This was inspired by Xez2003's The Black Arrow; A Tale of Two Kingdoms. I do not own Disney Descendants.

"So, you're really okay to stay here?" Jane asked uncertainly the next morning. Everyone was packing up around her and Ben was lifting teepee poles into Mal's cart. His shirt was rolled up, showing the extra muscles he'd gained the last month, and he was sweating his own personal downpour.

"Yeah, I am," Ben smiled, reaching for more poles to load up. "I'm going to take them to the unused lands over there, help them set up, and then I'll be back in the palace to give them an official status."

Jane chewed on her cheek. "Will you be bringing back anyone?" She asked.

"I asked Mal if she'd want to come and help me in Auradon," Ben sighed, grunting a little as he wrestled a pole against a rough edge. "But she doesn't want to leave."

"Audrey wouldn't like that," Jane mumbled, going quieter near the end of her sentence. She looked at Ben with big, wide doe eyes. "Are you cheating on Audrey?"

"No," Ben replied flatly. "And if Jay or Carlos or anyone said I was, they're lying. The reason I talk with Mal more is because she was the person to bring me into this. There is nothing else and will be nothing else."

"Well, no one said you were cheating," Jane explained uncertainly, "But Carlos told me that you guys were into each other and that she was devastated to learn about Audrey, and then Harry and Uma have a bet going-"

Ben slammed the last of the poles into the cart in a fit of rage. "Uma and Harry? Really?" He snapped and shook his head. "No, no, we're not. And the reason Mal was angry is because it was Sleeping Beauty's daughter." He kicked at one of the canvases to spread it out more and then knelt down to begin rolling it up. "Whatever. I actually do want to stay out here, Jane, and I promised I would help them anyways. It's been really great - I love the fresh air and all the things I get to do around here. And the kids are fabulous - I wish I could take them all home with me."

"We could arrange that!" Someone yelled, walking up to him. It was Uma, and she was wearing a blue bandanna with a bright blue outfit. "I'm sure they'd love to spend their days up at the palace with whatever you've got up there."

"I'm not sure my wife would be open to that right off the bat," Ben frowned. "But I'm going to be making some changes to our family, so we'll see how things go."

"Bringing in the homewrecker?" Uma asked, leaning against Mal's cart. Ben glared at her.

"No," He snapped, "And by the way, I don't appreciate you and Harry betting on us." He leaned against the cart to start her in the eyes.

"Eh," Uma shrugged. 'There was a reason we didn't tell you." She reached up and pulled her bandana out, looking exasperated. Then, she began fishing for pins in her blue hair, trying to let it down. "Hey, listen, Gil is having trouble with the canopy Carlos made. Carlos is busy, but I know you kinda oversee everything now, so I was wondering if you know how to take the thing down?"

"I don't oversee everything," Ben rolled his eyes. "But yeah, I do know how to take the canopy down. It's pretty cool how many new things they've made since I first got here."

"Just wait," Uma laughed. "We can't wait to start putting down permanent houses." She pulled the last of the pins out and her long blue locks fell down over her shoulders and were promptly swept away by a light breeze.

Ben smiled as the sun glinted off her hair. "Your hair looks super clean," He laughed. "Did you wash it last night?"

"Oh," Uma ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I did. And now it's all curly." She held a lock up as proof.

Ben extended a hand. "May I?" He asked. Uma extended the lock and he brushed his fingertips down it. "Wow," He commented with an even brighter smile. "Like silk. Good job."

Something flew into the cart with a crash that made Ben, Jane, and Uma jump. Ben spun around to see that three large tents had all been flung in at the same time and that Mal was storming away with smoke rising from her hair. Either someone besides him had set her off and lived, or she was suddenly mad at him. People squawked and jumped out of her way as she stormed away.

"Someone's the jealous type," Uma rolled her eyes. "She and Harry are more alike than they think."

"She and you are more alike than you think," Ben rolled his eyes. "Don't think I don't notice how you get closer to him every time Evie walks by." Uma stuck out her tongue in response. Ben sighed and glanced to where Mal had vanished. "She's gotta help me pull this, so I'll talk her out of her spout then," He decided. "Hopefully everyone stays out of her way until then."

"What's up with you hurling tents around?" Ben demanded as Mal stalked over to pick up the cart handle with him. She glared at him as she bent down and together, they hefted the cart upright. Jane, Doug, and Lonnie had left to go back to Doug's family home for the last of their vacation and the Islanders were continuing their trek. "Are we playing the silent game?" He asked.

Mal balanced the cart on her leg and pulled her leather gloves out of her pocket without a word. Ben's blue ones were already on. Evie had made dozens for people to protect their hands with as they walked.

"Listen, I have to deal with Audrey getting jealous of me at every turn and she's my wife. It's not exactly fair that you, a close friend, are also offended if I tell Uma her hair is nice," He leaned down to be in her field of vision. "I tell Evie she looks great all the time."

"I know that!" Mal snapped. Steam wafted up from her hair. "And I'm not… why would I be jealous?"

"I like your hair too, Mal," Ben murmured softly. "I like the purple. It suits you and it's pretty."

Mal scoffed and picked up a strand of her hair. She had dirt in it, and she'd been working hard, so it clumped together with sweat. But it was still vibrant purple and beautiful. Just dirty. "My hair's not clean like Uma's is," She mumbled under her breath.

"So wash it?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's not that big of a deal. I could show you how."

Mal flipped her head to the other side as they began to trek along. Every so often, her hand would come up to brush away at the lock of hair she'd first picked at. Ben watched her every time she did, watching her nails catch in her hair, and about a mile into their hike it suddenly clicked in his head.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, making Mal jump a little. "You're upset because I touched Uma's hair." He raised another eyebrow at her. "That's rich. What's the big deal?"

"It's not a big deal!" Mal's face turned bright red. "And I don't care whose hair you touch. Go touch everyone's hair, for all I care. You don't mean anything to me!"

"Mal," Ben sighed, "Can we skip the part where you hope that I'll believe you because you're yelling your lies and just get to the part where you tell me how I can help?"

Mal stayed stubbornly silent. Ben finally sighed again. "Listen," He began. "Rinse your hair out. Then you can use an egg to get out all the grime. Just rub it in, leave it for a few seconds, and rinse it right out. After that, put a little oil in your hair and comb it around so that when all is said and done your hair feels nice and silky. Audrey does it all the time at home, except she uses shampoo. This book I read talked about different types of things you can use to keep clean in forests and eggs have lots of proteins that are good for your hair."

"I'm blocking you out," Mal grumbled, focusing on the gravel of the road. "Leave me alone, Ben."

"You don't have to act like Audrey when I'm miles away from her," Ben pointed out.

Mal's angered expression faded immediately into guilt. "Sorry," She grumbled. "Thank you for the advice. My mom was never really big on beauty tips, and I never really had a sister or anything."

"That's okay," Ben shrugged. "Audrey… she's a princess at heart. She used to talk my ear off about all this stuff when we were teens. I guess I absorbed some of it."

They went over a bump and Mal's hands slid about six inches into Ben's before she pulled them back to herself. "You don't like her, do you?" She asked.

"We were arranged," Ben said by way of explanation. "There wasn't really another choice." It wasn't really an answer, but it was easily than saying no. Mal liked to yell and scare people into submission, but he liked to avoid the question. Neither of them bought the other's gig.

He laughed a little when he thought of something that might amuse her, and slid one of his hands down to knock against hers. "You know, I never actually proposed," He laughed. "She picked her own ring and mine, and then picked the date and told me to show up."

Mal snorted half-heartedly. "What a rip," She scoffed. There was a brief pause, and then she looked up at him. "So, what, you've just been… faking it since then?"

Ben's expression fell and he gave a little half-shrug. He wanted to try and avoid the comment, pretend it hadn't come up, but something inside of him was tired of lying and avoiding the problem. "I guess," He whispered.

Mal nodded and then focused her gaze ahead. "I kinda wish I hadn't learned about her," She whispered, equally honest. "You're making me think… things."

"Don't," Ben advised. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Mal nodded, and they didn't say another word to each other for the rest of the trip that day.

The night the passed out of the Arendelian barrier was the most joyous of any night Ben had spent with the company. They left 'Official Auradon' behind around noon and hiked onwards until Evie and Mal discovered a large freshwater spring with small clearings scattered in between large trees, and everyone promptly dropped their supplies in joy. Carts began to be dismantled, and before night arose, there were small skeletons of structures as the Isle folk went to work to build themselves a safe haven.

A large bonfire was created - partially to help clear underbrush, and partially to light up their celebrations. Mal multiplied the honey that Uma had and everyone feasted on roasted vegetables, various types of meat, and bread dripping with honey. She helped unload her cart so people could begin setting up tents, teepees, canopies, and lean-tos, and then vanished. Ben didn't have much time to wonder where she'd gone. He was busy helping everyone all over the camp. Carlos was especially busy as he rushed around, helping people organize themselves and where they would go.

When everything they had was set up and dismantled and organized, the sun was setting, and the celebrations were continuing. Ben played with the group of children, roaring upon request and wrestling and throwing them into the air until, one by one, they tired out and dozed off in the soft grasses or in piles of blankets within teepees. Then, the adults and teens of the camp danced beside the fire, laughing as they celebrated the end of their tedious journey.

Uma handed Ben a drink of something from the Isle as he passed by. He made sure to water it down before he tried it, but the whatever-it-was still made him dizzy after a few minutes and several sips. He dumped it out on a bush and returned the glass to Uma without a word.

Ben had just collapsed onto a bench beside Uma when Evie appeared in front of him and offered him her hand. "Can you dance at all?" She asked. "Any style?"

"Yes," Ben confirmed, getting back to his feet. "I can waltz, I can foxtrot, I can do lots. What were you thinking?"

"I've always wanted to waltz with a prince," Evie confided. "So before we lose you forever, I want to steal that chance."

Ben laughed and let her pull him to a mostly clear area of grass and earth. He put his hand on her waist and took her other before they began to sway around, him leading her as her smile beamed through the darkening night. Ben was a little rusty - he and Audrey hadn't danced in years and he didn't exactly have many reasons to keep up the practice. Still, people paused here and there to watch as he led Evie through presents and turns and steps. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry pull Uma into the shadows to try and mirror his movements, and behind her, he could see someone perching on the top of a structure, looking down on all.

He stopped, bowed a little to Evie, and then laughed as she thanked him. Evie was beaming - he didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy. She went to Dizzy, who had clapped a little whenever Ben twirled her older friend around, and together the girls romped off to the bonfire.

Ben slipped into the shadows and went to the base of one of the skeletal structures of dwellings that they'd erected. He looked up at the dark figure up above and laughed a little. She was so high up that her boots scarcely brushed his chin. He debated teasing her, and decided to dive in. They'd been so honest the last few days. "I think you have a height complex," He called.

"I think you seek to justify your presence down there," Mal returned. She leaned down, and somehow, he could see her face even though the darkness. His chest felt tight - she looked lovely. He felt like she was seeing her for the first time all over again. "Did you wash your face?" He asked, choking a little.

Mal shrugged and then jumped down. It was quite a dramatic difference to have the top of her head where her shoes had previously been. Ben took a breath as she leaned against the structure. "Did you need something?" She asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to dance?" Ben asked, gesturing to where Uma, Harry, and others were stumbling through shaky waltzes with boisterous laughter.

Mal furrowed her brow. "I can't dance," She informed him.

"Can you stand to follow me for a minute or two?" Ben asked, chuckling. "It's just a little circle and maybe a turn here or there."

He offered her his hand. Mal looked down on it. Then she carefully put her hand in his. Her hands were tough and strong.

They went out to a quiet, grassy area, and Ben leaned in to whisper instructions in her ear as he began to lead her in a tiny circle. Her hair smelled nice, he suddenly realized. It was nice and… soft. He paused, released the hand he held in his, and then trailed his fingers down through her hair. She'd washed it. It was soft and floaty and would probably glint in the sunlight tomorrow. Mal tilted her head into his touch.

"Sorry," He apologized, eyes flickering between her hair and her eyes. "Your hair looks really nice."

"It's dark," Mal snorted. "You can't see it."

"I can feel it," Ben mumbled, threading his fingers through her hair a little. "It feels nice." She fidgeted with her hands, unsure what to do with them, and then put them against his chest.

It occurred to him he had one hand on Mal's back and the other twisting through her hair.

"I feel weird," he whispered, trying to find the courage to take his hands back.

"Feel like what?" She asked, equally soft.

"I feel like… like singing your name," Ben admitted, focusing on her eyes. "You just look so… beautiful."

"Don't sing," Mal warned him, eyes growing wider. "We wouldn't want anyone to go deaf."

"I'll have you know I can sing rather well," Ben frowned. He took his hands back and they retook their waltz stance. As they started dancing through their small clearing, Ben started singing under his breath. "I met this girl that rocked my world like it's never been rocked and now I'm livin' just for her and I won't ever stop. I gotta know which way to go, c'mon, give me a sign. You've gotta show me that you're only ever gonna be mine. Don't wanna go another minute livin' without you, cause if your heart just isn't in it, I don't know what I'll do."

"What song is that?" Mal asked, smirking a little and blinking slowly.

Ben's mouth went a little dry. "I, uh, don't know. I kinda just made it up on the spot."

Mal stopped spinning in his arms and withdrew a little. "Interesting lyrics," She mumbled. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah," Ben nodded. "I'm just a little… overcomplexified."

"That's not a word," Mal immediately reprimanded him. She ruffled a hand through his hair briefly. "But I'll forgive you because you're cute."

Ben couldn't remember the last time he had felt this dizzy. He put a hand to his forehead and then Mal started to automatically lead him to the bench he'd previously vacated. "Do you know what Uma was giving out?" He asked, stumbling over the hard consonants as he said them.

"No," Mal shook her head. "It tasted a little like fisherman's alcohol, but I can't be sure. It's been a while since I had any."

"How strong is it?" Ben moaned.

"You'll feel it in the morning," Mal assured him. Ben groaned and ran his hands through his hair. Mal kept her eyes on him. "I guess that was kind of obvious though, huh?" She suddenly broke out into giggles. "Hey… You can be King Obviously Cute!"

"That is my legal name," Ben smiled, leaning his head against his hand as he watched her laugh. "What should we call you, Queenie?"

Mal laughed some more and then leaned forward into his chest. She was pretty shaky too. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it when they were dancing. Ben started playing with her hair. "I like your hair like this," He whispered. "I like clean and soft things."

"I like you like this," Mal slurred, closing her eyes against the harsh lights of the fire and keeping close to his chest. "It's easier to forget you're not married when the world is like this."

"I think you're drunk," Ben announced. "I think I'm drunk too. I think we should probably leave each other so we can both talk like normal people tomorrow."

"Why do we need to leave?" Mal huffed. "I like how warm you are." She balled her fists up into his shirt and Ben had this sinking feeling in the back of his mind that told him this wasn't going to end well.

"Because I don't want to cheat on Audrey," he told her, taking her hands off the fabric. "I promised I'd love her."

"But that doesn't technically count," Mal yawned. "Because you don't. And either way, you promised to love her so long as she loves you. That's what Evie told me about the vows Auradon uses. She doesn't love you like we do here."

"We?" Ben repeated, squeezing her hand.

Mal looked up and he saw desire and curiosity and everything he'd never seen in Audrey's eyes looking back at him from hers. She squeezed his hand back. He tilted his head. "You're right," He conceded. "I don't love her. I don't like weak girls."

Mal chuckled this tiny little chuckle that made her seem like the most irresistible person on the planet. "Want to hear my theory?" She whispered, sounding surprisingly coherent. "I don't think you ever got over me. I don't think you can, and I think you know why."

"That's true," Ben mumbled. "What about you? Do you think we're in love?"

"I don't know what love feels like!" Mal laughed, sudden and boisterous and throwing him off his game. "How would I know?"

"I don't know either," Ben mumbled. Her breath smelled like she'd been chewing on a mint plant. When had he gotten this close?

Mal was suddenly closing her eyes. The bonfire had started to die, so it was dark. It was dark and her skin was tough and her hair was soft and her eyes were green and her breath was minty and she was dangerous to everyone except him. It was late and he was drunk and she was too but her hands were slipping up inside his shirt and his were pulling at her waistband and he already know they were going to go way too far tonight but he couldn't do anything to stop it. She was pale and she was purple and she let out a little sigh that ghosted past her lips and onto his before he brushed his lips against hers and felt his brain explode with colors and sound and lights. His heart swelled up in his chest.

"Wow," Mal whispered against his lips; a tickle that lit a fire inside of him that had his hands slipping down even further.

And to be honest, he didn't remember much after that.

When he woke up, everything hurt. His arms, legs, head and everything. And it was cold.

Ben sat up, rubbing the last of the sleep out of his eyes. He was lying on a patch of grass with a little river running in front of his feet. Tall trees made the light cast odd patches of light on him and a collection of large, leafy plants surrounded him. He could see the place where he'd obviously come through. Beside a little trail he'd beaten down to reach this area, his shoes and socks were thrown haphazardly to the bushes. Everything else was mixed up in a heap that was luckily away from the river.

He looked down at himself, slowly connecting the dots. Metaphysically and literally. He traced bite marks up and down his arms, across his collarbone and down his chest. His shirt would cover them all. He pressed his fingers to his mouth, but it only felt sore, not swollen.

Ben closed his eyes as a deep pain set into his head. He couldn't tell if it was the effects of the hangover, or the realization that he'd caved with Mal.

And speaking of Mal…

Where was she?

Ben struggled back into his clothes and then yanked his shoes and socks back onto his feet. When he was sure he was mostly presentable, he battled his way back through the leafy underbrush, trying to find his way back to camp. He followed the sounds of construction; of loud and boisterous laughter. He wondered if anyone was wondering where he was or if anyone had seen him leave with Mal.

As he reached the others, a tree tipped over and Islanders began sawing off limbs. Large burn piles were being constructed with the excess while the Islanders formed a chain of assembly to quickly build shelters. They worked fast, which was a given since there were so many of them.

"Woah, man!" He heard Gil laugh as the man walked past carrying a large board. "You look wasted. Our alcohol too strong for you?"

"I guess," Ben rubbed his face. His headache had come on stronger now. "What happened last night?"

"I dunno man, I went to bed early," Gil laughed. "But everyone's been wondering where you are. Evie, Mal, and Uma want your help. I think Harry's trying to convince them that you ditched for Auradon to get soldiers, but they think that's a load of crap."

"Yeah," Ben shook his head. "Yeah, I'm still here." He ran his hands through his hair. "I'm not sure how useful I'll be."

"That's okay. Take a day if you need it," Gil recommended. "We all do here and there."

As Gil walked away, Ben felt a weight sink into his stomach. Mal was looking for him? As in she was pretending she didn't know where he was?

He wandered around until he found the three girls with Jay, Carlos, and Harry included. They were gathered under a canopy and talking over blueprints that Carlos had drawn up. They didn't notice him until he ducked under the canopy and Jay called: "Hey, there he is."

Everyone turned and greeted him. Harry looked immensely disappointed to see him, but he didn't say anything. He only sighed and looked downcast. Evie laughed. "You look like you slept on the ground," She chuckled. "Did you wander off?"

"Apparently," Ben grumbled as Uma snorted at his disheveled appearance.

"I guess our drinks were too strong for you," She chuckled. "Sorry, Ben. I didn't think to warn you." Her sympathetic look told him that it hadn't been a prank - she just genuinely didn't think about it.

"I watered it down, but a lot of good that did me," Ben sighed. He glanced over at Mal and was disappointed to see her ignoring him.

She'd fixed herself up so she didn't look like she'd spent a night tangled up beside him. Or maybe she had just left straight afterwards - who knew? Her hair was brushed and she'd changed her outfit and she looked like she'd been awake from hours. If he remembered correctly, she'd been tipsy the previous night too, but she wasn't showing any signs of being hungover right now.

"Gil said you needed my help," Ben began, taking his gaze away from Mal. "I'm not sure how useful I'll be, but I came around to see what was going on anyways."

"Yeah, you're useless," Carlos snorted. "Go get some water and go back to bed, Ben. We'll manage without you for today. Besides, we're not going to have you around for much longer."

He could have sworn it was a hallucination brought on by his dizziness, but he thought he saw Mal dig her nails into her legs.

Ben nodded and then took a seat beside the table. He listened numbly while they finished debating where they wanted to build permanent residencies and occasionally made comments about what he'd be sending from Auradon to help them. They were drawing out a layout based on circles with diamond-shaped places they'd leave trees and foliage. Dividing the region by thirds, Mal's crew would rule one part, then Evie's another, and finally Uma would control the last. It was going to be a beautiful city one day. When everyone was clear on where they wanted to start clearing in preparation for Auradon Supplies to come in, they broke off one by one. Uma and Harry walked off with their arms around each other, down to where they were going to start preparing lunch and dinner. Jay took off to go find Gil and help him out, and then Evie, Carlos, and Mal muttered for a few more seconds before they started to walk away. Ben caught Mal's arm as she started to walk away.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, trying to keep his gaze soft and coherent. He put a finger down on Mal's sector. "I have some questions," he said, keeping it vague on purpose. He didn't want Carlos and Evie to suspect any more than everyone already did, but he wanted Mal to stay behind.

"N-" Mal began to say but quickly bit her tongue when she realized Evie and Carlos were still there and she couldn't say no to such a simple task without making it seem like she was angry at him for some reason. She bit her lip. "Fine," She agreed begrudgingly, "but make it fast - I want to go start scoping things out. They need someone with magic out there."

She hovered beside the map and Carlos and Evie continued wandering away, towards Evie's sector. Mal leaned over his shoulder. "What are you confused on?" She asked, putting a finger down on the map.

"You left," Ben whispered. "I woke up and you were gone."

Mal's face burned bright red. It was odd to see her face red, her eyes vibrant green, and her hair purple. "Of course," she hissed. "We couldn't have two people looking like you walking from the same direction at the same time."

"Okay, fine. Don't you think we should talk about it though?" Ben asked, staring at her as he spoke. He couldn't deny her words, though he could see in her eyes that she hadn't been thinking of that when she'd left and it was only a convenient cover-up.

"Talk about what?" Mal snapped, withdrawing from him. "There was nothing. Nothing happened. We didn't see each other last night."

"Please tell me we're not doing this," Ben slumped his shoulders. "You don't have to go off like this every time something happens, Mal."

"Well what would you prefer?" Mal snapped. "What would you rather I say? 'Gee, Ben, we should have split up last night when you first suggested it," "I'm really sorry about everything that happened; maybe we should just forget it all.'"

For several seconds, Ben couldn't help but be hurt. As much as it had sucked to wake up alone and with the realization he'd gotten drunk with Mal, it really sucked to hear her say she regretted it all after he'd gotten up the courage to try and talk with her about it.

But then he started thinking about the way she had said it and how her face was twisting up and then somehow everything made sense. He'd pointed out her angry, lying defense, and instead of reverting back to "Mal", she'd started a defense tirade for her defensiveness. Which meant that everything that had just come out of her mouth was a lie.

"You regret nothing," he whispered in realization, and this… emotion lit up her eyes. Something strong and weak and harsh and loud, all at once. She smacked him hard across the face and then was withdrawing even farther. The pain on his face combined with his throbbing headache and numbing shock made everything feel foggy, but he didn't protest. He didn't even make a sound because he felt like he'd finally managed to understand.

She lied so she didn't have to accept the truth.

She hit him because, on the Isle, that was how to keep people away.

She was afraid of losing him and thought it would be better to leave him behind first. That way, it was still in her control.

She was walking backward faster, trying to leave him behind. Something in his eyes must have revealed the truth to her. He knew. He knew her on this metaphysical, spiritual level that she tried to deny she even had. And that emotion - the fear - was so thick in her eyes that it hurt him.

So he let her go. There wasn't anything else that needed saying between them.

They didn't speak for five days.

It was torture.

He saw her standing around, using her magic to prepare for homes and places to be built, hiding in trees and looking down over everyone, but they didn't talk to each other. She didn't seek him out and he didn't try and talk to her again.

This must have been the effect Audrey had tried to spark between them whenever she ignored him as teens. In hindsight, it had always been a relief instead of a downside when she'd stopped speaking to him. So many warning signs that he'd ignored… so many things he'd tried to overlook.

This electricity with Mal was so different… it was physically hurting him to be away. He felt this tug in his chest that let him know, at all times, what direction and how far he would have to walk or run to reach her. He felt like he was being burned alive as he waited for her. Pining. He'd never experienced that effect before, but he knew what it was now. Just like how he knew now what it was like to be in love with someone.

Five whole days of avoiding each other with careless excuses of 'I have to go do this' and 'I can't talk right now; maybe later.' None of the others had noticed anything, but it wouldn't have mattered if they had. Mal was very adamant about hiding her feelings and herself away from him. She must have thought that if he couldn't see her, he couldn't read her emotions, but that was a fluke of a thought. He knew her. He knew what she was feeling from five miles away as she stewed over them and what they'd done and what they'd been.

And she knew him.

"Ben," Carlos yelled, startling Ben out of his thoughts as he hefted a large beam onto a pile. Ben whipped around and smiled at the white-haired man as he gestured Ben over towards a tent where he, Evie, Uma, and Mal had shielded their documents from view. He pulled off his gloves and walked over. Carlos held the tent flap open as Ben ducked in and then stepped in afterward. Ben glanced around and his smile dropped off his face.

Two reasons. First, Mal was sitting in a corner, sharpening a stick with a knife and looking furious. Second, a man in an official Auradon uniform was standing in front of him. Ben remembered him vaguely as the man who had pushed him out of the way when Mal had stopped their caravan. He put his hands in his pockets and straightened up, examining the red-faced soldier candidly. "What's this?" He asked.

"I sent a letter to your kingdom back when we passed through Arendelle," Evie blinked in surprise. "Did I not tell you? I told them that the King would like to return home around now. They're actually a little earlier than I expected, but you can go home now if you like. I'm sorry if I forgot."

Ben stared at her, and then let his gaze flicker back to the general, who swallowed to compose himself. "Your Majesty," He began, and the words felt unfamiliar to Ben. "On behalf of our squadron, we apologize for your loss on the Cinderellasburg road."

"It's alright," Ben assured him. "I went willingly." He glanced between Jay and Uma.

"We ought to return to the palace now," The guard said in a very stifled tone. "There is an armed squad waiting for you at the road, but it's rather hard to get through the trees, so…" He trailed off uncomfortably. "Your presence is required at the palace as soon as possible."

Ben looked over at Evie and Uma, avoiding Mal's frame entirely. "Will you need me for anything?" He asked softly.

"We can train other people," Uma laughed. "Besides, you must be missing sleeping in a proper bed and wearing your own clothes."

He wasn't.

"And besides," Evie chuckled. "Your wife must miss you." She tried and failed to avoid glancing at Mal.

Audrey wouldn't.

Ben exhaled. "Yeah," He agreed in a hollow tone. "And I need to make you guys official. Draw up land pacts and send crews to help you. We've got to get things going." He glanced at the general. "I, uh, can't leave tonight though. There are things I need to do tonight. If you like, you may all come and help pitch in or you can make camp where you are. I will be staying up here with these fine folk."

"These fine-" The general snorted and cut himself off. "Your Majesty, I hope you'll understand that we won't allow you to continue being held for any ransom."

"I wasn't aware I was being held for ransom," Ben butted in before the man could say anything. "And thank you for your concern. Does this mean you'll be coming up?"

"Your Majesty, we will be removing you from the area immediately," the general explained like he was talking to a small child. "It's time you came back to your position."

"Hmm," Ben snorted. "You know, sir, I think I'm fine here. These people need an extra hand and I have two. And for the record, you would do best to stay in your position as well." He turned away from the man to dismiss him a little and Carlos snorted. Ben rolled his eyes. "I'll finish the things I started this morning and then pack up later tonight. One more night under the stars will be good for me. I'll walk down to meet the squadron tomorrow."

"We appreciate it, Ben," Evie smiled kindly.

"The kids are gonna miss you," Uma frowned. "You'll have to come back and visit."

"You'll miss me too, Uma," Ben teased. "You'll miss making bets on me and ordering me to fetch you things."

Uma shrugged with a tiny, wistful grin. "Hey, ordering the king around is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," She chuckled.

Ben nodded with a laugh and then pulled her forward into a hug. Her hair smelled like seawater and sweat. Uma tensed up and then relaxed into his grip. He laughed at her uncertainty and then, after releasing her, hugged Evie. Evie buried her face into his arm a little and he knew she was going to miss him terribly. Ben then bumped fists with Jay and Carlos, and then they all paused as one and glanced to where Mal was sitting, sharpening her stick into a point that could probably draw blood. He waited for a few heartbeats for a response, but aside from her hair falling forward even more, she didn't move.

Ben turned to his general. "I want you to walk down and invite everyone up to help us work," he told him. "But only those who'd like to. The rest of you selfish folk can sit wherever you're parked and wait for me to be done up here."

"Your majesty, we really have to get you back to the castle," the general protested.

"Yes, and you will. We just won't start today," Ben replied.

"This is foolhardy!" The man exploded. "These people kidnapped you and you are allowing them to continue doing so!"

"Thank you for your opinion," Ben sighed. Across the tent, there was a sudden snap and then a slam. Evie yelped. Ben spun back around to see Mal had snapped the pointy part of her stick off and then driven it straight into the table. She leaned across the table with a gaze that made it feel like he was being shot over and over. He took a hard seat underneath her gaze, sliding down on instinct as she leaned closer to him. "Are you insane?" She snapped. "Or are you just a broken, miserable little fool?"

Her hair had lit aflame, vibrant purple flames licked her beautiful violet locks. Her eyes were turning the light in the room a different color. A candle on the table leaped to life as flames appeared, jumping out of her collar and off her hands. Things started floating. Ben was pinned to his chair by an unforgivable force, and it suddenly became very hard to breathe.

Was this the creature that Maleficent had feared?

Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Uma all cowered, which was something he'd never seen them do before. All of the blood had drained out of the general's face. And ice was creeping over Ben's skin as his brain tried to signal his body to run.

"Don't you ever get mad?" Mal shrieked. "He's the reason you're here! You went through two months of prison and hard labor and eating and sleeping in the forest. We walked twenty miles every day! And he's snapping off at you like he's king! Why aren't you angry?" The sound was ringing in his ears. Outside, all was silent.

"You're the reason I'm here, Mal," Ben managed to force out, though a pressure immediately clamped down on his throat. "It's not his fault."

"Then be mad at me!" Mal demanded, practically spitting flames out as she slammed her hands down on the table. Ben flinched back. The tent seams began to rip as she grew angrier. "Be angry! Scream, shout! Are you even human? How are you so ridiculously calm? Come on, scream back! You can't possibly be so bloody perfect all the time!"

Ben paused. Oh.

He swallowed. "I'll miss you too, Mal," He whispered.

Mal burst into tears. It wasn't even the silent tears that you could wipe away and try to hide. The girl practically collapsed in on herself as she snapped from avenging temptress to despairing angel in the space of a second. All of the flames extinguished themselves in the space of a few seconds. Ben felt the pressure release on his chest as Mal pushed herself around the table and exited the tent, completely inconsolable as she wept for what was probably the first time in her entire life. Evie, who had ended up on the floor, covered her mouth as she tried to catch her breath. Ben slowly stood up and pushed his chair back in. In a corner of the table was the stake Mal had slammed through the four-inch-thick tabletop and imbedded into the wood. He'd never seen anything like that before.

"A sorceress!" The general exclaimed. "She… she's a witch!"

"No," Ben shook his head. "She's just a very powerful young lady." He turned and felt blindly for the opening. "If you'll excuse me," he mumbled. "I'm going to go back to work."