Chapter One
Third Person
6 months later
"We found her, Sir"
Ben looked up from the document and stared at his guard, feeling his heart stop as he dropped his pen.
"I have ordered the guards to bring," he continued "she will arrive before dinner"
Ben stood up and looked out the window, turning his back to the guard.
His heart clenched, he should be happy. Bouncing off the walls happy with a huge smile on his face. But he wasn't, he felt happy yes but right now it was tied with regret and sorrow. Happiness because he was going to be able to his beloved again and beg her for forgiveness. Yet sorrow and regret for how he treated her, ignored her. He knows he broke her trust, he knows she won't see him as her prince charming. They found her. but
After six months.
After one month he found out the truth.
That his beloved Mal was framed.
The anger and rage still present. After finding out the truth from his private investigator, Ben threw a fit in his office; throwing his papers, breaking his chair, breaking frames and vases, throwing all his books in the floor, punching the walls until he bled.
His parents had rushed inside to check on him as soon as they hear his growl and roar in anger. They found him shaking in anger flipping his desk before kicking the desk. His dad called out his name to get his attention but instead of going to meet his father's eyes, his eyes concentrated on what was next to his dad, a broken mirror, shattered yet at that moment the mirror seems to be concentrated on what was on his head.
His crown.
His stupid crown.
Ben felt the anger in him reach new heights as he stared at his crown. Forgetting completely on his family he took his crown off his head. He held to this crown feeling each individual diamond sinking into his skin. He held on with a stronger grip hoping to feel pain.
He was a fool.
His dad still focused on his surrounding didn't pay much attention to Ben as he sat down on a chair. But once he did, Adam looked at his wife with an unknowing look and his fists clench, he didn't know what to do. Belle gave him a soft sad smile and places a kiss on his arm before moving towards her son.
"Ben" she murmured, "What happened?"
But Ben didn't look at her. He stared down at his crown.
"Ben, sweetie what happened?" Belle asked gently this time placing her hands on his cheeks lifting his head up. This time his eyes meet hers. And all she could see was regret and sorrow filling his eyes.
"I sent her away"
This gained his parent's attention.
Mal.
He was talking about Mal.
Tears began falling fast, "I sent her away"
Belle looked at her heartbroken son before letting out a shaky breath out, with her throat clenching making it hard to swallow she spoke with tears beginning to form, "Ben you had no choice, she broke the-"
Ben shook his head as more tears began to fall, "No, she didn't" he looked down at his crown before letting it fall and wiped his face before turning to his parents "she was framed."
After the reveal, his parents told him to rest while the sorted some things out to make sure they find the real person that committed the crimes after all the council wasn't going to allow Mal to come back without proof that she didn't commit the crimes and the person responsible for the crimes.
Ben, as suggested by his parents, went to his room to rest but before he opened his room door he turned to the door in front of his. It was a room that he had made forbidden to enter a month ago. Taking a deep breath he opened the door and was instantly hit with the purple and green. Canvas filled the room, some were finished, others were not even touched, Ben felt weaker and weaker as he walked into the room before sitting in the bed to try and ease his tense muscles. The room still smelled like her. Like berries, like strawberries. He laid down and buried his face into her purple pillow before letting his tears fall.
How could he not trust her?
After that day, not a single night passed where he didn't have nightmares. He heard Mal yelling his name begging for help, crying for him to save her. the worst nights were when he would wake up hearing her pleas ringing in his ears before and fall asleep only to dream of her being tortured, he never sees the man's face only his back and his laugh, his maniacal evil perverted laugh as he toward over Mal's body, as she cried out in pain and fear. Those were the worst, but it was all about to change with her coming back.
"Sir, Sir" his guard called out.
Ben turned to look at him "Yes, Owen"
Owen shuffled his feet before looking at him again, "Lady Mal will be needing medical assistance."
Ben froze, "What do you mean, medical assistance?"
"She was...She was stabbed before we could take her."
His insides boiled. His eyes narrowed, "by whom?"
"Gaston Jr."
