When the Auradonian couple arrived at the royal palace, they were welcomed as always. In the middle of the night, Ben saw Mal get up to go to the bathroom more than once, and when he realized she was going for the third time, he thought it was best to accompany her and stay by her side, even in the midst of her silence.

The next morning, Ben went with Shang to the borders, and Mal accompanied Mulan to the plantation fields. In front of them, they pretended as best they could.

"So, have you gotten used to being queen?"

Mulan asks Mal as they walk through the huge wheat field. Lonnie's mother noticed the distant look on the young girl's face, and it was impossible for her not to comment.

"No, absolutely not. I think it might take me a while to get accustomed to this life and this crown."

She says it sincerely, turning her gaze back to the great warrior.

" Just wait a while, and everything will become normal. But I confess that I really appreciate Belle and Adam taking care of Auradon. It's easier when you only have to govern one province." Mulan looks again at the young queen's distant gaze. "But you fell in love with their son, didn't you? It was in the package."

" Yeah."

Mal replies, not at all happy about it now.

"Everything's all right, Mal?"

"Sure, everything's fine."

It's harder than Mal imagines to pretend she's not angry with her husband.

"That's good. You and Ben are too young to love each other so much."

"Do you think so?"

For the first time, she's paying complete attention to her.

" Yes, Belle told me that a few months after meeting you, he wanted to get married."

Mal laughs at the memory. Her mother-in-law also told her this and is deeply grateful to Belle for convincing her son not to say anything about marriage during their first months together.

"But you and Shang got married early, too."

"Yeah, a month to be exact. We didn't even really know each other, it was crazy. We got lucky, I guess."

"Lucky?"

"Yeah, true love is rare, almost like two in a million, and falling in love with your war commander makes things more difficult."

"True, especially when that someone is your complete opposite."

Mal goes back to thinking about her and her husband. They're different, completely opposite to each other.

"Don't remind me, do you know I still find out things about him now? Not that it's bad; it's very good; being married to someone so alike must be bad."

Mulan is very similar to Mal in some ways, and she can see that.

" Really? At least it avoids arguments."

"Yeah, but what couple doesn't argue? You two don't seem to fight much."

"Yeah, but when they do, it's really annoying."

She says she's laughing. She hates that everyone thinks she and Ben are the perfect couple.

"Conflicts are important."

" Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes, you and Ben are going to have those moments too, you'll see."

"Maybe."

Suddenly, she's the only one who doesn't have that perfect view of the world.

"I'm sure they'll get to that point."

"Why so sure?"

"Have you ever heard your mother-in-law's favorite song? Beauty and Beast?"

" Several thousand times."

Mal laughs, remembering how many times she's heard that song. It's almost like the soundtrack to her house.

"Me too, Shang loves her." The two laughed in complicity. "The point is, that song says, "A tale as old as time, as true as can be, and you'd hardly be friends." Have you ever thought about the chances of you two ending up together? Mal, when you break the barrier of the impossible, literally anything becomes possible."

"I hope so."

She smiles briefly. May Mulan really be right.

(...)

Far away, Shang has the same conversation with Ben. It seems that he and his wife planned it or just observed how the two of them looked over breakfast in the morning.

"Look, it's like Yin and Yang." Shang shows the king the piece of necklace that has been around his neck for years. "They are different, but at the same time, they are one."

"I know what you mean, but with Mal, it's a bit more complicated than that."

He's honest with the former warrior.

"More difficult than Mulan? I doubt it." The Auradonian couple's situation is much more complex, but Ben lets him believe what he says. "I can't remember a week that went by without us arguing."

"Really? You two seem so calm, as if you never fight."

"That's because you don't marry a copy of yourself. Different people, different attitudes, but the same feeling."

"These differences are sometimes so difficult."

Ben assumes wearily.

"But if you love her, you'll have to live with it. If Mal is like Mulan..."

"Mal is completely independent, which is amazing, but sometimes it's so annoying too, because when she's in that cavern of hers, no one can get in. Is it so hard to understand that I just want to look after her?"

He asks Shang.

"You love her, you just have to talk and work it out because, from what I can see, you love each other too much to break up."

" Yeah."

"Talk. Everything is only possible through talking."

(...)

Later, Ben and Mal met up again and talked about the basics. "How was your day?", "Are you feeling well?" and "How's the kingdom?"

While they were getting ready for bed, Mal felt a strong urge to vomit and ran to the bathroom. At that moment, Ben couldn't bear the thought of sitting still and pretending nothing was happening, so he went to help her.

"I told you didn't need it."

She says it a little angrily as she feels him holding her hair.

"I know what you said, and I don't care." He warns her and just watches her green eyes roll back. "Here." He handed her a towel, and they headed back to the bedroom. "Can we talk now?"

" Say it."

Ben hates to see the old Mal back, the girl who pretended to be cold and tough.

"Mal, I don't understand why you see this baby this way. I'm sorry. I want to understand you, but I can't. I've always wanted to be a father, and seeing you act like this pregnancy is the worst thing in the world destroys me."

The two of them are sitting next to each other on the edge of the bed. They don't look at each other, Ben says everything while looking at the floor.

"Ben, I never imagined myself being a mother." Mal looked up at him. "As much as you say I'm going to be an incredible mother, I don't see it that way."

"Mal..."

"At first it was just fear of looking after a child, and I swear that fear was going away, but now this baby could be born just like me or my mother. How do you want me to deal with it?" She takes his hand and says it sincerely. "I don't see any of this as a good thing."

"I don't know what to tell you apart from what I've always told you. You're not your mother, and certainly not our baby. Mal, I don't know if you remember, but this baby still has a part of me, and I don't have magic, at least not that I know of. Does my father's having been a beast matter?" Mal laughs through his tears. "I know that this is far from the way I imagined being a father, but you know what? It's the best way I could dream of, because it's with you."

"It's all going to go wrong."

She says this, pressing her hand into his.

"If you promise to trust me, I promise to keep all your doubts to myself."

He wipes away her tears and kisses the tip of her nose, which causes her to giggle instantly.

"That's a serious promise."

Mal smiles, running his hands through his brown hair.

"I know. I'm scared too, but I won't make it without you, Mal."

He rests his forehead against hers.

"I can't make it without you, either."

Ben takes the courage to kiss her as if for the first time. They miss each other terribly and notice it when they start to take their clothes off.

All that insecurity won't go away so easily, but for now, being at peace with Ben is good enough for the queen.