The Verdict

(Day 66: Tuesday Morning)

"Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth or so help you God?"

Ben places his hand on the King James Bible, "I so solemnly swear."

"He's an atheist," a girl in the crowd shouts, and when Ben looks to see who it is he's surprised to see that it's neither the girl from the church charity nor anyone else he knows.

When the guy holding the bible up to him gives a questioning look Ben glances to the news camera and then down at the podium for a moment, before he breaks the silence, "I'm the son of a decursed beast and someone who's been accused of being a sorceress countless times, who also just so happens to be dating a dragon hybrid. I think it's safe to say that I'm already going to Hell, assuming that it does exist. Which I'm sure will make at least two hundred of my citizens very happy." He makes a circular gesture, "Also, may I just say that this is the worst possible way to promise someone to be honest. Because, by doing this not only are you assuming that the person believes in God. You're also assuming that they're Christian." He places a hand on his chest, "What if I were Jew or Muslim? This bible would be completely inaccurate to swear upon. No." Ben announces, "I have a much better idea." before he smiles. "I swear on my crown that I will not lie nor maliciously mislead, as the current law currently states that any royal who knowingly and willingly lies on the stand will be guilty of perjury and will therefore have their title revoked." Ben looks around the room, "Everyone okay with that?"

Audrey's lawyer offers a shrugful facial expression, which includes raised eyebrows and widened eyes, "I'm fine with it."

"Okay, then," the judge speaks. "The questioning may begin." He nods down towards the plaintive, "You may start."

Audrey's lawyer stands from the table and walks up to Ben, before he smirks at him, "Is it true that you're an atheist?"

"Relevance," Mr. Droit stands from his seat.

The black haired lawyer turns towards the judge, "It's relevant. By determining whether he believes in God, we can determine how moral he is."

The judge furrows his eyebrows at him as he stretches an arm out to Ben's podium, "He's a human being. Morality is ingrained in his soul." before the judge closes his hand and places it over his heart. "And he swore on his crown. What more do you want?" The grey eyed lawyer stays silent. "Well. Proceed."

Audrey's lawyer turns back to Ben, "How much of the attack did you see?"

"I did not see the entirety of the incident," Ben carefully answers. "I asked Mal what she was doing the moment I entered the room." He nods down, "She didn't say much."

"What did she say?" he questions.

Ben smiles, "She complemented me on how hot I was. She didn't say a lot of anything else… She wasn't in her right mind."

"And what state of mind would you say she was in?"

It takes a moment for Ben to answer, "Just by seeing how she was behaving… I would say it was very instinctual. I don't think she was doing a lot of thinking."

"If the behavior was instinctual, then wouldn't that mean that it's in her instinct to hurt people?" the lawyer insinuates.

"Not necessarily," Ben furrows his eyebrows as he evenly counters. "She needed heat. Her instinct told her that Audrey had it. That's all it may have been."

"But that may not be all that it was?" he devices.

It takes a minute for Ben to answer, "I am not Mal. I wasn't in her position the night of the incident. There's no way I could know the entirety of the circumstances, and sadly, if she doesn't remember much, then neither does she."

The lawyer nods, "How well do you know this Mal Bertha?"

Ben glances down as he thinks, "Mal is not a very open nor trusting person, quite understandably, due to the environment in which she grew up, so I don't know her has well as I do other people; however, what I do know is that she has good intent and that she wants to be good. She's been trying to be good."

"Clearly, her trying wasn't good enough," the lawyer opinionates. "If she's really been trying to be good and has good intentions, then how do you explain what she did? Do you think that what she did to Princess Audrey was a good thing?"

Ben can't help but give him a look of annoyance, "You know you're not supposed to use Audrey's title, right? No one's using mine." No one speaks up, so he takes a deep breath and then answers, "Look. Mal is new here. If she was truly running on instinct, then that means she was acting based on what has been ingrained in her from her time on the island. If she wasn't thinking, then that means she couldn't have stopped to think about where she is now and what the possible consequences, assuming she even knew there would be any, could be."

"So, you don't think that what your girlfriend did was wrong?"

"I think," Ben bypasses, "that Mal had no way of contemplating what was right or wrong at the time of the incident. If she truly was not in her right mind, then that means that she truly wasn't herself and that the actions she took that night should not be a reflection of who she is."

"But the fact of the matter is," the lawyer states, "that the actions she took did happen. You say that it was just her instinct and that it wasn't her, but what's stopping her from acting on her instinct again? What's stopping her from hurting someone again?"

Ben hears the panel of judges hum and whisper, and then he takes a relaxing breath before calmly speaking, "Mal wasn't well. She wasn't herself. She was in desperate need of heat, a necessity to her. We don't criminalize the homeless when they steal bread from a church. Why should we criminalize Mal trying to get what to her is a necessity to live?" He pauses, but he makes sure the pause is short enough so that the lawyer can't question him. "It is highly unlikely the incident in question would have happened had she been properly kept heated, had she not waited until the last moment to get heat."

It takes a moment for the lawyer to point out, "But she did, and she had other ways of getting heat. She didn't have to attack the princess."

"Mal is not the problem," Ben insists. "It's her upbringing, the place she comes from. All four of the people who came from the island have had their issues, and it's not because of who they are or what morals they were or were not taught." He swallows and blinks, before more words escape him, "They've never had the luxury of having proper access to necessities or having an excess amount of those necessities to indulge in. Whether it be food, clothes, shelter— or in Mal's case, heat— they're not used to being able to have those things. They use their resources sparingly. God, one of them didn't even own deodorant until last week." Ben shakes his head, "They don't know they can have these things if only they ask for them, and the sad thing is that because of their lack of trust they have a hard time asking for help of any kind." He takes a shaky breath as he tries to keep the tears at bay, "Mal waited until the last minute to get heat, because she's not used to being able to have it any time she wants or in whatever amounts she needs. She's probably afraid to ask for it, because she's afraid of asking for help in general. And as far as what she did to Audrey, it was because she's so used to resorting to desperate measures that her instinct told her it was okay to do that desperate thing." A couple tears fall from his eyes, "Honestly, I believe that had she kept her heat up more regularly, then it's entirely possible that this incident and whatever harm it may have caused would have never happened."

"The defendant is recalled to the stand."

When Mal sits at the podium Audrey's lawyer states, "You have claimed that you are a hybrid of fairy and dragon descent, and not only that but that your dragon descent is from real fire-breathing dragons with scales and horns and wings."

After it's clear the lawyer has stopped speaking Mal comments, "Yes?"

"But you have no evidence of it, do you?" he confidently insists.

Mal gives him a look, "A lot of people here have seen my mother turn into a dragon."

The lawyer scoffs, "Everyone knows that your mother's ability to turn into a dragon came from her staff, The Dragon's Eye. It had the dark magical power to turn her into a dragon. She was never actually able to do it herself."

"No," Mal slowly states. "She did turn herself into a dragon. That staff was only ever used to enhance her fairy magic. It had nothing to do with her dragon heritage."

"Then why is the staff called The Dragon's Eye?"

Mal scrunches up her eyebrows, "Something about how my mother's father, who was a dragon, had his spirit put in the stone or something?" Her voice raises, "I don't know. How am I supposed to know? He died a long time ago."

"Oh, so your grandfather, the dragon, died, now," the lawyer restates. "If he's dead, then there's no way to prove his existence. How convenient."

"How convenient," Mal leans forward, "that a little human is Audrey's lawyer." She grits her teeth, "It's because of you that my grandfather is dead. You're the reason my mother was orphaned at fourteen years old and left to fend for herself after your kind killed her mother. And now you have the nerve to say he never even existed."

"I wasn't the one who killed them," the lawyer tries to reason.

Mal spits in his face, "You might as well have." before he takes out a handkerchief and collectively wipes the substance from his face. "You're just like the rest of them: arrogant and so afraid of the unknown that you're willing to kill anyone you don't understand."

"I didn't kill anyone," he stresses.

Mal glares at him, "You should all just die off. The rest of us would be a lot safer without you being around."

Ben stands from his seat and yells, "Mal." and when she turns toward him he continues. "Your eyes. Settle down."

Mal fully sits back in her seat and shuts her eyes as she tries to settle her breathing, before the judge looks down at Ben, "Your girlfriend just said that all humans should die. What do you have to say to that?"

"She's just upset. She didn't mean it," he tries to reason. "Her grandparents were murdered, her mother orphaned, and now he questions if her family even existed?" Ben places a hand to himself, "I know I'm not terribly thrilled that my father was orphaned. That kind of thing leaves an impact, deep seeded effects that can last generations." He folds his hands together, "Please, take pity on her. What she was born as and the life she was given isn't her fault. She needs help. Condemning her for this specifically would only make things worse."

The judge is quiet for a moment, before he looks back down at the lawyer, "Do you have any other questions for the defendant?"

"Yes. I—" He panics, "I can't feel my face. Why can't I feel my face?" He widens his eyes at Mal in horror as he grits his teeth, "What did you do to me?"

"It's called dragon venom," Mal loudly states. She shrugs it off, "Don't worry. It will wear off… eventually." before she partly smirks. "How's that for proof of what I am?"

The lawyer irritably responds, "No further questions Your Honor." before he shakes his head and returns to his table.

The judge comments, "The defendant may return to her seat." and when she does he announces to the room. "We will now have closing statements." He nods down at Mr. Droit, "What does the defense have to say?"

Mal's lawyer stands, "Your Honor, my client had no ill intent when it came to the incident. We plead not guilty, calling for a plea of temporary insanity. The need for heat made it so that she was not in her right mind. What happened was not her fault."

After he sits Audrey's lawyer stands, "Your Honor, suggesting that the defendant's attack on the princess wasn't her fault just because she wasn't in her right mind is an outrageous claim. If someone who was mentally ill poisoned the king, would we not still press charges for the king's murder? The hybrid needs to take responsibility for what she did and accept the appropriate punishment."

The judge nods, "I will speak with the panel, and after we reach a consensus I will come back and give the verdict. In the meantime, there will be a fifteen minute recess."

After he pounds his gavel and the panel of judges leave Ben grabs Mal and pulls her to the private room, shutting the door behind them. She looks at him, mouth open, before he gestures, "What was that?" Mal begins to speak; however, no words come out, so Ben explains, "Why did you say all humans should die? Do you really feel that way?" Mal looks away for a moment before she takes a step forward, but when she does Ben takes a step back. "My mother is human."

"I know that," Mal quietly says, and then she tries to step forward again. "Look. It's not—" She lets out a breath, "Jay is human. It's not like that. It's just…"

"Just what?" Ben irritably prompts.

It takes a second for her to say, "It's not about the humans who treat me nice. When they're nice, I can forget what I am. But when they're not…" She glances down, "It's like I'm an outsider, and I'm suddenly reminded of how different humans are: everything my mother said about them—"

"Your mother was wrong," Ben voices.

"So, you're going to tell me that humans aren't self-centered?" She takes another step forward, "That they don't kill just because they're afraid?"

Ben breathes as he offers a sad look, "All species are like that. It's about survival. It's not just humans who do that." Mal doesn't speak. "The reality is," Ben states, "that even if this trial goes well…" He steps forward and places a hand on her upper arm, "Mal. I really wanted you to be my future queen, but if you're so hateful of and fear humans so much…" He shakes his head, "Seventy-five percent of the people I serve are human. What you said— If they disapprove of us…" He looks at her with sad eyes, "What you said could hurt our chances at having a future together."

Mal shuts her eyes for a moment, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

He swipes her wavy hair behind her ear and holds his hand near her cheek, "I really wanted us to be together."

"We still can be," Mal reassures. "This— Nothing has happened yet."

"And if it does?" He questions. "If people pressure—" His sentence drops, as he releases a breath a submission, "You know, even more than they already have?"

Mal's quiet for a second, "I would understand if you don't want to be with me anymore."

"No," Ben loudly objects, and then he places his other hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to give you up. I want you. But…" He wets his lips, "You're making it really hard for me to defend you."

"I know," she accepts. "I'm sorry."

"If this is going to work," Ben immediately replies, "then you need to try to be good."

Mal stares at him for a moment, "I've been trying."

"Then try harder," he stresses, and when he sees the hurt on her face as she turns away he lowers his voice. "I just really don't want to lose you." He moves his hand down near her chin and turns her head back towards him, "I want this to work." He lets out a breath and shuts his eyes for a second, before he annunciates, "I need this to work."

"I'll get better," Mal promises, but as she hears the words she had echoed to her mother, suddenly she feels as though she knows she won't.

Ben hugs her tight, kissing the back of her neck, "I love you so much."

"I know," Mal frowns in response, before she places an arm across his back. When the embrace ends she insecurely states, "I really care about you too."

"Something the matter?" Ben worries.

Mal forces a smile, "No." before she excuses. "I just really hope we can be together, that I won't be sent back to the Isle."

Ben frowns, "Even if you are…" He lifts a shoulder, "With college and everything— if it were to even take that long— I'm sure I could wait. And, you know, I could visit." He attempts to smile, "We could even skype. We could talk every day." He holds her hands, "It would be like nothing has changed."

Mal looks down, before she raises their held hands and she slowly states, "Except that we wouldn't be able to do this." Ben's smile slips. "I wouldn't be able to hug you, kiss you— be with you. And I wouldn't force Evie to come back with me. I'd tell her not to." She questions, "So, where would I be getting my heat from?" He doesn't answer, and she lets go of his hands. "I would have to be getting it from other people. I would either be cheating on you or… breaking Evie's heart." She gives him a pained look, "If I'm sent there, I don't want you to have to wait for me."

"But I will," Ben counters. "Even if you can't be faithful to me during your imprisonment, I will remain faithful to you."

Mal slightly shakes her head, "Why?"

"Because." Ben reminds her, "You make me feel whole, and I will always be yours." He smiles at her, and she tries to smile as they stare into each other's eyes; however, then the door opens and their attention is brought to it.

Evie looks between the two of them, "I'm not interrupting something. Am I?"

"No. Of course, not," Ben denies, before he nods towards his girlfriend. "I was just telling Mal in which ways we could continue communicating if she is to be convicted."

"Yes," Evie uneasily says. "Well, I, uh…" She darts her eyes between Mal and Ben before shutting them for a second, smiling with shiny eyes the next moment, simply saying, "Yes. Of course."

It's quiet before Mal comments, "You know, you can hug me, you know." before she turns to Ben. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No." He frowns, "Of course, not."

Evie's smile widens, as she slightly laughs and goes over to wrap her arms around Mal, "I so hope you get to stay."

When they release Mal requests, "If I don't, take care of my mom, please?"

"Of course," Evie nods.

"How old is your mother," Ben questions, and then the two of them stare at him. "It's just, the stuff with your grandparents, uh, I would just like a general timeline. To try to understand the situation better."

Evie turns to Mal, "What would you say, M? Three hundred going on a thousand?"

Mal makes a face and shrugs, "Sounds about right."

It takes a moment for Ben to state, "I'm being serious."

Mal chuckles, "And you think we're not?" and when his mouth gapes in silence she goes over to him and tugs out his tie. "Dragons have a very long lifespan." She pulls it, and he shuts his eyes as they kiss.

When the kiss ends he shakes his head and puts a hand up in between them, "Wait." but then he looks away as he hesitates. "What about you? Like, what does that mean for us?"

Mal makes an unsure expression before wrapping her arms over his shoulders, "Let's not think about that. Okay?"

"But—"

She interrupts him with another kiss, and he becomes stunned. "Worse case… You get to have a very young looking wife for your entire life." She raises her eyebrows, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," Ben begins. "But—"

"But?" Mal whispers.

It takes a second for Ben to furrow his eyebrows, "I have nothing. I thought I did… but I don't."

"What a big surprise there," Evie sarcastically interrupts, and then they look at her. She nods up towards the wall clock, "It's time to go."

Ben looks up towards it, "So, it is." before he goes to open the door and smiles at Mal. "My lady."

Mal smiles as she leaves, but when Evie follows her she stops by Ben, looking him up and down with an open smile, "You might want to fix that."

"Hmm?" She eyes his tie again, and then he sees it, "Oh" He grins at her in embarrassment, "Thank you."

"Any time," Evie says before leaving, and Ben hurries to fix his tie before exiting the room and entering the courtroom.

After everyone takes their respectful seats they stare, as the judge takes his place and the room erupts with silence. He clasps his hands, "We have come to a very difficult conclusion." He looks between the two parties, "And that is that the defendant is guilty of attempted sexual assault." Ben hears his mother gasp and watches as she leans towards his father, who then wraps an arm around her in comfort. "Now," the judge speaks louder, "given that the defendant is indeed a minor and that this is her first recorded offense." Ben notices the judge look at him for a moment. "We have granted her leniency, and the panel has agreed that the appropriate punishment is to make sure this will never happen again." He looks down at Mal, "The defendant will be put on five months of probation, during which time she will not be allowed to leave the city of Auradon. The conditions of her probation are the following: she will take a class designed to help her understand the laws and resources available here, she will see a therapist at least once a week to help her get over her racism towards humans, and during each session the defendant will also show documentation of her body temperature, which will show at least two readings every day. If she does not comply with these conditions, then she will be placed in prison for a year with a five year probation thereafter." He eyes Mal, "Does the defendant understand?"

"I understand," Mal answers.

The judge nods, "After the trial you will be fitted for an ankle monitor, and by the end of the day you will have the names of your court appointed therapist and class instructor." He pounds his gavel, "Court is dismissed."

- danifan3000 Your comment is very insightful and accurate. I do have a scene planned where Audrey tries to set up a truce dinner between her family, Ben and his family, and Mal. I would say that based on what I thought up so far that things end pretty neutral, but that's just my opinion and it could change. Without any concrete written dialogue things could easily change, and even if they don't the readers will have to decide what they think for themselves. Let me know what you think about it when the time comes. (And, as always, thank you to everyone else for commenting as well).

- Help for a Future Fic: So... I need your help with something I've had a hard time figuring out. So, if this fanfic eventually turns into a series, then eventually one character will die who I would like to die without injury or illness. I know. Sounds impossible, right? Here's the criteria: the death should be predictable, and they should be suffering through minimal pain. It can't be injury, because the person will be having injuries during the progressive death (It should be at least a few days or a week where people could visit them before they die). If it is sickness, I don't want it to affect the brain or circulatory system. I want them to be able to die as themselves... This would be a long ways from now— like a really long ways (possibly five fics from now)— so it's not a question in desperate need for an answer, but because my mind wandered down that storyline anyway I would like to know how the person would be dying, if it's even possible... I could give more details if it helps, but I really don't want to do it in the author's notes in case I do end up getting that far and someone decides to binge-read the fics for some reason. I would be surprised if someone could do that, but because I know some of you (you know who you are) have already done that with this fic, I don't want to take my chances... Also, it wouldn't be as easy as just erasing this paragraph, because I may not remember which chapter it's in at that point (if I get there)... Oh, yeah. One more thing: if it is from sickness, then it shouldn't be able to be solved with a transplant. The person would be powerful/rich enough and have a decent blood-type where it would probably be easy for them to obtain one.