De Fragee Prutia

s e v e n t e e n

"Everyone on the Isle, hang in there. Prutia, hang in there."

Queen Leah turned off the television.

"'Hang in there Prutia.' He says it every speech! Dark magic and he's still infatuated with her! How'd you let him get away?"

"I don't know, Grandma," Audrey said dejectedly.

Her grandparents had pulled her out of school for an extended spa vacation and they were resting in their room before a six o'clock facial.

"A lifetime of plans. Gone. Our family status. Gone. Audrey, you were supposed to be his queen. You were meant to marry him so you could rule Auradon."

Queen Leah and King Stefan were disappointed. They had almost won the election to be overarching leaders of Auradon but had lost to Beast and Belle. They were used to ruling and had never been second. It was an unspoken agreement, they felt, that their granddaughter would be with Belle's son. They wouldn't stay second.

"Your mother could land a man in her sleep."

"Okay, Grandma! I get it. I failed... you know I wanted this too. I wanted to be ruler, it's not like I was okay with it happening."

Queen Leah grabbed her hand. "There's still a chance, then. She's been stripped of her titles and exiled. Get Ben back and you can be leader of Auradon."

"I don't think it'll work. He's clearly in love with her..." Audrey thought about it. "But if I want to lead I've got to try."

"That's my granddaughter."

"Grandma, we're going to have to cut this vacation a little short. I think it's time to go back to Auradon Prep, Benny-boo needs a new queen."

"Are you staying for soup? It'll be ready in forty."

"No, Edgar. I've got some other stuff to do."

Nami placed the book in her bag and unlocked the safety deposit box in the desk drawer to get money for supplies.

"Edgar. Are you sure you don't want to apply?"

"The kids need me here, Princess, but thank you."

"Okay. Well, I'll be back soon. See you later, Edgar."

"You take care, Miss Nami."

She had to take the long way to avoid Ursula's chip shoppe but she was fine with that. Running into Harry Hook and Gil was not something on the top of her to-do list. The scar on her cheek never healed properly and she didn't want another one. Nami made it to the arcade managed by Dragon Hall's former headmaster, Dr. Facilier.

"You think I got a chance?" Dr. Facilier sat across from her, rubbing his knees nervously as she went over his application.

"It all done look good to me. 'Specially the essay part about how you've changed and all."

"You think your policy gon' happen?"

"I don't know. But if Ben's already on board with bringing kids over, adults shouldn't be too hard either."

Nami had been going around the Isle with handmade applications for adults. They mimicked the kids' VK Day forms. She had seen how some people on the Isle didn't deserve to be there. They were just associated with the wrong crowd or made choices they had come regret. It wasn't like no one made decisions they didn't regret. She'd been collecting their applications and holding them in her bag. She planned on getting them to Ben somehow.