Choosing Home

Chapter Twenty Eight

Time passed slowly but it passed and without any sign of trouble brewing, much to Ben and Mal's delight. It seemed that, as eleven months came and went, everything would be back to normal—battle strategies transformed into wedding plans, guard rosters changed into lists of kids to bring from the Isle.

Claudine had even come out of her shell, developing a relationship with Aurora and the Phillips. It was odd but in a way, Claudine had almost become their second daughter. Never a replacement for Audrey because a child could never be replaced. But someone who had had their life impacted by Freddy just as the Rose's had.

But, as life went on in Auradon, it also carried on over on the Isle. And Audrey was currently sitting in front of the Casters, smirking as Freddy glared.

Now one may be asking themselves, how in the world was Audrey still alive on the Isle? After all, she was a former royal on the Isle of the Lost. Well Freddy had quickly realized that after the failed face off against the Rats and, after recovering from the wound left by Claudine's dagger, had personally trained Audrey in how to throw daggers accurately.

He wouldn't have any member of the Angels be seen as a joke. Plus, he had his own little 'reward' system for when she hit the target. Of course that rewards system in addition to the fact that Audrey had grown up in Auradon all her life had resulted in a rather interesting discovery—Audrey was now pregnant once more.

And it seemed that this pregnancy had caused her to become even more ruthless than she had been previously. It had been her idea to recruit the Casters after all.

"You know, I really don't see why we need those magic users," Freddy scoffed as Audrey sat in front of him, having proposed a team up between the Angels and the Casters. "We're doing well enough dealing with those Rats now that Claudine's disappeared."

"Didn't you once tell me that you were going to enlist them to wage war on the Isle?" Audrey asked. "You're thinking too small."

"Oh am I?" Freddy growled.

Audrey nodded. "Mal and Ben can easily send aid to the Isle. But what aid can the Rats give them?"

Freddy paused. "You...you may have a point. After all, we've still got the barrier surrounding the Isle. It's not as if the Rats could pick up and sail off to their aid."

"Exactly," Audrey nodded. "Here's my thinking. We don't immediately attack Ben or Mal. We go after Auroria."

"Wasn't that your kingdom?" Strat scoffed.

Audrey glared at him. "Your betters are speaking Strat! But yes, it was my kingdom. And I want it back. Once Fred and I assume the throne of King and Queen of Auroria, we'll have the Auroria forces at our aid to go after Auradon."

"Hold up, Fred and you? What about the rest of us?" Shayla exclaimed, glaring at her with Locklyn by her side. It was no mystery that the two of them hated having to report to Audrey even more than they hated having to keep Audrey alive. All she was was a distraction to keep Freddy from returning to either of them.

Not to mention Zevon was getting too cocky having access to the other unallied girls of the Isle. Strat was trying but...he was no Freddy. He didn't have the stamina to have a fling a month yet after all.

"You all will stay here until we send for you," Audrey said, waiving off Shayla's concern.

"Last I checked Princess, you're not Fred," Shayla snapped.

"And last I checked, that's not a way to talk to your second in command," Freddy growled. "Watch your tongue Shayla."

"We used to talk this way to Claudine all the time and you never took issue with it," Locklyn spoke up.