Lawbreaker
(Monday Afternoon, August 12th)
"King Charming," Snow White starts. "I understand that you have some very important news for us today."
"Yes," he nods. "As you may know, it is confirmed that King Ben indeed has a cousin of whom has claimed the king to be unfit to rule."
"But that same interview shows King Ben was never informed that his cousin's community was requesting help," she inserts.
"Assuming you know French," Charming adds. "When the news covered it, they failed to show subtitles for the conversation I had with Ben."
"Could you give an overview for the audience?" she requests.
"King Ben's been in the hospital." He pauses, "Ben's had a lot of extra stress placed on him between his physical injuries and emotional trauma of acknowledging that his parents haven't taken good care of him over the years. He wasn't reacting well to any of it, so we were having him monitored for any reckless behavior. When Ace came to me and asked to speak with the king, I was still very worried about Ben's mental health. I neglected to tell him about Ace's visit in hope that he would recover sooner, but in doing so Ace spoke out about being Ben's cousin and used his health problems to claim the right to the throne."
"Have you spoken with the king's cousin since the interview?" she questions.
"I have," he affirms, "and the king, the council, and I have drafted a document that helps Ace's community and in turn keep Ben's position as king of Auradon."
"And how is it that you're helping his community?"
"As many know," he starts, "Ace's community is a pack of wolves. The acuti virus is something they've lived with for generations, and they seem to want nothing more than to be left alone as, uh, the wolves that aren't people. They want to hunt in safety, so we've legally turned their trailer park into a territory and expanded it to include the castle grounds."
"The castle grounds," she repeats. "Does that include the castle?"
"It does." He explains, "Queen Belle is planning on moving, and Ben's father was willing to give the land to the wolves if it meant his son would remain king. Of course, the front and sides of the castle property is already gated off. The wolves will be putting up signs in the woods warning that the people are approaching their territory."
"Is there a particular reason why they're putting up warning signs?"
Charming cautions, "Ace's community has had problems with hunters laying traps, and they are convinced that the hunters are trying to target them. The agreement we came up with allows them to protect themselves. If an uninvited person enters the territory and appears threatening, they are allowed to kill on sight. If anyone lays traps there, they will have to pay a fine of a hundred dollars per trap, and that fine will be given to the wolves' community. If a human hunts in their territory, they will be fined twenty-five dollars for every pound of the animal they killed. If a human shoots the wolves while on their land, it will be treated as murder, regardless of whether they claim not to have known the wolf was a person."
"Those are some very serious conditions," Snow White warns.
"But they're necessary," Charming seriously replies. "Ace's community is no less protected by the law, just because they carry a virus. If the law hasn't kept them safe, then this will guarantee it. The next time one of their people steps in a trap or gets shot, there will be justice, and there will be cameras placed throughout their territory to find those offenders."
Snow White touches her earpiece, "I have word that we're getting calls requesting for us to ask why King Ben isn't here to cover such an important event."
"King Ben is currently working with the lawyer to prepare for his father's trial."
"Does that mean he's giving his testimony?" she assumes.
Charming takes a moment, "Ben wants to live his life peacefully without having to worry about his father… He doesn't want to see him again, but he knows attending the trial as a witness is the best way to do that."
She concerns, "There's also people pointing out that you told the nurse to keep the English with Ben simple."
He sighs, "Uh, yes." before he frowns. "If you remember, there was that incident last year in which Ben sustained a concussion. The English he's retained is basic. The rest he still needs to relearn… and I'm afraid his lack of patience for the language has made that difficult."
"But he doesn't seem to have trouble with French," she inputs. "If his language use was affected, then what makes it different?"
"He has more experience with French," Charming tiredly comments. "His family was French, and so is mine. We've always spoken French with each other, and he uses it all the time. I would assume the reason why he never fully recovered his English is because he only ever used it when he had to. He uses French because he wants to. That's the difference."
"The trial's airing in English, isn't it?" she assumes, and he folds his hands. "How is this going to affect that?"
Charming faces her, "He knows enough English to hold a conversation. Ben's father is well aware of Ben's English issues. If he wants to prove he's had Ben's interests in mind all this time, then he will not use Ben's problems against him to get out of his abuse accusations."
"Our sources tell us you were hospitalized on the twenty-ninth of July for extensive injuries to the abdomen," Rapunzel reminds him. "Is this correct?"
Ben stares at her, "Pardon?"
"Which word is it this time?" she evenly expresses, and Ben eyes down. "Okay. So, extensive means intense or a lot, and abdomen is the stomach."
"Injury is when someone gets hurt," he recalls. She repeats the question, and Ben wets his lips, "Yes."
"Can you describe the incident that caused the injury?"
Ben shuts his eyes and places a hand to his forehead, "I'm tired."
"I know this is hard," she sympathizes, "but they're not going to make this easy for you."
He takes a deep breath, "You're trying to ask what got me hospitalized?"
"The time and place of the injury and how it happened," she clarifies.
Ben scratches the back of his head, "I was at work at the health store, and my father came to see me. He was mad with me. I went to the backroom so no one would see us, he yelled at me, and then he hit me in the stomach."
"Why did he do it?"
His mouth cracks open, "Sorry?"
"Your father helped capture the Evil Queen and Lady Tremaine, villains notoriously known for abusing the children in their care."
"Hold on," Ben requests.
"Why would he commit a crime he's put people away for in the past?" she finishes.
"He doesn't need a reason a do anything." Ben flusters, "Half of the time I don't even get what he's saying. He just gets mad sometimes."
"Do you think he means to hurt you?" she prompts.
"Not all the time," he unsurely replies.
"So, he wasn't in his right mind?" she concludes.
Ben frowns, "No."
Rapunzel takes a deep breath, "Good job, Your Highness. You just gave your father a year in a psychiatric facility."
"I thought I was supposed to tell the truth," Ben irritably responds.
"But you weren't." She confronts, "Charming already told me what you told him. Is hiding your eating issues really worth risking letting your father free?"
"Did he also tell you that my father was also mad at me for trying to take his wife?" She examines him, and he eyes down, "Even if I had no plans to take her, if he tells the judge about that…" Ben meets her green eyes, "My word will mean nothing if I can't tell them it's not true."
"Ben." She takes a moment, "I'm just trying to help you."
"Then get someone to speak for me," Ben urges. "I don't stand a chance the way it is. I need to at least put what happened into words, words that will help them feel what I feel."
She hesitates, "I can request an interpreter for you, but we still need to practice in English until we know you have one." He checks his watch, and she inquires, "Do you really have those kinds of feelings for your mother?"
"I know what you're thinking," Ben starts, "but it's not… it's nothing sexual."
"Then how do you know it's not just family love?" she questions.
He bites his bottom lip, "It's the same way I felt with Mal. I think about touching her hair. I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I need to keep her safe."
"And you can't do that if your father uses it and your mother finds out," she assumes.
His eyes shift, "She already knows."
"Really?" Rapunzel pauses, "And she doesn't mind?" His eyes lower, and she reaches for his arm, "Ben." He pulls his arm from the table and widens his hazel green eyes at her. "Ben," she seriously says, "what's wrong?"
He catches sight of his watch. "It's been two hours." He stammers, "Charming should be here by now."
"I'm sure he will be here soon," she reassures.
"No." He shakes his head, "I want to go now."
"Ben." He murmurs something in French, and she reminds him, "Ben. It's safe here."
He stands from the chair, "I want to go." before he walks to the office door, halts, and then paces to the bookshelf to the painting on the other sidewall.
"Ben. It's okay." He folds his arms, continuing to pace, and she stands from the desk to sing long tones, "Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine." He turns to her, settling. The sound's high-pitched, yet soft. "Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine." It's like running a finger over a wine glass filled with water. "Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Twilight stars that gleam like the sun. The moon that glows, let your power pull the tide. Wash away the hurt, take me back in time." She slowly steps towards him, "Save what has been lost, the innocence of yesterday. Save what has been lost, as the voice whispers in my mind. The memories may fade, but you will always be mine."
When she finishes, Ben speaks, "It's beautiful."
"My mother used to sing it to me." She glances down, "I might have changed it a little." before she faces him. "We might be broken, but that doesn't make us weak. It's okay to remember the good things, but you need to be powerful enough to move on."
"I don't want to move on," he admits. "My mother might hurt me, but that means she's there. I would do anything for her. I don't care if she doesn't love me. I need her here. With me."
Ben stands outside the office door and catches the words, "I'm telling Fairy Godmother."
"I already told her," Charming comments.
"Then the police," she rebuttals. The words are too fast, and their voices lower.
"Belle's a victim too," Charming counters, "and we need her witness statement."
"King Ben." He hears the voice and sees the woman in front of him. "Oh, my God. You're so skinny."
"Skinny?" Ben questions. She apologetically smiles, but her words quickly speed up. His eyebrows furrow, "Pardon. I can't… I don't…"
After he sighs, she excuses herself, "Sorry." before heading down the hall.
When she leaves, Ben pinches his waist. There's still more to lose. He walks back to the lobby, goes into the bathroom, and faces the mirror. He takes his shirt off and runs his thumbs over his ribs, before he sees a man in the mirror and crosses his arms, "What are you looking at?" The man walks away, the bathroom door closes again, and Ben drops his arms. His biceps are puffy, the thin layer of skin folds over his ribcage, and the skin still expands from his torso. He pulls at the excess skin. If he can pinch it, he can lose it.
"Ben." He sees Charming in the doorway and quickly pulls the shirt back over his head. "We're going home." Charming turns back to the hall, and Ben follows him out of the bathroom.
When they get to the car, Ben watches him start it in discontent, "Am I in trouble?"
"No, Ben," he sadly expresses. "You're not in trouble."
"But you two were talking about me," he reminds him.
"Eavesdropping on a conversation in a language you don't fully understand from another room is poor form," Charming opinionates, and Ben quiets. "We weren't talking about you. We were talking about your mother. Rapunzel wants us to press charges against her as well."
"But I'm the one with the feelings," Ben negates. "I'm the lawbreaker."
Charming faces him, "Except that you're still underage. When a student finds their teacher attractive, it's the teacher's responsibility not to act on it. As your mother, it's Belle's responsibility not to reciprocate the feelings you have for her."
"And it's my responsibility not to indulge Chad in any moves he makes on me," Ben adds, and Charming's frown deepens. "I thought we were listing inappropriate relationships."
He purses his lips, "We need to work on your perception of flirting and consent, but my main point is that when your mother uses your feelings against you, it's sexual abuse."
He awkwardly smiles, "Isn't that a little much? I mean, half of the time she's just trying to make me feel better."
"And the other half of the time she's using it to make you do things she wants," he alleges. "And I will not let her hurt you again."
Ben whispers, "What are you going to do to her?"
"I don't know, yet," he sighs. "If we do press charges, it will be a different case."