ben, of the two of us, which one's got magic, a Cerberus, and two cousins who also have magic and which one of us is the King of Auradon?"

"Mal, who's the one Freddy seems fixated on and who's the one who's already punched Freddy and will do it again if he comes anywhere near you? I'm handling Freddy," Ben promised.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lonnie spoke up. "Ben punched Freddy?"

"Go Ben!" Emir said with a grin.

Ben sighed and rubbed his knuckles. "He was spewing garbage about Mal. You guys would have done it too if he was talking about Emma or Elle. But the point is, I will handle Freddy. I'd like someone to keep Mal far away from him as possible understand?"

"Aye Aye Mr. King Captain Ben sir!" Emir and Akiho said, faking a salute to Ben.

Macaria tilted her head. "I've known them for what feels like forever and yet I will never understand them."

"Imagine how I feel," Ben chuckled as he looked over at Macaria.

"You have my pity, your highness."

Mal couldn't help but sigh. "Ben..."

"I'm not arguing with you on this Mal," Ben shook his head. "If you're saying I need protection, fine. But so do you. Freddy didn't crash Cotillion with an intent to kill me remember?"

Mal pinched the bridge of her nose to try to stave off a headache. "If you're insisting on this, you're taking Estelle."

"Fine," Ben sighed. "But only because I know if I don't agree, you'll follow me into the danger zone anyway."

"Um...this may seem irrelevant and completely off topic but...has anyone heard about Chad?" Emir asked.

"We know where he is. Freddy has him hostage," Harry said, looking at the second son of Agrabah like he had three heads.

Akiho shook his head. "No, that's not what he meant. Chad's normally all over social media all the time. Selfies, tweets, but his socials have been dead since the time of Jane's party. Something's not sitting right."

Carlos blinked in surprise. "You really think Audrey would let Chad update his social media pages?"

"That wouldn't be a good look for someone who...I just realized Freddy would have no idea what social media pages are," Uma spoke up. "If Charming Jr. had a brain, he might have been able to convince Sleeping Brat to let him post an update."

"So we're talking about a potentially wounded Chad, an Audrey armed with Maleficent's scepter and Freddy," Macaria listed. "Great."

Mal chuckled. "Well we're here at Fairy Cottage at least. Macaria, can you put up a ward to keep Audrey from poofing out with Freddy?"

"Sure can," Macaria nodded and got to work. Soon, the faint glow of an anti teleportation ward shimmered around the cottage and Uma smirked.

"Good luck poofing out of that one," she muttered.