Bullseye

Mal was anxious to see Ben again in front of everybody- she was unsure of what their relationship was going to be like and didn't want to broadcast their troubles in front of the other VKs.

Ignoring the conversation filling the limousine, Mal stilled her expression and stared out the window. She watched as they got closer and closer to the castle. Thankfully, nobody interrupted her- or if they had tried, she hadn't noticed.

Pulling up to the castle made her breathing stop as she was first to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Somebody's eager," Jay teased.

"Shut up," she shot back, opening the door before the driver had the chance and stepping out. She didn't see Jay's reaction to her snapping at him but at that moment, she couldn't care less. There was too much to think about right now, and someone else's feelings weren't on the list.

Mal waited until all of the VKs had exited the limousine before walking over to Fairy Godmother, who was waiting at the door with Jane. They had decided to travel separately, much to Jane's dismay.

"Bibbity-Bobbity, we arrived at the same time."

Carlos passed Mal and gave Jane a hug.

"Let's not keep the royal family waiting," Fairy Godmother spoke after a moment. "Remember, this is a formal occasion; please treat it as such."

Mal furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what the older fairy meant, but followed her in. She was mildly surprised to see Ben, Belle, and Adam ready to greet them with six of their palace staff, including Lumiere and Mrs. Potts. She instantly understood what Fairy Godmother had been referring to. Unfortunately, it was only as the other VKs slowly began to bow and curtsy at different times that she, too, dropped into a sudden curtsy. It felt weird to greet them like this; after all, most of the time they greeted each other with hugs - though, with Ben it was usually a kiss.

She caught Belle's eyes and smiled. They had a shared amusement in these odd circumstances, she could see it on the woman's face. Belle stepped forward for a hug and Mal instantly complied.

"Good afternoon."

As she broke away, Belle brought her to stand between herself and Ben before Adam spoke to the other VKs. The separation from the others of the Isle gave Mal a few mixed feelings.

"Welcome. It is a pleasure to host all of you here for the weekend. We have made plans for everybody starting after dinner. Today, please feel free to walk around and become accustomed to your surroundings. Dinner will be held in the dining room."

Mal listened carefully to Adam's words; he sounded so formal. Out of instinct, her hand subconsciously found Ben's and they both intertwined their fingers. It was only after Adam began answering questions from the VKs that she realised he hadn't pulled away from her. That was a good sign. She turned to him but he was engaged in conversation with Lumiere. Paperwork, always paperwork.

She wondered how long it would take for Ben to excuse himself.

Instead of interrupting him, she turned her attention back to Adam who was letting out a booming laugh.

"How about we show you to your rooms and we can continue these questions over dinner?"

"What's your favourite food, Your Beastliness?" Nate asked, ignoring the former King's remark.

Adam raised an eyebrow and glanced at Belle with amusement. "Let's all walk and talk," he suggested. He and Belle led them all away.

Mal almost moved to walk with them, but Harry's small glare at her and Ben's conjoined hands made her stop and stay with her fiance. She wasn't going to give her ex any reason to think there was anything bad going on with her current relationship.

It took Ben a few minutes before he turned to her. However, he didn't excuse himself as she'd expected. "Let's go talk in my room."

She nodded and they went, still hand in hand. As they entered his room, though, he released her and closed the door.

He looked resigned as he sat on his bed. Mal remained standing.

"I'm glad to see you," he told her, "but I'm still struggling to wrap my head around everything."

"You mean you don't know if you can accept my past," she corrected.

His gaze moved to her but no words left his mouth even when it opened.

This time, she did move to sit next to him, leaving a considerable gap. "If I could change the past, I would. Had I known that I was going to meet you…" she drifted off as he shook his head.

"I don't want you to change anything. I love you as you are and if you didn't go through what you did, you wouldn't be who you are," he expressed. She could tell he was being genuine but that didn't actually change anything.

Mal let out a long sigh as her eyes closed. "You say you love me and don't care about my past in one sentence and in the next say you're not sure if you can accept it."

He took in a breath. "I just-"

She stood, stopping his excuses. "You're attempting to be understanding- trying to be the good guy and accept everything I've been through and done. But you can't! If you weren't King and just a normal guy who didn't have to think of what people thought, what would you do? Would you care who I'd slept with?" He cringed. "Would you leave and never look back? Would you end things? What do you want to do, Ben?"

"I don't know."

"That's not good enough."

Ben stood up, pacing away from her. Mal stood her ground any time he neared. "I can't work out…"

"What?"

"If you only told me those things so I'd break up with you."

The second that came out, Mal felt all of the colour drain from her face. "Is that what you think? Ben, if I didn't want to be with you, I'd end it myself! I told you because you're all about honesty."

A scoff left his lips. He didn't believe her.

"If you cared at all about honesty, you would have told me certain things earlier! Instead, you waited until we were arguing before springing it on me. That's not how a relationship works!" His voice had begun to raise exponentially. "You'd have told me about you and Harry before inviting him in the first place!"

"Really? When did I have the chance? You were never around, Ben."

"So, was Harry my replacement?"

"You were his replacement, if you want to be like that."

"Was I just a pawn the whole time?" he demanded. The question stunned Mal into silence. Is that what he was thinking? "You've lied to me so many times, Mal! I am sick and tired of finding out the truth from other people or only when you have to reveal it! You let me believe that you spelled me with that love potion because you wanted me, but you had just been using me the entire time! Are you still just using me to get something you want? I've given you everything, and now I've brought your boyfriend over from the Isle! Are you just waiting until you've freed more of your friends to break my heart even more?"

He fell silent, and she finally was able to reply.

"If you actually think any of that is true, then why are we even together?"

"I don't know!" he shouted. His anger was greater than she'd ever seen. But it was clear to see the hurt, betrayal, and confusion crossing his features too. "Maybe we should break up."

Mal instantly froze. This couldn't be happening. Please make this be a nightmare.

It took Ben a few seconds before he froze as well, seemingly realising what he had just said.

"Wait… I didn't mean that," he quickly corrected, his voice suddenly quiet and filled with regret.

"You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it," she whispered. Hesitantly, she played with her engagement ring before slipping it off her finger and holding it out to him. "You don't trust me anymore."

Her hands felt numb as Ben slowly lifted his hand to hers and accepted the ring. The moment seemed to pass in slow-motion. Both of their eyes welled up with tears but Mal refused to cry in front of him. Attempting to swallow the lump in her throat, she turned away from him.

Her heart shouted at her to say something, to apologise or ask him to take her back, but she just couldn't. Instead, she stalked away.

Before she could think better of it, she stopped and looked back at him from the doorway. He looked so broken as he stared down at the ring.

It was only as Mal got back to her room - on the same wing as his - that she broke down. She ignored all of the texts and calls coming to her phone and refused to answer anybody that knocked on her door. She just wanted to be alone.

It took all of her willpower for her to jump in the shower and get ready for dinner. Her absence would be noticed and she didn't want them asking too many questions. She opted to wear one of the dresses in the wardrobe that had been provided for her. She chose the one that was the most comfortable. It was a very light purple and dropped down to her knees. The material seemed like cotton, which was something she hardly wore but knew most of Ben's clothes were made of. She slipped on her purple and green dragon leather jacket. It didn't match and it was very warm out but she didn't care.

She had been extremely tempted to slip on the purple fluffy slippers that somebody had brought her but decided against it and just put the same boots on that she had been wearing.

Mal looked at herself in the mirror and put on a little bit of make-up to ensure nobody worked out that she had been crying.

Hopefully, they didn't expect her to smile. She simply couldn't pretend to be happy right now.

It didn't take her long to find the VKs, gathered at the bottom of the staircase and debating over which way led to the dining room.

"Mal! There you are!" Evie exclaimed the second she saw her.

"Lost?" she questioned as lightly as she could.

Nate and the twins nodded quickly.

"Luckily, I know the way," Mal told them as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "This way."

She attempted to move straight away but Evie stopped her. Jay began to lead the children in the direction Mal had indicated.

"Where were you? I was worried when you didn't answer any of my texts."

Before Mal had the chance to lie, Harry piped up.

"She was probably fucking the King."

It was loud enough for all of the VKs to turn back to them and for Mal's left fist to violently connect with Harry's jaw.

He moved towards her - probably to attack. She pushed him back with her right hand and repeated the punch in the same place, this time eliciting a cracking sound. The purple-haired girl managed one more forceful punch before arms were wrapped around her waist and she was pulled away from him with three guards instantly standing between them.

When Mal noticed that it was a guard who was holding her, she began to struggle to try and get out of his hold. Unfortunately, it was to no avail - he was clearly stronger than her. She felt so weak and useless.

"Release her this instant!" Adam's voice boomed, even making Mal jump. Within a second the arms wrapped around her retracted and Adam approached her with Belle quickly following. His hand came to her shoulder protectively. "Are you okay?"

Mal nodded and waited for his attention to move over to Harry before lifting her hand to look at it. It hurt like hell. As she looked up, she noticed that Adam had connected the dots to what had occurred.

"Take the children into the dining room," he ordered. "All of them," he added when Evie, Jay, and Carlos resisted.

"It's fine. Go," Mal said shortly.

She allowed herself to be led off by Adam and ignored all orders he was giving except "Go get the King." She did not want Ben to be involved in this. In fact, she didn't even want to see him at this moment and had hoped he wasn't going to be able to attend dinner. And now, he would probably have to pass judgment on her violent act. He didn't deserve this.

She was led into a library that had several comfortable chairs and couches. Adam indicated for her to sit on one of the three-seater couches and took a seat beside her. Belle joined her on the other side. Harry was placed on a chair on the opposite side of the ten metred room. Mal didn't respond when asked what happened, simply staring down at the cream-colored carpet in front of her.

Her attention raised when two palace staff members entered, one heading over to Harry, the other approaching her.

"Hand up."

She complied. She watched as the woman examined it before putting a cushion on her lap, placing her hand on it and immediately icing her hand.

"Oww!" she complained.

"I'll arrange for that to be wrapped up. You're lucky there's nothing broken."

Mal regarded her now covered hand and frowned. It hurt.

The door on the other side of the room opened again, and her breath hitched as she saw Ben enter with two guards. It was obvious that he had been crying.

Adam and Belle stood up. Belle spoke to her son softly enough that nobody could hear her apart from Ben and Adam. Mal couldn't even hear Ben's reply but it didn't seem like his parents knew what had happened between the two of them.

"What happened?" Ben suddenly asked loudly.

"She attacked me, that's what."

Harry was holding an ice-pack to his face and from what she could see, it was already bruising.

Ben looked over to Mal and she could see the sorrow in his eyes. "What really happened?" he asked, his voice softening considerably.

Harry rolled his eyes in frustration.

Mal couldn't help but meet Ben's gaze. "He's telling the truth. I threw the first punch."

"I didn't even get a punch in," Harry imputed.

She let her head bob up and down to confirm.

To her surprise, there was no judgment in Ben's eyes. "Okay. Let's take him to the infirmary and get him sorted out. I want him to receive the best care possible." He received nods. He turned back to her. "How's your hand?"

"Not broken."

This time it was him who nodded in confirmation. Ben waited until the room had been vacated before dismissing all of his guards. "What did Harry do?"

Mal shrugged. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Mal," he said forcefully.

She looked up and saw the surprise on his parents' faces at his tone. She let out a sigh. "He made a comment about us."

Ben looked at her pointedly.

She glanced down. "Evie asked where I had been all day. Harry said that we were probably…" she paused, paraphrasing quickly, "having sex. I punched him before I even registered what I was doing."

"That wasn't very smart of you," he said, sitting down next to her. Close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off him.

"Evie's the smart one," she muttered. Taking a breath, she turned to him. "What's going to happen now?"

Ben looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Mal glanced up at Adam, who knew exactly what she was referring to.

"Mal committed an act of violence, that can't be ignored."

At Ben's alarmed look, Mal quickly spoke. "He's right, Ben. There needs to be some sort of punishment."

Belle sat down on her other side. "We can't seem to favour our own family above others," she reminded him.

Mal felt her heart melt at Belle referring to her as family.

If only she knew.

"So we let Harry off for attacking Mal and have to punish her for doing the same thing?" he demanded.

"Son, Mal broke his jaw."

Ben didn't seem to care about that, but she could understand why. However, this concerned his parents. It seemed his judgment was clouded even more now that they had broken up. She took his hand with her good one. "I will accept any punishment that seems fit." She then looked at Adam. "Is there anything else you need to know?" Mal wasn't entirely sure how she had broken out of her emotionless and temperamental state - perhaps it was seeing how broken up Ben was. One of them had to be the strong one.

"Are there any other factors we should take into account? A reason we could consider? Did something bad happen that affected your judgement?"

There was so much Mal could say but overall didn't want to. A sigh left her as she took her hand back. "I've been having a bad few weeks," she said vaguely.

Belle rested a hand on her arm. "You can always come to us. What happened?"

Mal closed her eyes as she spoke. "Well… we all know about the attack with Harry. You don't know that…" she hesitated. "He had been pursuing me. It's exhausting. During the attack he did forcefully kiss me - somehow I managed to use my magic to send him backward - I don't know how but I've tried to be careful since." She could tell they all wanted to say something different as she was talking but were too polite to interrupt her, so she just carried on talking, not once opening her eyes. "Then exam week was hell. I hate tests. Not to mention Ben and I got into a huge fight and stopped talking." Now she did open her eyes to see both of the adults looking at Ben - he hadn't told them. "When we got here, after another big fight, Ben and I broke up."

"Excuse me?" Belle exclaimed in utter shock.

Adam stepped forward. "Mal, may we have a moment alone with our son?"

Mal looked at Ben and waited for him to nod before standing. "I'll be in the dining room. I'm sure the VKs are worried."

"We'll meet you there," Ben told her softly.

With a look at the three of them, Mal exited the library and made her way to the dining room to assure her friends that everything was okay. The younger ones believed her instantly, however, Evie, Jay, and Carlos were not as easily fooled. Thankfully, they had decided to not question her right now - but she knew it was coming.

Mal couldn't help but look around at nearly all of the VKs. She was sitting right at the end of the table, next to where she presumed Ben would be, with Evie next to her. Opposite her was Jay, the twins, then Celia and Dizzy with Fairy Godmother and Belle at the end.

On her side of the table comprised of the other members: Carlos, Nathan, Nate, Felicity Jane and an empty seat for Harry.

It was an agonising fifteen minutes before Ben, Belle, and Adam walked into the dining room and took their seats.

"Let the meal commence," Ben declared. Instantly, the doors opened and their dinner was carried out.

Dinner, and then pudding, went without a hitch. Harry didn't even show up.

Afterward, Ben leant towards her. "Do any of them know?"

She knew what he was referring to. She shook her head.

"Can we keep it that way for now?"

Slowly she let herself nod. Let's hope she could keep her word.

They all stood and reconvened in one of the studies. Mal wasn't sure what was going on but decided not to comment and sat in the chair next to Evie.

"What's going on?" her friend asked her, boldly assuming she knew.

Should she lie? Pretend she did?

"Not sure," she admitted truthfully.

"Are you and Ben okay?"

"Why'd you ask?" she questioned, looking at her friend with utter confusion. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask. How's Doug? Is he staying with you over the summer as you mentioned?"

Evie easily saw the change of subject but allowed it. "Yes, most of it anyway. Isn't that amazing? He won't be staying overnight though, just coming over during the day."

Mal couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Somebody's nervous about nighttime."

"Don't want him to turn into a pumpkin."

A loud and joy-filled laugh left her instantly. She had not been expecting that. She ignored the varied looks she was getting from everybody. Evie wrapped her arms around her shoulders and they both curled up on an armchair together while both of them continued to giggle. "I can imagine Doug as Cinderella. Who would be his evil step-sisters?"

Evie made a humming sound as she thought. "Chat and Audrey."

The two girls burst out into raucous laughter. Mal leant her head on the back of the chair and took a few breaths to calm herself down as Fairy Godmother walked in and cleared her throat.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a very bruised Harry come in and lean against the door. He had a weird bandage wrapped around his jaw, seeming to hold it up, and had a hat covering the top of his head. She turned away from him when he looked at her and cuddled up to Evie, glancing down at her own bandaged hand.

"Thank you all for coming. It is a pleasure to get all of you out of the classroom and ready to have some amazing adventures." She looked around, her smile never faltering. "How much do you know about the Goodness Test that Auradon Prep puts everybody through before they're allowed to graduate?"

"Just that we didn't have to do it," Jay replied.

Fairy Godmother searched the group. "Felicity?" she prompted.

"In order for a person to be allowed to freely roam Auradon when they're an adult, they must pass the Goodness Test - a test which uses magic to determine one's alignment and intentions. If it's failed, they have to attend sessions until they pass it. At Auradon Prep, each student is given a few opportunities through their education to undergo the test to ensure there are no hidden problems when they reach eighteen."

"Thank you, dear. Fully informed as always," Fairy Godmother praised. She paused as she looked around. "It was my decision to pull you out of the chance to take this test at Auradon Prep due to your pasts on the Isle. The test hasn't been used on any of you and we wanted to ensure there was time to go through everything and iron out any issues in a safe environment, where we could spend as much time as we needed."

Felicity was the first one to speak. "Who's going to be the guinea pig, then?"

"We won't word it like that," the fairy said lightly. "But we would like to focus on the older ones first to ensure there's enough time, as there are still plenty of years for the younger children. As Jay is already eighteen and is the oldest…"

"Fine. When?"

"Tomorrow," she replied, still smiling. "However, tonight we have set up a very interesting activity. Has anybody done archery before? Nobody? Fantastic! We'll meet out in the courtyard in thirty minutes."

Evie leant heavily against Mal.

"There's a courtyard?"

Mal nodded.

"Can you do archery with your hand?"

A sigh left her.

"I guess this is punishment."

"Are you getting punished?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know yet."

As if they knew they were talking about it, Adam walked in.

"Mal-"

She stood up, not even waiting for him to finish the sentence.

"I'll see you later," she bid her friend.

Following Adam out was surprisingly nerve-wracking. He was alone. That was heightening her discomfort even more. She hadn't felt uncomfortable when it was just her and Belle. Additionally, they had just found out that she and Ben were no longer together - who knew how they were reacting to that? The whole meal was awkward before they disappeared again. If only she could work out what he was thinking.

"What's on your mind?" Adam asked her as they walked through the halls.

"Where are we going?" she countered.

He sent her a kind smile.

"Ben's office."

Mal looked around, confused. This wasn't the way to his office, was it? They began to ascend the stairs.

"Are you sure?"

Adam let out a deep chuckle. "There are many routes. How's your hand?"

"Hurts," she answered shortly. Mal took a breath, knowing that he was trying to start a conversation. Time to open up… or at least, attempt to. "I'm sorry I messed things up with Ben. Please don't blame him for anything, it was all my fault."

"Why do you say that?"

Mal sighed and turned to him when he stopped. "I freaked out. Going back to the Isle always brings those memories for the forefront of my brain and bringing Harry here made things so much worse. I have a long history with him and we were close. It wasn't called that on the Isle, but it would be classified as dating here." Adam rested a hand on her shoulder - it was strong support. It helped her to carry on talking. "A big part of me knew that if Ben had found out what I'd done in my past, that he'd leave me. That he couldn't accept what I've done and who I used to be. What if I hadn't actually changed? This hand shows that. All that was needed for me to revert back to violence was to lose Ben."

Adam pulled her into a hug and she realised she was crying. Over what? She wasn't entirely sure.

"I pushed him away. I threw my past at him and gave him every reason not to trust me anymore. I broke us and… and… I don't know what to do anymore, Adam. Who am I? Do I even belong here?"

"Of course you belong here. You are the kindest and most reliable person I know." He held her back slightly to look at her. "I don't care about your past because it's made you who you are today. And that is somebody who considers all options before making a decision. Everybody messes up and makes mistakes, but they do not define you." He wiped away her tears.

Mal looked down, processing his words. "Even if I did some really bad things?"

"Do you remember my story?"

She shook her head. "We didn't study the heroes' stories. I know you used to be a beast and love made you a man."

He let out a chuckle. "That's the abridged version. Do you know why I was turned into a beast?" She shook her head again. "I was a selfish, self-absorbed, rude man. I didn't care about anybody; I partied, drank, slept around, and my palace staff was forced to do what I said or be fired." Mal's eyes were wide by now as she stared up at him. "An enchantress cursed me and all of my palace staff because of who I was."

"So… you were a villain?"

Adam let out a chuckle. "In a way, yes. My time as The Beast changed me and made me value the real meaning of life."

"Love?"

"Yes. Love is a big part of life, and the most important part of that is learning to love yourself. You are amazing, Mal, and it might take time but you will be an amazing adult and an even better Queen."

Mal sighed. "Ben and I aren't together anymore."

He smiled down at her. "I have confidence that you two will work that out. It'll take time, but have faith- and don't punch anybody else."

She let out a small chuckle. "Okay. Thanks, Adam."

He wrapped his arms around her again and she instantly returned the hug and closed her eyes. Eventually, they pulled apart and walked around the corner. Her eyes widened; she didn't realise they were this close to Ben's office. Adam held the door open for her and she walked in.

Ben's face turned from business straight to concerned.

"Have you been crying?"

Mal quickly wiped her eyes. "No."

"Come and sit down, Mal," Belle invited and Mal sat down next to her. "We have discussed and agreed on a few options for your consequences for using violence instead of words. Firstly, the one thing that is not negotiable is to apologise to Harry."

"Okay."

"Then, you can choose between assisting at one of the hospitals or infirmaries, or administrative work here at the castle."

Mal looked at the woman with a puzzled expression. She waited for different options, stricter options. A stint in jail or time spent on the Isle. Not… community service or paperwork. That seemed ridiculous. Far too light. Then again, they did let Harry get away with a violent act scot-free. "I don't mind."

"She can do administration here at the castle, focusing her attention in the infirmary if and when it's needed." Adam decided for her, taking control of the situation. "I suggest one full week."

Mal nodded. "When will I start?" She looked around to see Ben extremely annoyed. Was it because she was going to be here for a week? Or because his Dad took over? Or something else completely?

Belle took a breath beside her before answering; "After your friends have gone back to Auradon Prep."

"Okay. Can I go?"

"Of course, dear."

Mal instantly stood and left. The second she got out of the room, she quickly ran down the corridor and into her room - it was too close for comfort. Being in the same wing as Ben's office, room, and his parents were jarring. Adam's words made her feel so much better but being in a room with Ben and knowing how badly she had messed up was absolutely devastating.

The eighteen-year-old allowed herself a few minutes to regain her composure before she headed out and looked for the VKs.

She couldn't work out if it was unfortunate or not when she bumped into Harry.

He raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk on his face. "Is Isle Mal in check?"

Mal let out a half-sigh, half-chuckle. "You should've stopped me."

"You really looked like you wanted to hit me; who am I to stop that?"

She rolled her eyes at him. How he didn't hate her was beyond her. "Next time, stop me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "There's going to be a next time? Don't go for the face, then."

Mal couldn't help but laugh. His jaw couldn't have been broken that badly - he was still able to talk. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Harry bowed his head slightly, accepting her apology, though the smirk on his lips belied his words. "I believe you, Lady Mal." That name on his lips did not match. "I guess I shouldn't have provoked you. I could tell you were upset about something."

"How?"

"I know you," was his simple reply. "Want to talk about it?"

Her mind screamed yes, but she shook her head. She did want to talk about it but not to him. The easy thing would be to let it all come out but life wasn't like that. Ben had asked her to keep it a secret for now. Therefore, if she did tell anybody, it would just be Evie. "Let's head to the courtyard; archery sounds like fun."

"Can you do archery with that hand?"

"Don't worry about me, Harry. That's not your responsibility anymore."

The comment was cold; she wasn't entirely sure why she had said it. They were getting on well and her reminding him that she wasn't his was unnecessary. But she had to create a barrier between them. His expression and demeanor instantly changed and they walked in silence out of the castle into the garden.

Mal laughed and went to a confused Evie. "Keep heading straight. It's on the other side of the garden."

Evie turned around and instantly smiled. "Let's go!" she announced, sending all of them in the right direction. "I'm so glad you're here. What did Beast want?"

"I have to work around the castle for a week as punishment."

"What? Like a maid?"

Mal raised a brow; she didn't see it like that. "I think it's more of a reason for me to stay at the castle."

"You were already staying here, though."

It took a moment for Mal to realise she had almost slipped up. "I know. Maybe it was more to ensure Ben could do work while I was around."

"That makes sense," Evie replied. Her eyes widened in absolute wonder as they walked into the courtyard. "This is amazing."

All of the VKs looked stunned at either the size of the courtyard or the production of archery that was set up.

Mal mainly sat to the side as everybody took their turns with the five instructors that took the time to help every single one of them. It was refreshing to see all of the VKs getting involved and learning something new in a safe environment. On the Isle, anything pointy was extremely dangerous. She let out a smile as Felicity started to get slightly frustrated - turned out archery wasn't the young girl's thing.

"Why aren't you joining in?" Ben asked, coming to sit next to her on the bench.

She held up her hand in a silent answer.

"Ah," he verbalised. "I'm sorry my dad took over. You were supposed to have the choice."

"That's okay. I didn't know what to choose anyway."

Silence built between them momentarily, but Mal couldn't think of anything to say to fill it this time. He held his hand out to her and she accepted, allowing him to guide her down the pitch. He picked up a crossbow and loaded it before holding it out to her. "I'll help you."

Mal smiled and noted that an instructor was keeping an eye on them from a safe distance. She took a hold of it, her finger sliding around the trigger but not pulling it yet. Ben stepped closer and aimed it at the target.

"Go on."

With that permission, she pulled the trigger and watched in delight when it flew off - nowhere near the target, though. "Your aim is awful."

Ben laughed and took the crossbow from her to reload before moving back to her. "I guess we need to try harder, then."

She let herself laugh with him and took hold of the crossbow again. This time, however, his hand looped around her waist and he stood closer. "To the left," she muttered. He obeyed and this time, when she pulled the trigger, the arrow hit the target. A huge smile made its way to her face and she couldn't stop herself from turning around and hugging him.

"We did it!"

She kept the hug very short.

He grinned at her. "Think we could hit the bullseye?"

Mal pretended to think about it before nodding with a smile. "Definitely."

Long story short - they couldn't.

"Final shot," Ben whispered into her ear. Somehow, over the multiple shots they had done together, he still managed to find a way to get closer.

Mal glanced over to where everybody was packing up and saw Harry glowering at them. She looked back at the target. "Ready?"

He made a humming sound and she pulled the trigger. Instantly he laughed as the shot hit the target, but was nowhere near the middle of it. "Maybe next time."

"A bit of practice is all we need."

They separated and he passed the crossbow off to an instructor before walking over to the VKs. She suddenly felt colder. It was strange how easy it was to still be close to him as if they hadn't broken up. He still held her the same and treated her with the love and respect he always told her she deserved. But he wasn't doing that because they were together. She wasn't sure why she expected him to turn on her or treat her like a stranger - every day he reminded her why she loved him.

"Did you all have fun?" Ben asked loudly. A chorus of "Yes!" was the reply. "Who hit the bullseye?" Jay, Carlos, Celia, Nathan, and Squirmy put their hands up. "Amazing! Good work. Now let's go back inside for some hot coco."

Thank you!

We have a guest beta this chapter: VioletofMine!