After spending nearly an hour with her fashion-forward friend, Mal couldn't believe how beautiful she felt in the short purple dress with the black leather jacket. It had been so long since she ever felt that way, especially after she had her daughter. Mal lost all care for her personal appearance because all her attention was given to making sure Mallory was well taken care of.
Now, Mal had more hope than before that her daughter would grow up to be more beautiful than she could ever imagine.
That thought made Mal especially cheerful for her date with Ben, though she had to remind herself that the prince was spelled, so it didn't count. Either way, Ben was still the perfect gentleman. For some reason, he always wanted to make sure she was comfortable with everything. Her favorite part so far had to be the drive through the countryside. Despite riding on a vehicle that she's never been on before, Mal felt completely safe and at ease.
After crossing a suspension bridge that hanged high above a rushing stream—where they confessed their ridiculous middle names given to them by a parent or parents—Ben's happy demeanor faltered slightly.
"I want to keep our final destination a surprise," Ben commented slowly yet calmly. "I need you to close your eyes so it can stay a secret. If you are uncomfortable with me guiding you blindly, then it won't be a problem. I just thought it would make our first date a little more special."
Smiling softly at kind gesture, Mal outstretched her hand to show her trust. "Lead the way."
Once the prince gently took her hand, the fairy closed her eyes, though she was silently praying to her uncles that she made the right decision.
Turns out she did.
Though her eyes were closed, Mal could still sense just how close Ben was to her. He still maintained a respectful distance and never tightened the grip on her hand. Ben's hold was light, soft, and somewhat comforting. When helping her cross over any type of obstacles, he never touched any other part of her body, only her delicate hands.
After a few minutes of 'living on the edge', the prince finally stopped them in their tracks. "You ready?" Ben wondered as he rubbed soothing circles on the fairy's hand, the very same trick her friend does to comfort her. When Mal timidly nodded, he whispered, "Open."
Slowly opening her eyes, Mal gasped at the sight of the beautiful Enchanted Lake. She looked upon the jade colored waters of the magical lake and the stone platform with a few ancient pillars wrapped in ivy with purple flowers, which protruded on the edge of the lake.
Carefully walking onto the platform, the unusual couple sat on a blue picnic blanket, where a lavish array of food laid out for them. Mal took a jelly doughnut and cautiously bit into the foreign food. Liking the filling inside, she practically scarfed down the rest, getting powdered sugar on the edge of her lips.
"So?" Ben smiled at her pure action. "What do you think?"
"Mmm . . . This is really good." She licked the sugar off her fingers as she spoke. "I never had anything like this. The closest thing to it that I can think of is hush-puppies. Those were my favorite growing up as a little girl, especially since my old friend's mother owned a fish restaurant. I used to eat them every day during the summertime. When I was sick a couple years ago, Jay would get me hush-puppies because it was the only thing I would eat."
Ben chuckled at the innocent story-telling of her childhood. "Well, you've got . . ." He trailed off as he slowly moved forward to brush the powdered sugar from her lips, still being a respectful gentleman.
Mal laughed as she grabbed a napkin to get rid of the rest. "Can't take me anywhere, I guess."
Smiling softly at how the fairy was finally acting carefree, the prince thought it was time to take a little risk. "You know, I really don't know much about you and you really don't know much about me," Ben commented as he leaned forward expectantly. "How about I tell you two things about me, and you tell me one thing about you?"
"Hmmm," Mal pretended to ponder on the question for a few moments, though she was really wondering where the prince was going with this. "Alright . . . but no guarantees that mine will be anything too personal."
Chuckling at the comment, Ben began, "As I'm sure you are aware, my father was turned into a beast in his tale and then turned human again when he learned to love. What you—and everyone else in the entire world—don't know is that when my temper goes uncheck, I start to turn into a beast. Depending on how angry I am, my hands turn into claws, fangs form in my mouth, and my eyes become slits like an animal's."
Mal's jaw dropped at the revelation. "And no one knows this?"
"Aziz does," Ben corrected cautiously. "That's why he asked me if my temper was in check earlier today. He discovered it the same day that I did. It was a three-day weekend during eighth grade year, just a few weeks after everyone found out Aziz was gay. I had Aziz spend the night at my castle since he didn't have many friends after that 'fiasco'.
"My father doesn't like Aziz because—although he is fine with homosexuals—he doesn't believe that a prince should be gay. We got into a very heated verbal argument that only ended when my father called Aziz tapette. Not wanting to hear anymore, I stormed into my room with Aziz following. Soon after my beast—as Aziz likes to refer to it—came out and nearly destroyed the bedroom. Since then, I had to learn to keep my temper in check. Nothing like the first incident has happened again. Every now and then my hands will turn to claws, but I just clench my fist until they return to normal."
The fairy tilted her head curiously at hearing a certain word again. "What does tapette mean?" Mal wondered. "I've heard Chad say it a couple times, and now you say your father said it too."
"It's a French insult toward gays," Ben answered reluctantly. "It's basically to say that they are 'unmanly'. I absolutely despise that word and vowed that I would never call anyone that."
Mal smiled softly at his words. "Don't you just love having a gay best friend?" she teased good-naturedly. "They make your life a thousand times better and do everything they can to help you."
Smile going back on his handsome lips, Ben questioned, "So? What's your—"
"Nu-uh!" Mal interrupted as her own smile grew. "You still owe me one more piece of information."
Trying his hardest to suppress his smirk at thinking about the fairy's reaction from his next words, Ben informed, "Well, the love spell that you tried to put on me yesterday didn't work."
Of course, Mal's jaw dropped at the announcement. "What?"
"You can't put a love spell on someone that's already in love," Ben explained like it was simple knowledge. "I'm surprised your mother's spell book didn't tell you that."
"Hold on just a sec," Mal insisted roughly. "How did you know about the spell?"
"Jay told Aziz after I told the two of them about how I wanted to ask you out at the Tourney game," Ben fibbed, though it was technically just a murky truth. "Aziz told me about an hour or so before you gave me the magic cookie. I didn't know what you were planning so I thought I should go along with it."
Mal's heart faltered at the information for some 'strange' reason. "So you've been faking it," she assumed sadly.
"No!" Ben denied a little too quickly. "I haven't been faking anything. The love spell didn't work because I was already in love with you. I want to have a real relationship with you, not one that's created because of a spell."
The fairy hesitated at the confession. "Ben . . ." Mal began slowly, unsure of what she should say. "Something . . . happened while I was on the island. That something is the reason why I don't like people in my personal space, the reason why I can't have anyone touch me, and why I fear being in a relationship. I'm afraid that I'm going to be hurt . . . that I will be abused again."
"I'm not like that," Ben argued stubbornly. "I will never hurt you. Can you at least give me—give us a chance?"
Once again, Mal hesitated at the idea, but could you really blame her after everything she's been through? "Alright," she relented, "but I'd like some rules."
"Of course," Ben agreed with a polite nod. "Whatever you need to make you feel comfortable."
"First, my neck is off limits," Mal listed off automatically. "Front, side, back, it doesn't matter. If or when I decide to let you kiss me, don't grab my neck. If I decide to let you touch me in any way, don't touch my neck. I cut my hair for a couple reasons and the abuse was one of them."
The prince gritted his teeth, but maybe it was so he could control his temper. "Okay," he agreed. "Next rule?"
"Wait until I initiate contact before you touch me," Mal continued. "Like if I hold your hand or hug you—which may be a while before that happens—then you essentially have permission to hug me or whatever first. Just make sure I know that you're going to do it. Until I trust you more, don't surprise me with any kind of physical affection."
"I will be perfectly fine with that," Ben reassured calmly. "Anything else?"
"Please be patient with me," Mal pleaded almost timidly. "It's going to take time before I open up to this . . . and to you. Honestly, I told you more of what happened than I did Evie and Carlos. Hell, they don't even know something happened."
"Take all the time you need," Ben insisted. "But may I make one request? Or at least have permission to do something?"
Curious by the question, Mal essentially did grant the prince permission. Leaning forward, Ben placed the softest of kisses to the fairy's forehead, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "I would like to do that whenever I feel that you need it," Ben voiced with a small smile. "So, you will remember that I love you and that I will always protect you."
Unable to find her own voice, Mal nodded in confirmation—
As the request reminded her of her last moments with her daughter.
