Dark purple
Mal had relaxed in the bath for at least an hour after Evie had showered. It was so relaxing and therapeutic; it also reminded her of when she'd asked Ben if he wanted to share one with her. Would he have said yes? Even though they weren't married? She really wanted - no, needed - to know.
That could wait, though, she told herself as she dressed in the castle supplied pyjamas and let Evie braid her hair.
"Your hair is getting so dark. A very deep purple," Evie told her conversationally.
Mal didn't have a response to that. She hadn't even noticed her hair changing colour. But then again, she rarely looked in the mirror.
"All done," her friend announced.
Looking in the mirror, Evie had been right. Her hair was darker at the roots, much darker. She slipped on the soft, fluffy slippers. "I'll be back in a bit."
"Where are you going?"
"I need to talk to Ben about something."
Evie nodded and climbed into bed. "Take your time; I'll be here if you need me."
Mal nodded, slung on her dressing gown and made her way out of her room and down the corridor. Once again, it was late - almost midnight - but Mal just knew that Ben wouldn't be asleep yet. Not after spending most of his time with Jay for his Goodness Test.
It didn't take long to get to Ben's room - she knew the route now. As she got closer, her footsteps slowed. A step closer was making her doubt herself - would he want to see her? Would she be allowed in? She sent his guards a sheepish smile as she approached his bedroom door. That confirmed he was there.
Sending another glance at the guards, Mal then decided to knock - it wasn't like they were stopping or even questioning her.
It took a few moments before the door opened to reveal a very stressed Ben, his hair a mess - he'd obviously been running his hands through it. He relaxed when he saw her. "Mal, what are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes running down her body. He'd never seen her in pyjamas before.
"Can I come in?" she asked, glancing at the guards.
He stepped to the side and allowed her inside. "I wish to not be disturbed," he told the guards before closing the door. "Are you okay?"
It really didn't feel like they were broken up. He still treated her the same way, had held her close on a few occasions, and even let her into his room in the middle of the night. Though this was the first time the latter had occurred. If she hadn't returned the ring, she would have fully presumed they were still engaged. Maybe he really hadn't meant it. Looking up at him, she decided to just let instinct take over and leant up, touching his lips with hers.
Without hesitation he responded, his hands finding a place on her hips. She was the one who pulled back, her good hand intertwined into his hair and her left hand resting on his shoulder. "I love you."
He smiled, dropping a quick kiss on her lips. "I love you." Another kiss. "More than you know." Another.
"I think I know," she whispered, pulling him in for a long and deep kiss. Her mind didn't stop and she wondered if she had been wrong about Ben being as 'good' as she thought. She'd never tried anything too far with him because she presumed he wouldn't want to and didn't want to put him in that position. However, all of the signs told her otherwise. Him hiding them away in a room, making out weeks ago, and asking to run away - she had been the one to reject that. Would he have actually taken them somewhere had she agreed? When she had cheekily asked him to join her in the bath, he hadn't said no, he'd blushed intensely, but she didn't even give him time to accept it. What would he have said?
So, perhaps it was time for Mal to let Ben decide what they did and tell her when to stop. On that note, she let her hands curl up the bottom of his untucked polo top and tug it upwards. He didn't stop kissing her, his arms roaming over her back. Mal ended the kiss and pulled his top higher and then he let her take it off him, leaving him topless. Her eyes roamed over his torso longingly and almost missed him pulling her pyjama top up. She lifted her arms and let him remove it.
His hand slid across her cheek lovingly as he pulled her back to him, kissing her softly and holding her close.
Mal squeezed her eyes closed as the morning sun blinded her through the window. She rolled over and buried her face into Ben's naked chest. His arms immediately came around her, holding her close. She could easily get used to waking up like this, though she'd prefer to keep her eyesight - he needed better curtains.
She let out a sound of complaint when he moved but he came back and slid something on her finger. She opened her eyes and saw her engagement ring. A smile instantly made its way to her face and she placed a single kiss to his chest.
"Thought you'd like it back," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.
"It'll never come off again."
Even though they didn't say it in so many words, they were officially back together. So much for her plan of talking through things, but they'd have the rest of their lives to discuss it.
"I love you."
"I love you."
The two of them stayed in each other's embrace for nearly an hour, Mal having nodded off for most of it.
"We should get up, my parents have a habit of getting here early," Ben told her regretfully.
Them finding them in bed together before had been extremely awkward and it was under completely innocent circumstances. If they walked in now, it would be clear what had occurred and it wasn't like she could simply walk out - she'd have to find all of her clothes first. She sat up suddenly.
"I have to walk through the castle in my pyjamas. What's the time?"
He sat up with alarm, but chuckled when he realised why she was panicked. "It's nearly 6am."
Mal looked at him as if he was crazy. "Who gets up this early in the morning?"
That only ignited more laughter from him. "Only the staff should be up, but they don't usually come into this wing until 7am unless called for. If you want to be unnoticed, it'll have to be soon."
She leant over and gave him a quick but deep kiss before sliding out of bed and slipping on her pyjamas. "I'm going back to sleep," she informed him, sliding on her slippers.
He pulled on his boxers and approached her. His hands instantly made their way to her hips as he smiled at her. "Breakfast is at 8:30, then it's writing and calligraphy skills."
"I might be there," she teased before he kissed her softly. "I love you."
"I love you," he replied, tucking some of her loose hair behind her ear.
Mal smiled at him before poking her head out of the door, looking at the same guards from the night before, and quickly walking back to her room. Thankfully she didn't bump into anybody. Though she did have to deal with Evie.
The blue-haired girl sat up at the door being opened and sent her a questioning look. "All night? How much did you two talk?"
"Not much," Mal admitted, looking in the mirror and undoing her hair. She was sure Ben's hands had been in it and was curious to how it was still even a semblance of a braid.
"You were gone six hours, M. What did you do?"
Instead of answering, Mal held up her bruised hand with the engagement ring being a focal point.
Evie squealed in joy and jumped out of bed, walking over and examining it as if she hadn't seen it before. "I thought you were going to wait until after the test?" she asked. "What changed?"
Should she tell her?
"You can't tell anybody what I'm about to tell you."
"I promise."
"Last night… I realised that apart from us actually breaking up, it didn't feel like we weren't together. We were still close and both still loved each other. I had made peace with Harry and realised it wasn't some weird love triangle, I just had to be clear with both of them. So, when I saw Ben, I decided to just let go and let him decide what to do or when to stop or… if he wanted to talk." Mal paused, watching Evie's expression carefully. "And we didn't stop."
Evie waited for her to continue. "Didn't stop what?"
"Ben and I slept together. Actually… we made love - that phrase for it actually makes sense now," she revealed, watching Evie's eyes widen and mouth drop open in absolute shock. Evie had never chosen to have sex before so this was probably a big revelation. After all, Mal had done it in the past and wasn't new to this, but for Evie, it was clearly a shock. Who knew what was going on in her head?
"But he's the king," she finally sputtered out, making Mal laugh. "Don't you have to wait until marriage here?"
Mal shrugged innocently. "Nope. I'm sure Ben would have stopped us if you had to wait. It's all about choices, E." She picked up a brush and ran it through her hair. "It felt good, if you were wondering."
"That's it, I want all of the details," Evie decided, taking the brush out of Mal's hand and starting to do her hair.
"Don't put my hair up, I need a shower," Mal told her friend, who just began to brush it repeatedly instead. Mal took a breath before going into the details - though, not all of them. There were still some things she wanted to keep between just her and Ben. But she knew her friend needed to know some things. Even though she never admitted it, Evie was scared of that kind of intimacy due to what had happened on the Isle.
Evie didn't once stop brushing Mal's hair. "How did he react to your scars?"
Mal paused and looked at the blue-haired girl through the mirror. "He… didn't. Yesterday during the day, when showing one of the memories to help Jay pass the test, he saw when I was slashed with a sword. And I showed him the scar it created. But last night… he didn't mention the scars or even look at them. That just…" she stumbled over her words for a moment. "When you love each other and are in the moment, those things just aren't important."
"You're so lucky to have Ben," Evie sighed.
Mal stood up and turned around. "And you're lucky to have Doug. I'm jumping in the shower before I fall asleep," she said, walking into the bathroom. "Oh," she said as she turned on the shower, "I'm skipping breakfast. Come and get me at lunch."
She heard Evie immediately beginning to move and laughed before jumping into the shower.
Mal had slept until eleven and was ready by the time Evie turned up to alert her it was lunchtime. She wasn't upset about missing the morning activity but did miss having breakfast; her stomach was complaining loudly as she walked down to lunch.
The afternoon was left clear again and all of the VKs sat around the dining room table for an hour and revised. Evie went around helping with science specifically, while Carlos, Jay, and Mal went around and pitched in where they were needed.
After that, they opted to play more sports until dinner. It was only half an hour before dinner that they were told the activity that evening would be dancing. Evie had instantly dragged her back upstairs to get ready. Her blue-haired friend had been panicked that she couldn't sort two outfits out in that little time.
Thankfully, Mal came to the rescue by showing Evie her walk-in-closet, which seemed to have new clothes every day. She really needed to find out who was doing that. She made a mental note to ask Ben at some point.
Evie had selected the darkest purple dress they had there for Mal, which was almost like a cupcake dress. But it fit her perfectly and didn't need any adjustments.
The two girls were fully ready by the time that dinner came around and Mal had been warned to not make a mess.
Ben hadn't made it down for dinner, but Mal was hopeful he'd turn up for at least one dance. As they were sitting there, a thought suddenly came to her. "Wait, I thought you had your Goodness Test today? Did they cancel it?"
Evie let out a laugh. "I did it this morning. Do you know how difficult it was to not tell them all that you and Ben… you know."
"E!"
"What? Nobody's listening," the blue-haired girl said too casually. "I passed with flying colours!"
Mal laughed as she shook her head. It seemed that Fairy Godmother had worked out the kinks that occurred with Jay. Though, she was still unhappy she was passed over for the test simply because she was going to be at the castle longer. She was older than Evie, after all.
She was pleased, though, that Harry was passed over and wouldn't have to take his until the end of summer, and that Fairy Godmother was planning a staggered test for him over summer so it would go smoothly.
In fact, she was planning on giving all the children a taste of the test over summer, apart from Carlos who was taking his tomorrow. Even though he was still just seventeen and wouldn't be eighteen for a few months, they decided now would be the best time to do it. Carlos didn't mind, although he did admit he was more nervous about his girlfriend's mum seeing his past than taking the test itself.
Mal and Evie walked into the ballroom, the latter being far more excited than the former, and looked around. It was huge. The staircase from the east wing descended into the room. The piano was set up to the side with somebody already playing soothing music.
Evie was in a full ball gown and looked the most prepared. Mal actually believed that her friend would be the most equipped to this today, presuming that the girl's mother had taught her how to dance. Mal wasn't overly confident with dancing, although Ben had taught her a lot and they constantly danced around together when they were alone. He always led. Hopefully, it would be enough for her to not be at a loss there.
All of the VKs were already there, meaning Evie and Mal had either been late, or everybody else had been early.
"Lady Mal," one of them greeted her, causing every palace staff, instructor, and musician to all stand and then drop into low bows or curtsies. The younger VKs quickly joined in.
Mal was at a loss of what to do for a second when they didn't rise. She quickly dropped into a curtsy before addressing them. "Thank you for coming today, it is a pleasure to have you."
That seemed to suffice because they all got back to what they were doing, apart from the instructor who had said her name. He, instead, approached her, offering her a short bow before speaking directly to her. "We were pleased to receive the palace's call regarding this. It is an honour to instruct the friends and family of the royals and educate those who have not been given the chance until now. Please give our thanks to the King for the honour he has bestowed upon us."
"On behalf of everybody present," Ben began as he walked into the room, coming to stand beside Mal - she had ever been more relieved for him to appear. "We accept your thanks and offer you everything you may need for this evening."
"Your Majesty," the instructor spoke, dropping into the same low bow. Once again, everybody joined in, including all of the VKs.
Mal dropped into a small curtsy when Ben did, following his example. They all came up without needing Ben to speak. Mal made a mental note to remember to curtsy back if somebody didn't stand afterwards.
"Will you be joining us today?" the man asked.
Ben gave the man a polite look. "Unfortunately, my schedule is rather full. However, I will make time to give my love a spin around the floor later."
Mal didn't know why, but Ben calling her his love made her blush.
"Of course, your Majesty. We look forward to being graced with your presence later, and promise on our lives to take care of Lady Mal in your absence."
"Thank you, Instructor Albert," Ben replied. He turned, his hand coming to Mal's back, and led her out of the room.
Mal went with him; the whole situation was completely foreign to her. Usually, she was given a step by step instruction when she was attending a formal event. A dance lesson was not one of them.
Ben stopped them at the bottom of the stairs. "It's his first time at the palace and meeting any member of the royal family. His studio offered to teach the VKs for free a few months ago - they have an outreach program for any child across Auradon and neighbouring countries to ensure that everybody would know at least two formal dances in case they need it. They usually host events regularly. Because of this, we accepted their offer on the condition we were allowed to pay them for their hospitality." He played with the tips of her wavy hair. "He's a bit nervous about being here. I overheard him admitting that he wasn't expecting to hear back from us."
"Really?" she asked; the situation made a bit more sense to her. "Do you get a lot of offers?"
"Everyday. It's one of the many weekly projects I go through," Ben replied.
Mal saw Lumiere approaching. "I'll see you later. I'm looking forward to that dance."
Ben grinned, glanced at Lumiere before bending down and dropping a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you."
She grinned back. "I love you more."
Ben had turned away but froze; he heard the teasing challenge and was clearly tempted to try and one-up her declaration. But Mal just grinned and walked off back into the hall, knowing Ben wouldn't follow her. He had things to attend to and couldn't break his formal outlook in front of the guests.
Mal paused as she walked in and looked around. They were all getting partnered up by height. Jay was the tallest male, followed by Harry. Evie was taller than her and Dizzy just shorter… With that realisation she made her way to Carlos and curtsied. "May I have this dance?"
He bowed back and offered his hand. "It would be my pleasure."
She grinned and they put themselves into the proper position, though she wasn't sure what dance they were learning. When Carlos began to lead her, she followed, recognising the steps but having no name to put to them. They came to a stop after a minute.
"Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Jane."
"A great waltz, Lady Mal. You have the basic steps down perfectly," Instructor Albert announced. "That will come in useful when we learn the Auradian Waltz later. For now, we will focus on the Tango."
She gave a confirming nod, having no idea what he was talking about.
The next two and a half hours were exhausting- the twins had actually fallen asleep on each other under the piano, around half an hour ago. Mal walked over to one of the palace staff. "Could somebody escort Squirmy and Squeaky to their rooms?"
He nodded and walked off. Within minutes, the two boys were carried off.
Mal walked back over to Carlos.
"We'll have four couples up first for the Auradian Waltz. You must have precise timing to pass your ladies off correctly." He indicated for Dizzy to be passed to Carlos and Celia to be passed to Jay. Mal took a breath. They were going full out now. The Tango had been difficult, but it was only her and Carlos; now she had to be conscious of everybody else in the room.
And deal with dancing with a different partner.
She took a deep breath and got herself into the correct position, taking this seriously. It was essential for her future and taking up the opportunity now could save her embarrassment later. The music started playing and they waited for their cue before Carlos began to lead her around the floor. So far so good. The two of them were good at dancing with each other.
Here it goes. She was spun out of Carlos' friendly hold and straight into Harry's, who did not look as confident as her previous partner. When Harry did the wrong step, Mal faltered. While he tried to recover and continue, Mal's mind went blank as to what she was supposed to do.
"Stop! What happened?" Instructor Albert questioned. But he didn't let them answer. "Start at spinning into your new partners. 5, 6, 7, 8."
Harry quickly positioned himself correctly and led her, this time correctly. However, it didn't last long. He was making small errors which were throwing Mal off her game. When he spun her out and she landed in Carlos' hold, she was thoroughly confused but still dancing. After a few steps with Carlos, she relaxed and regained her composure. Mal wasn't the most confident dancer, and if her partner stumbled, she couldn't continue on smoothly. That was something she'd need to practice for sure.
She gracefully spun back into Harry's arms and had to hold back a laugh when she saw Dizzy get spun in the wrong direction and Carlos quickly slide over to catch her. Things were slowly beginning to unravel and this dance was a continuous one. Anybody could join and leave - which was something Mal didn't know how to do, but knew she was about to find out as Instructor Albert indicated to Carlos and Dizzy what was going to happen.
As she and Harry clumsily continued to dance, she saw him nod to the instructor and stepped on her toes. Mal frowned at him. That hurt. When she finally found herself back in Carlos's arms, he was moving with bigger strides - she knew it was to get them back on track with the dance. Mal was so focused on keeping up with the dance that she didn't notice who the new pair was until she found herself in Adam's arms.
"Having fun?" he asked her as he smoothly led her around the room with expert ease. "I see you're wearing the ring again."
"We worked things out," was Mal's only response. If he really expected her to talk and dance, then she'd be stepping on his toes.
When he changed up the moves and lifted her, she let out a small gasp. "Not get that far in the dance yet?"
"There are lifts?" she responded with wide eyes.
Adam laughed and came to a stop with her in the middle of the dance floor. Everybody else followed suit. "They're optional. There are a few optional dance moves that I'll teach you." He stepped away from her. "I do apologise, but I must insist that the younger students retire to bed. Those of age may remain up for a further hour."
There were a few mumbled complaints, but seeing as Nathan had to lead a nearly sleeping Nate the correct way, Mal knew it was the right decision. Though, part of her wished she was sent to bed too. Even though she had gone back to sleep until eleven, she was still tired.
Adam turned back to her. "Are you ready to show them how it's done?"
Mal smiled. "With you? Any time."
Getting into position with him was much different than with Carlos. Adam was much taller and broader, his whole stature was strong and secure. "Just follow my lead," he said supportively as the music began.
Forcing herself to stay relaxed, she let herself be led around the dance floor and smiled at how confident Adam was. It made it so much easier to follow when there was no hesitation from the other person. She even got her footing right - from what she remembered, anyway.
When she was spun out of his arms, she wasn't sure whose she was going to land in but found herself face to face with Ben. He did say he'd be back for a dance. It was after a few steps that she came across the first of the optional changes and rejoiced in the lift - one he'd done countless times before.
The dance continued on for several minutes and Mal wasn't sure how much more spinning she could do - did this dance ever end? When Ben dipped her low, she closed her eyes and slowly let herself be pulled back to him. They missed the next beat but it seemed neither of them cared as their eyes met. Mal was the one who made the next moved and pressed her lips against his. His arms instantly wrapped around her and pulled her closer.
Mal melted into the kiss and almost forgot they weren't alone until the piano stopped playing. She was the one that pulled back. Ben leant forward, capturing her lips again for a split second before pulling back and loosening his hold on her. "If all dances ended that way, let's do this every night."
A genuine laugh left her lips as she rolled her eyes at him. "Of course, because it's the only possible time I'd kiss you."
He smiled widely at her. "I have to get back to work, a few things need to be sorted before tomorrow. But I promised you a dance."
"I'll come with you. I want to learn what you do," she said. He gave her an uncertain look. "I promise to not distract you."
He accepted it and took her hand. "Albert, I cannot express my gratitude enough for you taking the time out of this evening to teach the children from the Isle of the Lost some of the traditional dances of our kingdom. I hope that we will be able to arrange another event in the future."
"It would be my honour, your Majesty."
"And if you need anything in the meantime, please send a request our way," Ben finished, dropping his head in a small bow.
Albert bowed low in reply.
Mal smiled and gave a small curtsy. "Thank you very much for your time. I really value everything you taught me today."
"You're very welcome, Lady Mal," he replied, dropping into another low bow.
The two of them turned and left the room, hand-in-hand.
Mal had woken up with a yawn on Monday morning and stretched out, instantly falling into confusion at her location. She was back in her room. Last she remembered she was sitting on Ben's lap as he worked through a big pile of boring papers. She did remember her head resting on his shoulder. Originally Mal had thought that Ben had carried her in here, only to be informed by Evie that Adam had carried her in at about 11pm. Evie had revealed it was mildly awkward once the former king had noticed Evie staying in the room, too. That was something Mal wished she had woken up for.
The morning involved the VKs being given the chance to cook. Carlos had to miss it because of his Goodness Test and had asked Evie to accompany him. Due to the extra person in there, Ben decided to take a step back and remain in his office to carry on with Kingly duties - he really was working overtime.
Jay had left early in the morning - wanting to spend time with Lonnie before she left for Swords Summer Camp the following day.
That would have left just Harry, Mal, and the younger VKs. Therefore, even though Mal actually enjoyed cooking, she found herself back with Ben in his office. Though, instead of falling asleep on him, she actually ended up helping him sort through letters sent to him. Reading them and making piles actually made her start to understand the whole country more than she had believed possible.
It was once she had sorted the stack that she began to get bored and sat on Ben's lap, watching him signing papers. She couldn't even be bothered to read what he was signing, though.
Eventually, she began to get handsy and kissed his neck a few times.
"Mal," he said softly. She hummed against his neck in response. "What are you doing?" His voice was raspy. She liked that.
"Distracting you," she replied before dropping more kisses on his neck and up the side of his face.
He let out a noise of temptation. "I have to get these signed today."
She hummed. "It's still morning."
One of Ben's hands came around her waist and she was sure he was going to move her off him. "It's important, just give me three minutes."
Mal let out a groan but accepted his response, resting her head on his shoulder as she waited. She heard the door open a minute later but didn't move, hoping it was just Mrs Potts with food and that he wouldn't be pulled in for something important.
"This is a familiar sight," Belle spoke.
Mal's head poked up and looked at them with a sheepish smile. "Hi."
"Sleepy?" Adam asked.
She shook her head and got off Ben's lap. So much for distracting him. "Just bored. I did sort through all of his post though."
Adam looked at the extremely neat piles and looked impressed. "If you're bored… why don't you go to the cooking class?"
"It's not the same without Evie, Jay, Carlos, or this hunk being there," she said, placing her hand on Ben's head. Ben's head turned up suddenly at 'hunk'; she could only imagine his expression at the little nickname. "Besides, Mrs Potts let me know they were starting with bread and I didn't feel like kneading repeatedly with my hand. It does still hurt. I'm never punching anybody again."
"That's good to hear, dear," Belle said with a smile on her face. Her eyes showed that she was highly amused by this whole situation.
Mal began to mess up Ben's hair without even looking at him - he still hadn't turned his attention back to his work. This was a more fun way of distracting him - for now, anyway. Suddenly, she realised that Adam and Belle probably had a point to come here. "Did you want to talk to Ben alone?"
"That's okay, dear. You'll find out anyway," Belle said, her voice suddenly sombre and it was at that moment that Mal realised that both of them looked rather put out. They had brightened up when they entered the room but something was wrong.
Adam took over. "We've had to suspend the Goodness Test for Carlos due to… the effect it was having on him. The abuse he received at his mother's hand was extensive."
Mal looked down. She was surprised that they hadn't mentioned Jay's abuse but knew that he would have been better at hiding it. From what she'd heard, most of his memories included her directly or were set after leaving the Isle. Evie's mother had never physically abused her - she was lucky. Carlos, however, wasn't as strong-willed as Jay and probably didn't think about what he was showing until it was too late. Mal was sure his abuse was worse than hers as for the most part; her mother didn't hurt her physically - most of the time.
"Did you know?" Ben asked her and she quickly pulled her hand from his hair as if he'd burnt her.
She forced herself to look at him and nodded. Shock instantly filled his eyes and she was sure there was mild anger too. "Apart from Evie, all of us were physically abused by our parents. That was normal and not something that any of us wanted you to know. What would it have helped?" That only increased his shock but there was something else there - not anger - that made her regret her words. Too late now, though. "Carlos was the worst. His mother was absolutely crazy and usually took it out on him." She paused and stepped away from Ben when he reached for her. "I should check on him."
She didn't have the chance to take another step as Ben was suddenly by her side with his arms around her.
Mal's eyes closed as she buried her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat for a while before pulling back. "I'm fine, Ben. I dealt with this a long time ago. Carlos didn't want Fairy Godmother to know about what happened to him, so he needs my support too." She pulled away from him and turned to Adam and Belle who looked as though they wanted to hold onto her and protect her from the world too. With a comforting smile, she hugged both of them, feeling their arms securely holding her. Eventually, she managed to pull back. "Can you speak to Fairy Godmother and make sure she doesn't tell anybody, especially Jane?"
"Of course, dear."
Mal looked at Ben, trying to work out what he was thinking, before walking out of the room and looking for Carlos and Evie.
She found them very quickly and was relieved that even though he was extremely rattled, Evie had dealt with it expertly. When she told him he was safe, it was true. His mother couldn't get him here - none of their parents could.
Mal didn't manage to see Ben for the next few hours and instead spent time with her friends. When it was time for them to go, she actually felt really sad. This would be the first time since the Isle that she wouldn't see them everyday for longer than two days and it was rather emotional. Spending the two days away before was difficult, but now it would be a week. She definitely hugged Evie for the longest and watched all of the VKs getting into the car one at a time.
Adam and Belle were there to wave them off after lunch too, but Ben hadn't made an appearance.
Once the limousine was out of sight she turned to her future parents-in-law.
"Everything okay?" she questioned, looking between them,
There was silence for a second before Adam spoke. "Tomorrow will be your Goodness Test."
Mal nodded. Now she understood the tension. They were fearing what they'd find out about her, especially about her 'everybody gets abused' comment. That was something she hadn't mentioned to Ben before - perhaps it was something she should have mentioned to him before. Maybe sharing her past horrors was as important as her past struggles. "Okay. See you then," she said before quickly walking off.
Mal had accepted that she'd have to take this test and that her whole life from before would be revealed. She wasn't, however, prepared for their reaction. Especially Belle's - that woman wore everything on her sleeve.
She instantly made her way to Ben's office and walked straight in - she only thought about knocking after as she saw him on the phone. That would have been incredibly awkward and rude had he been in a meeting. He waved her over and she swung the door closed before picking up a chair and carrying it over.
A little attempt at being civilised and professional was important, even if she did climb onto his lap after a few minutes.
Absentmindedly looking around the room, Mal wondered who had decorated it. It didn't feel like Ben, nor did it feel like Adam. Perhaps Belle? The pale creams were so bland. She quickly bottled away the urge to paint his walls - that would not be royal. But creating a painting for this room could work. She'd seen plenty of portraits of royals but mainly Adam and Belle.
With that on her mind, she picked up a random piece of paper, made sure it was blank, then grabbed one of his pencils and beginning to sketch him.
Over the next twenty minutes, she had put her legs on Ben - as if he were a cushion - and leant back in her chair as she continued to sketch him, constantly looking up from the drawing to the real-life person. He caught her looking a few times and smiled every time. She couldn't help but smile back at him.
When he finally ended the call, his hands instantly came to her lower legs and began to massage them. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked formally.
Mal couldn't help but laugh as she began to do the final touches on the drawing. "I'm doing some very important work, you'll have to hold on, your Majesty," she said, her voice completely teasing.
Ben laughed and simply picked up his tablet from the desk. It was clear he simply did some more of his work. She kicked off her shoes to distract him and he laughed again.
After another five minutes, it was ready. "I am now free."
He grinned and after two swipes, put the tablet down, instantly returning his hands to her legs. "What important work were you doing, my lady?"
That was a new nickname. "Well, your lordship. I'm not sure your clearance is high enough."
"Hmm," he verbalised. "I'm sure the King would pardon me."
"Very well," she relented, letting him win the little game they were playing and handing the paper to him.
Ben's eyes widened as he examined it. "This is incredible! I've only ever seen you use paint but this is… wow."
Mal chuckled. "Very articulate."
"It really is amazing, Mal. Can I keep it?"
"Sure." She really hadn't expected him to want it; she'd spent less than half an hour on it.
He grabbed a frame from his drawer - why he had it there was beyond her - and instantly slipped the drawing in and placed it on his desk. It was only then that she looked at his desk properly- it wasn't as cluttered with as much paperwork as usual and she saw a few more frames; two of them had hints of purple in the pictures. It didn't take her long to realise one was just her, and the other one was of the two of them. He had her on his desk? That was something she did not expect.
"What are you thinking?"
Mal looked at him, suddenly remembering the reason she came here.
"Oh!" she exclaimed loudly, making him laugh. She was not in the same framework as before but went on. "I realised that I hadn't told you anything about my mother's abuse and thought I'd find you before the Goodness Test tomorrow so it's not too… weird."
His expression instantly sombred and she felt bad; he had been so happy two seconds ago. "Was it bad?"
"No," she answered. A sigh left her lips- that was a lie. "Yes. I was lucky… in one way… my mother didn't consistently beat me or anything. She wanted me to be strong and if she tore me down at home then I could be beaten in the streets - that would have been an embarrassment on her." She paused, taking a moment to enjoy his hands massaging her feet. "I think the worst thing she did was when she tried to kill me… well, she tried twice. I actually think she was proud of me for living."
Ben's hands were extremely tense and still against her.
Despite this, she decided to continue. If she stopped, she might not be able to finish telling him. "The most memorable would be…" she drifted off, feeling a sob rising to her throat but forcing it down. Her mind flooded with the memory of what had happened and she could recall her screams of pain. "When she, uh…" She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"You don't need to tell me," Ben said soothingly, slipping out of his frozen shock. He pulled her onto his lap easily and held his arms around her protectively.
She felt so weak. Why couldn't she talk about it? It was years ago. Her mother couldn't get to her anymore. But, she could - every time Mal thought about her or had a nightmare, or saw the scarring over her hip and upper thigh.
Almost being burnt alive was traumatising and it was something that Mal could never forget.
A nice long chapter for you all!
If you want to see Mal's goodness test, leave a review. I initially decided to not include it (it's half-written) but will include it or snippets if you want it.
Thanks!