Crossing the Water

Chapter 20

Mal sighed as she gently led Ben into one of the rooms that had appeared for their break. It was clear that her fiancé wasn't completely over the fear of what his future held.

"Gods, I hope Chad is okay," Ben said softly as they sat down.

"I'm sure he's fine," Mal said as she gently rubbed his back. "Ben, Chad's surrounded by his family, by people who love him. You saw how Kitty reacted to seeing Chad get shoved into that closet."

"I've never seen her act like that before," Ben nodded, his head barely moving.

"Exactly," Mal said gently. "Ben, you may be the king but you're so focused on making sure everyone else is happy that I think you forgot that you also went through a traumatic experience here."

Ben shrugged. "Mal, I can't shut down. If someone needs—"

"If someone needs help in the main room, they've got the former King of Auradon to turn to. Not to mention the King of Charmington, the king of Auraoria. In addition to that, they've also got an ass ton of Queens if the Kings don't cut it. Plus Lucas is pretty skilled at making sure no one kills Leah though the more we go into this viewing, the more I think he regrets taking on that mantle."

Ben couldn't help but give a weak chuckle at that, causing Mal to smile slightly.

"It's just you and me Ben," she said softly. "No matter what happens in the future, you just saw a version of yourself get turned into what I can only assume is your worst fear by someone you are still close to. Never mind the fact that she was your ex, she's still a friend and she cursed you."

"She cursed you too."

"Eh," Mal shrugged. "Sure it was jarring but it wasn't anything terrible. Besides, it was easily reversed after all. One quick trip to the Isle and it was right as rain."

Ben sighed. "Mal...I can't just break down. If I do, I'm afraid I won't stop."

"Okay," Mal said gently as she pulled him close, keeping her arm wrapped around him as if to ward off any negative emotions.

They sat like that for a while, maybe five minutes, before Ben spoke again. "I had told her. Audrey I mean. When we first started dating, I had told her that was my worst fear. You probably think me an idiot for doing that. I mean, why give anyone something they can use against you right?"

"I mean, that is how it works on the Isle but we're not on the Isle Ben," Mal told him. "You thought you were talking to someone you trusted. Not to mention she was your girlfriend at the time. If you could trust anyone with a secret like that, it should be her."

Ben gave a weak smile at that. "And here I thought you'd be ranting against her, vowing she would regret the day she cursed me."

"If she does that this time, she will," Mal promised, giving Ben a gentle smile. The two sat in silence for a bit.

"We were in the West Wing," Ben said softly, startling Mal a bit as she hadn't expected him to start talking again. "I had just showed her the old scratches on the wall, the ones dad had—"

"I remember," Mal said gently.

Ben sighed. "I had told her that I was afraid. Afraid that I'll somehow be transformed into a beast. That I'll be angry and mean and..."

"And?" Mal prompted.

"...and that no one will love me," Ben said, his voice a near whisper as he looked down at the floor. Mal's heart broke as she saw how downtrodden her fiancé was.

"Hey," she said gently, taking one of his hands in hers and lifting his chin with her other hand. "There is nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you. And you're forgetting something Ben."