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THE room was thick with tension, a palpable force that could be felt in the pit of their stomachs. Every muscle was taut, alert to the faintest hint of danger. Shadows clung to the corners, and every object seemed to hold its breath as if waiting for something to happen.

"They should've arrived back by now, father," a desperate Ben argued as his eyes and body shifted over to a tired, forehead rubbing Belle, "mother."

Two hours had passed since the VK's departure to the Isle of Lost and there was no signs of their return. Ben's was in his uttermost concern about their wellbeing. Why did he listen to Evie? Since when was his one to sit and get told what to do? If someone was in danger, someone he loved, he'd take the heat for them, without a need of questioning; whether others approved of it or not. That was the boy Mal fell in love with; the boy who protected a VK when everyone was against it - when everyone wanted them dead, gone, or "stuffed in a lamp to see how it feels being trapped for over 100 years until some naive, desperate pest decides to disturb your sleep" in Jordan's (and what she claimed to be) fully joking words. Ben doubted it.

First, he loses Mal; his girlfriend, his queen, and what should have been his top priority.

And now, he's let her friends, his friends, return to that eerie, rancid place to rescue her. She'd be livid if she found out; the Isle was the one topic Mal shown disdain towards, other than flashing cameras, news reporters and dying strawberries - all of which, he've sulkily thought about, he glossed over when she was here in Auradon. To think that this was his one chance at redemption, his one chance to prove to Mal that he loved her before anything, and they knocked him out.

"Why did they stop me? I'm her boyfriend!"

"Ex boyfriend," said a preppy Ally, seated on the corner's floor painting her fingernails white with her pet kitten Dino snuggled on her lap.

Belle sent the tall girl a 'that is not why you were called here' look. Ally of Wonderland was a close friend of Ben's; she often closed her and Alice's tea business to prepare a secluded place for the King to rest whenever he was chased down by news reporters, fans, or Tourney members begging him to update the team's gear as if he had any control over it.

A defeated scoff escaped Ben's lips as he threw his arms up, flopping in his king's chair afterward.

"Ally, dear, the clock is past 12," the Fairy Godmother hinted towards her bedtime, waving her wand in a circle.

"I'm worrieeeed," she dragged out as she cartwheeled into standing, "They're my friends, too, and Evie has my hair tie!"

"Early bird gets the word," pushed Fairy Godmother in a sing-song, once again circling her wand around.

"My mom says that's a lie!" Ally rebutted, "When she woke up early, the Queen of Hearts haaaaated it. She'd go," she put on her biggest frown with a reddening face and clenched fists ("meow!" Dino worried about her non-dried nail polish), "'Treason! She's awoken to poison me! Treason! Off with her head!'"

"Alice's past isn't our focus right now, dear," Fairy Godmother's passive, songful tone pressed a bit harder.

"Then what about mine?! Did you know I decorated our Mad for Tea Café?!" the blonde haired happily exclaimed, twirling around the office in pure giddiness.

"Why is she yelling," Belle whispered to herself, raising a finger to touch the side of her head.

"I'm going after her."

As Ben declared the sentence, Belle quickly arose to her feet in a small sputter, "Honey, I am certain that is not necessary," she tried reasoning, throwing a 'help me' glance at King Beast. In all honesty, she'd rather that girl stay far away from him. Not only did Mal drug her son, she lied about the reasoning on top of it. Where was her sense of respect?

He only looked away.

"Anything is necessary to protect Mal, mom. I was terrible to her," Ben's voice came out a small plea.

"Son, you are thinking irrational," King Beast ran a tired hand over his face. If you asked him, handling this entire situation was out of his pay grade.

Ben scoffed at not only his father's audacity, but his lack of understanding as well. Mal was his girlfriend. He had to make things right between them. What if she was scared? What if she was sad right now? What if she tried committing again? Mal was alone. There was no one to stop her. The people on that Island could use her vulnerability as a pawn to lure in predators — they'd eat current Mal alive, wouldn't they? That's what VK children did, right? He didn't know what to do.

"I understand you are concerned," Belle softly spoke up, taking a small step towards him, "But it is a selfish plan to surprise her, Ben. Allow her friends this time. You will get yours when she is ready to see you."

On one hand, there was no way Mal wanted to see him; that was realistically a truth in the situation. But on the other hand, he wanted her back home. He needed her back home.

Was that selfish?

"You have a duty to your people," Fairy Godmother sweetly whispered, taking a small step forward.

And he did. Ben was a King now, he couldn't leave without causing a ruckus; people would pester the kingdom for answers, tie them back to Mal's failed attempt and spread more rumors that'd only draw attention to him and Mal's relationship. It was an inevitable fate as the king of Auradon who've lost his queen.

"Look, I'd hate to be a Debby Downer," said Ally, skipping her way over to Ben, "But you'd probablyyyyy make things worse! Think about it: you broke up with her, she attempted, erm..." she slid her index finger across her neck, ".. she like ordered the guards to stop your visitations, then she fled to the Isle!"

Belle nodded along with each point, snapping her fingers to herself at the end, "Duh," she airily whispered to herself. She told Ben hours ago that bomb-rushing Mal wasn't the solution and he wouldn't listen.

"This was my chance to save her," said Ben.

"Mal doesn't want a knight," argued Ally, carefully sitting on the desk and crossing her legs, Dion gracefully hopping onto her lap afterward.

Ben's face contorted for a brief second, "I'm her boyfriend," he spoke thinly.

"Ex boyfriend," Ally pointed out once more, "I saw her in Carlos' dormitory more than yours."

"I was busy," Ben was quick to rebuttal. He knew where she was getting at, and he did not want to hear it.

Covering her mouth, Ally tittered, "A boyfriend sacrifices."

"I sacrificed much for Mal! She lied to me."

"Yes!" Belle stood up with a timed smile, "She did. She drugged my baby."

"Mom... I knew about the cookie that day, okay? It's the reason behind it."

"Reason, fleason, geason," She dismissively waved him off, "She drugged you."

"I believe spelled is the more appropriate word," Fairy Godmother muttered to herself.

"She did what her mother wanted her to do," Ben exasperated.

"Say as much as you want, honey. I no longer approve of your love," Belle's fake smile was as protruding as her eyes that told her real feelings.

"Aaaand neither does her friends," Ally nodded, now brushing along a purring Dion's back, "Give up, Benny. You two are over."

Ben shook his head, forming an 'x' with his arms a few times as he did so, "No. No one makes that decision except for Mal herself."

"You made it when you broke things off?" said a confused Ally, tilting her head sideways.

"And I regret my choices. They hurt her."

"Soooooo if she took it on the chin... you wouldn't want her back? He has a biiiiig knight complex."

"No.... It's just that..."

"Hey! You ended things 'cause you wanted to. You was hurting, you was tired, and you couldn't tolerate her anymore," Ally listed off on her now-messy fingers, frowning down at her mushed fingernail polish ("meow!" Dion said in a 'I told you so' attitude).

"I saaaay let her have her true love!"

His eyes welled up with unshed tears, "I am her true love," his bottom lip quivered as the realization of his situation washed over him

"No, you're not," Ally whispered sympathetically, a knowing tone creeping up behind her words, "Don't cry, Benny. Ask yourself right now. Right now. 'Do I want her back?'"

Did he want her back? His Mal; his short-tempered, leading, tough-as-a-nail Mal. Things were so simple between them before he became King; his destiny, his fate. He'd visit her after classes, hand her dead roses to cut and paint into her canvases, plant a kiss on her nose then take her on the finest date that'd leave her in small giggles and adoring glances. He loved the way she used to stare at him after he pulled one of his corny jokes to put a smile on her face. He could've lost himself for hours in those deep, shimmering pools of emotion, finding comfort, and joy within her loving gaze. Every time she looked at him, he felt a flip in his stomach, a rush of emotions and a reminder of just how much he loved her. And he couldn't pinpoint the moment his days turned from skipping to see Mal to skipping to avoid Mal's complaints and pouting face about duties as a higher ranked man now. Their late-night laughter under Auradon's crest moon faded into the background as argumentative afternoons and tearful Tuesday's shoved its way in between the love and peace that co-existed beside each other in their relationship.

He was miserable. On top of his King duties - duties that weighed on his shoulders from the moment he arose to the moment he laid, he had Mal's stress on his back, an unhappiness that he was too oblivious to see, or maybe... maybe he didn't want to see. In his mind, this was a normal. This was the life his parents raised him to know; raised him to love. Whether it came with the good or the bad, he was raised to tough up about his King duties and accept it as it was. But Mal wasn't. Prior to Auradon, she didn't wear ankle-hurting heels, rib-breaking corsets, and headaching pinned hairstyles. She wore ground-comfortable boots, leg-breathing pants and head-comforting hair-down styling. She was free to make her eating mistakes in peace, only having to worry about Evie correcting her or an awed Ben on one of their dates; not dozens of strangers writing articles about her queen status over one big strawberry bite.

Ben's heart was heavy as he reflected on his relationship, the past few weeks' events playing out before his eyes. He realized that there was a toxic undercurrent running through it all, one that had been silently corroding their bond. No. He didn't want Mal back. It wasn't healthy. For either of them.

"Are you okay?" Belle whispered lovingly, slowly making her way over to her son.

Ben only shook his head. His heart suddenly felt heavy as the truth dawned on him. His once secure relationship was now overshadowed by feelings of unease and discomfort. He recognized the unhealthy patterns that hade been normalized in their interactions, and the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

".... She was meant to be my wife..."

"You'll find love again, honey. That's the beauty of life."

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