Old Habits

Worry

          ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~❶Ben❶~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the week progresses, Mal stops calling or picking up. I'm kind of worried, I called the other descendant's and they said they haven't seen her lately. My parents tell me that she's alright but trying to isolate herself and stay in the zone for her art. I can't wait to see her today. I can see the castle from the limo as we drive through the streets of the city. As I pull up, I see my parents waiting outside. I step out and they pull me into a hug. "Ben, it's great to see you," Mom says.

"Welcome home," Dad continues.

I look around for my fiancé and frown when I don't see her. "Where's Mal? I thought she'd be here." I ask. They hesitate. "Mom, Dad, where's Mal?"

"Honey, we have something to tell you," Mom says. She leads me inside and we start to walk upstairs. "We haven't been telling you something and I'm so sorry. A week ago, there was an incident."

"What kind of incident?"

"The two kids who broke into your room escaped," Dad says. "And Mal was the one who let them. She attacked the guards and held them off long enough for them to leave."

"What?" I ask. "No, Mal wouldn't do that. I know her; she wouldn't."

"Sweetie, we think Mal is being controlled. What color are her eyes?" Mom asks.

"Green. They even grow green when she uses her powers."

"They're gold and silver right now," Dad says. "We think someone was using her to help the kids escape. But that's not the problem." We reach Mal's room and stand outside. "When we go in there, don't approach her. Whatever is happening to her, it's making her attack anyone who gets within three feet of her."

I nod and open the door. "Mal?" I ask, walking in. She doesn't even look at me, just straight ahead. There are bags under her eyes and she's really pale. There are trays of food littering the floor, untouched. She's just standing there, her arms by her side. Blood is dried into her hair. "Mal, are you alright?" I step further into the room. Her mouth doesn't even twitch. I wave my hand in front of her. "Mal? Sweetie? Love?" Nothing. I walk over and look through her phone. Dozens of calls from Jay.

I turn back to my parents who stand there, looking sorry and worried about Mal. "We've tried to give her an IV but she fights us. Nothing works. She needs help but we can't get close to her to do anything."

I nod. "You should have told me. I should have heard about this as soon as it happened," I exclaim.

They nod. "I'm sorry, but you have a duty as king before any relationship. We were trying to help you keep a clear mind."

"Can I have some time with Mal, alone? I want to try something," I inform. They nod.

Before they leave, Dad turns back to me. "Remember, three feet and she'll attack. Doesn't matter who it is. She attacked your mother the first night this happened."

"She didn't mean it-"

"And we know it but whatever is controlling her, it doesn't stop. For anyone. Be careful." I nod and my parents finally leave.

I call Jay, using Mal's phone. "Mal? Where have you been?! You haven't picked up in a week!"

"Jay, it's Ben," I interrupt. "Something's wrong with Mal. We think she's being controlled."

"What makes you think that?" Jay asks, suspicious.

"Her eyes are glowing gold and silver. No one can get within a couple feet of her. She hasn't eaten or slept in a week, just standing there. Do you know of some spell that could be used to control someone? Make them violent?" I ask.

Jay sighs. "I can look into it," he sounds disappointed. "I'll get back to you when I can. Call me if anything changes."

"Got it," I reply. "Thank you!" I hang up and throw the phone onto the bed. I try to think things through to find a solution. I even scan through Mal's spell book. Nothing. I sigh and am about to punch a hole in the wall when Mal's footing shifts. "Mal?" I ask. I walk around her. Her eye color flickers for a moment before settling on green. "Mal!" Her knees buckle and I rush forward, catching her before she fell. "Guards!" I scream. Her eyes flutter for a moment before shutting. "Guards!" The burst through the door, ready for a fight. "Send for my parents, hurry!"

They rush out, doing as I asked. I curl Mal up, letting her head rest on my shoulder. My parents rush in with a doctor. "Ben?" mom asks.

"She just collapsed. Her eyes changed back," I respond to the unasked questions. I pick her up and lay her out on the bed. Mom pulls me back as the doctor moves towards Mal. "Is she gonna be alright?" I ask, hesitant.

"There's always hope, but she's been going days without food or sleep. She may be weak for a while," The doctor says. "Now, if you'd please."

Mom and Dad pulls me out as I look back at Mal. "She's gonna be alright, Ben," Dad says. "Let's let the doctor work. Why don't you go get settled in?"

I shake my head. "I'm just gonna sit out here, if that's alright. I need to be here for her, even if she doesn't know it." They nod and walk away, leaving me to my thoughts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"My king," someone says. I'm shaken as I open my eyes.

The doctor stands there. "What's wrong? Is Mal okay?"

He nods. "She needs lots of rest and nutrients, but she'll be fine. She has a back bump on her head. I had one of the nurses clean her up. She'll be asleep for a while. You can go see her if you'd like. If she walks up, she should stay off her feet for a while"

"Thankyou," I dismiss. I walk towards the room and slowly open the door. The coversare pulled up to Mal's waist. She's in a pair of her pajamas. There's an IV inher arm to feed her body the nutrient's it's missed. I take of my jacket andshoes off, setting them aside as I crawl in next to her. "Hey, Mal," I whisper.I move the hair from her face and rub my thumb along her cheek. "You're goingto be alright." I lay down beside her and pull her towards me. I slowly fallasleep, feeling each breath she takes.�T�r���