The two stayed wrapped up in each other's arms for what felt like an eternity. Only the sound of a small yip brought them back to reality as Estelle looked up at the two of them from his spot next to Ben.
"How're you feeling?" Mal asked, gently brushing a bit of his hair out of his eyes. His beautiful hazel green eyes that for a moment, Mal had feared had been gone from the world forever.
"Ask me in a minute," Ben said softly, blinking gently to try to get the world to stop spinning. "I'm...I'm still trying to regain my bearings here."
If he was being truthful, it honestly felt as if he had teleported once again though teleporting didn't leave him with a throbbing headache. All Ben really wanted to do was lie down and hold Mal close to him, as if reassuring himself that she was alright.
But he knew he couldn't. A King needed to be present to reassure his frightened citizens, to show that he hadn't been affected by that whack on the head. To show them that he could bounce back from an attack with ease.
"You want to stand up?"
"Please."
Mal rose to her feet before gently lifting Ben to his, quickly moving to hold him steady as he swayed slightly. One hand rested on his chest while the other wrapped around his waist to keep him up. It probably didn't help that the sea was still slightly choppy.
"Maybe it'd be better to get you a room where you can lie down," Uma said, noticing the swaying.
Ben shook his head, ignoring the slight nauseous feeling that came as a result. "Not yet. There's something I need to do first."
"Ben we've already taken care of Freddy—."
"You guys didn't kill him did you?"
"No but I can see how you might think that by the choice in words," Jay nodded and whacked Harry over the head.
"Like you wouldn't have said it the same way Jay!" Harry exclaimed.
"No, I wouldn't've because I am older than you and therefore wiser."
"One year! You are one year older than me!"
Mal chuckled slightly before turning to Ben. "Ben you were just knocked out. Whatever you have to do can wait, can't it?"
"Mal I promise, it won't take long," Ben told her as an attendant handed him back his suit jacket. He smiled slightly as he felt the box that held probably the most important thing he could ever have in his pocket. "It's a gift for you—to show my Lady how much she means to me."
Belle shook her head slightly. Of course Ben would insist on still going through with this even after being unconscious for Gods knows how long. "He gets this from you, you know," she muttered to Beast.
"I have no idea what you mean."
"Gift of a library ring any bells Adam?"
"You like to read and at the time you'd just saved my life!" Beast muttered, though he was slightly thankful his wife was referring to that and not his stubborn attitude toward her tending to his wounds. Both after the wolf attack and then again as they regrouped after Gaston's siege of his castle.
"Well it would have been pretty bad form to just have you lie in the snow considering you'd saved my life."
"Hey, it could have been worse. I could have followed Cogsworth's advice and gotten you, and I quote, 'chocolates, flowers, promises I don't intend to keep...'"
"So...the library?"
"Mrs. Potts suggested it after Lumiere mentioned you liked to read and that you'd read all the books in your room by that point."
"Remind me to give them a raise."
Mal, though, heard none of this as she was busy dealing with a particularly stubborn King. "Ben, while a gift is appreciated, it's not exactly the time for it. You can give it to me later, tomorrow even—."
"Mal I promise, it'll be quick," Ben said. The unveiling of the portrait was the perfect time to propose and he wasn't going to let Fred Frollo ruin it! Not Mal's night. "Lumiere, unveil the gift please!"
"And now the unveiling of King Ben's masterpiece. Designed especially for his Lady!" Lumiere announced and Ben gently spun Mal around so that she could see the curtain raise and the stained glass window be revealed to the world.
Mal gasped as she saw it. It was truly amazing, with her purple hair flying behind her and the dragon in the background. She couldn't help but chuckle as she saw it, knowing Ben had gotten an up close view of her dragon form at his coronation before Emir, Jay, and Akiho whisked him to safety.
Yet...here, it didn't look evil. It didn't look like it could be connected to the Mistress of All Evil in anyway. The eyes of the dragon looked like they almost held a hint of mischief to them, the same look her friends claimed she got before she worked on a tag or pelted Evie with a smoke bomb.
There were blue accents throughout the stained glass window as well and vines trailing up and down the border. It almost looked like they were scaling the frame, as if they were there to remind people who her true mother was.
Tears began to prickle in the corners of her eyes as she looked closely and saw that, on the tiara that was on the stained glass her, there wasn't just a dragon. There was a dragon...and a Cerberus...surrounded by a wreath of flowers. She would even bet that the Cerberus had a pomegranate in his mouth, knowing Ben the way she did. There was a small plaque on the frame of the window: Family is Forever.
"Ben..." she said softly as she turned to face him. She had no idea he even remembered that, it'd been so long since she made that tag. So long that it had finally faded from her locker. "You know me. You...you truly know me. You've never asked me to change, even when I felt like I wasn't good enough for you. You even stopped me from changing myself to try to please the kingdom. I love the gift. Ben...I love you."
Ben smiled and gently cupped Mal's cheek with his hand before stepping back slightly. He could celebrate hearing those words in a bit. Right now, he had something more important to do.
"Mal, sometimes life will present you with something that, looking back, can only be credited to Fate," Ben said as music began to play in the background. Music that, if one listened closely, would have sounded very familiar to the purple haired Godling, the brunet King, and the raven haired thief standing in the background. Music that Auradon only knew because of a certain cookie. "I know you disagree but I believe it. The decision to bring kids from the Isle to Auradon was the best decision I could have made because from the moment we got together, hell from the moment we met, you have been the best thing in my life. I never want that to change."
Got to say, for being rather disoriented, I timed that perfectly, he thought as the music ended at the same time he got down on one knee.
Mal couldn't help but gasp softly, her hands flying up to her mouth. Was he really...?
"Ben..."
"It's you and me Mal," Ben said as he pulled a box from his suit jacket pocket and opened it. In the box sat what was probably the most beautiful ring Mal had ever seen, with a gorgeous purple gem sitting dead center on a golden band. The band almost looked like a a dragon surrounding the gem if Mal was honest—she'd have to talk to Ben about his dragon obsession but that was for a later time. "It's you and me forever. Will you marry me? Will you be my Queen?"
Mal stared at him for a moment as time seemed to stand still, the remaining Cotillion guests watching with bated breath. Was she truly ready for that? To be someone's wife? To be Ben's Queen?
She had barely made it through the six months of Cotillion prep. What if she got another Natalie as a handler? But, as she told herself, she had gotten through it. Thanks in a large part to the man she loved. The man who was kneeling in front of her, staring at her with hope filled eyes.
All she knew though, at that moment, was that she never wanted a life without Ben in it. Seeing him, face down on the deck as though dead, made her acutely aware at how fleeting life really was...which was ironic considering her father was the God of the Dead.
"Yes!" Mal nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Happy tears though. There had been enough sadness that for now, only happy tears would escape her eyes tonight.
Ben grinned as he stood up, though Mal needed to quickly grab him to stabilizing him once more otherwise he'd have fallen back onto the deck. He gently slipped the ring on her finger before bringing Mal into a loving kiss. A kiss that Mal readily returned, holding onto Ben tightly as if he'd disappear if she let go.
Tears ran down Mal's cheeks like waterfalls but she didn't care. All she knew was she was with the boy she loved, and he was still alive after facing off against Freddy. Nothing else mattered at that moment. No rep, no reporters. Nothing.
"Got to say, it's almost like they're a True Love," she could hear Uma's voice faintly in the background. "Makes sense though. Doesn't something like that only go to the best?"
Mal smiled against Ben's lips as the kiss continued. Just like before, it seemed to be an eternity before they broke but alas, even Godlings need to breathe.
"Now will you go and get checked out?" Mal asked softly as it was her turn to cup Ben's cheek with her hand. "I just got an amazing fiancé. I don't want anything to happen to him."
Ben smiled gently as he leaned into her touch. "Mal, I can't just leave. I—."
"Ben, you swayed twice getting up after being unconscious from a hit from the hilt of a sword," Mal said softly. "I don't want to seem pushy but—."
"That's okay Mal," Emir said as he and Akiho strolled up, flanking Ben on either side like body guards. "We're excellent at being pushy when it comes to Ben and his health."
"I thought you two were with Freddy?" Mal asked.
"It's Freddy's turn to do a Snow White impression," Emir stated. "Besides, the rest of the team's with him...and is that ring new?"
Mal nodded, a small smile on her face as she rested her hand on Ben's chest; making sure that both boys could see the ring.
"...you actually did it?!" Akiho exclaimed. "I missed it?!"
"You thought I wasn't going to do it?"
"You knew?!"
Akiho chuckled. "Mal, it's me. When it comes to Ben, I know almost everything...but in this case I had a suspicion he was going to propose at some point. Came across some designs for the engagement ring. I had no idea he was going to do it tonight!"
"It was the best possible moment," Ben said, looking like he was going to shrug but thought better of it.
"You realize you've raised the bar for the rest of us to an almost impossible height right?" Jay stated. "At least Emir and Akiho are next, considering the team said you all do everything together."
Emir paled slightly and Akiho clapped his hands together. "Hey, what were we saying about getting this King someplace where he can get checked out? I for one think that's a great idea!"
"Guys, I'm fine," Ben said as Emir and Akiho began to walk him toward the cabins.
"Let us be the judge of that," Emir stated as Mal ran after them, having realized that they had left her just standing there. Yes, she was now a Lady of Ben's court. Yes, she was now the future Queen of Auradon.
That didn't matter. Belle could do the Queenly duties. Her mom could handle organizing Freddy's transport back to the Isle. All Mal wanted to do was be with Ben.
"Guys, come on..." she could hear Ben's voice in the King's suite and shook her head slightly as she walked in.
"Ben, you were knocked out. Forgive us for wanting to make sure you're okay."
"I second that," Mal nodded as she walked in. "I already know you feel a bit dizzy, considering you've swayed twice upon standing. How's your head? Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"
Ben tried to focus on her fingers but they kept moving back and forth. Seriously, did Mal grow three hands?
"Ben?" Mal prompted.
"Um...six?"
Mal glanced at her lone raised hand and then back at Ben. "Okay, I think it's safe to say you've probably got a concussion but I'd like to call in a professional to be sure."
"Good idea," Emir nodded.
"Yeah, Ben is notorious for working through injury," Akiho said. "Remember that time he tore a ligament in his ankle when we were fourteen and he tried to pretend he wasn't limping all day?"
"Oh yeah! When our biology teacher called him out on it when he asked Ben to turn off the lights, Ben put pressure on that ankle and you'd have thought we had murdered a boar in that classroom from how he gasped!" Emir nodded.
Ben shook his head. "There's a difference between then and now guys."
"And what's that?"
"I wasn't King then."
Mal sighed and pulled out her phone. She didn't want to call in backup but Ben was being stubborn. Apparently, when she rescued Ben from Audrey's grasp, she also gave him a fortified spine.
Which was great. Really it was. Until it affected his health.
"Mal, who are you calling?" Ben asked.
"It's just a precaution Ben."
"Don't listen to him Mal!"
"Akiho, if you bring up that blasted Tourney game again...Mal who are you calling?"
"Take a wild guess."
"...you're not calling Chip are you?"
Mal gave him a flat look. "Does Chip have a medical degree?"
"Actually you'd be surprised at what Chip dabbles in," Emir mused. "Plus he'd probably be the only one we could trust to not blab this to the media."
"Why is that even a factor? This was filmed throughout the entire Kingdom, including the Isle!" Akiho exclaimed. "People already know! We get an actual doctor in here so we can know for sure—."
"Akiho, calm down," Mal told him. "I'm just bringing in Chip so that way he can break down Mr. Stubborn's defenses. I'd call Belle but she's needed to do the Queenly stuff since Evie whisked Emma to safety and I'm not leaving Ben's side."
"Neither are we," Emir said firmly.
"I need someone to make sure the others don't kill Freddy before he can get to the Isle," Mal stated.
"The rest of the team can handle that," Akiho said with a shrug.
Mal sighed and turned her attention back to her phone. Thankfully, it seemed that Chip had heard every word as not five seconds later there was a knock at the door.
"Benji being stubborn again?" Chip asked as Mal opened the door to let him in only to find that Belle had also accompanied the dirty blond man.
"Mom?" Ben asked, his eyes wide in shock before wincing slightly.
Belle gave him a sad smile. "I know you're in pain right now Ben. You're so much like your father, it's scary. But you don't have to pretend. Not around me."
"Especially considering this isn't the first time you've been concussed," Emir muttered and Ben shot him a glare.
"I'm sorry?" Belle asked before looking at Ben. "Ben, something like this has happened before?"
"Don't glare at me Ben," Emir scoffed. "I can't believe you never told your mom! After you promised coach!"
"Tell me what?" Belle asked, looking at the three of them. Mal moved slightly so that she was standing by Chip.
"What happening exactly?"
"You're witnessing two very worried shadows now officially at their wits end with the guy they're shadowing," Chip muttered to her. "I mean, I don't blame them. Concussions are nothing to muck about with and they get worse with every one you have."
"How do you—?"
"I'm a freelance videographer. I have to know a little first aid and identifying and treating concussions is one such skill I've gained. When they're done arguing, I'm going to recommend Ben lie down in a dimmed room for the rest of the night. Or at least until we can actually get a medical professional in here."
"...he shouldn't sleep right?" Mal asked softly, her limited knowledge of first aid coming to the forefront of her mind.
"Right," Chip nodded.
"Tell me what?" Belle asked again and Mal realized that the three boys had yet to cease their bickering.
Ben sighed and looked at his mom. "I may have taken a small hit during the Imperial Academy game last year that resulted in a mild concussion."
"Ben, don't try to understate it!" Emir exclaimed. "You got hit so hard, we're pretty sure you were unconscious for ten minutes! You went so pale, the players closest to you thought you were dead."
"Benjamin Florian Le Bête!" Belle exclaimed. "I can't believe...you never told...why is this the first time I've heard about this? Your coach should have told your father and me the minute you got back from the game!"
"Oh it gets better," Emir stated. "Mr. Workaholic here neglected to tell coach that he had strep at the time."
"If coach hadn't found his pulse, we would have thought he was dead," Akiho nodded.
Ben sighed as Belle went pale and Chip looked over at Ben in concern. "Guys, you're making it sound way worse than it actually was."
"Yeah I don't think we are Ben."
"Okay, okay," Mal said gently as she stepped forward. "As entertaining as this all is, let's not argue with the guy who probably has a throbbing headache okay?"
"Yes Mal," Akiho and Emir nodded.
Turning to Ben, Mal stated, "and as for you, all you're going to do is relax in this room with the lights dimmed understand? Any paperwork you need to do tonight, give it to me. I'm your fiancée after all, my signature should be just as good as yours!"
"Mal—."
"Yes?"
Ben sighed. "I was just going to say I don't have any paperwork tonight. I made sure my night was free so I could spend it hopefully celebrating the good news with you."
"Well...we can still do that," Mal said gently and looked at Emir and Akiho. "Guys, could you please make sure Uma, Jay, and Harry haven't murdered Freddy? I know you said the rest of the team can handle it but they trust you."
Emir and Akiho seemed to almost straighten up at that and Mal bit her lip to hide a smile.
"We're on it Mal," Emir nodded and the two boys made their way out of the room.
"I'll work with Ben's PR team," Chip said. "This is the second attack on a major event in six months and the first one where the King's been injured. It'll take some work to spin this."
"Thanks Chip," Ben said softly.
"You get some rest Benji," Chip said gently, softly resting a hand on Ben's shoulder and squeezing it slightly. "Oh and congratulations you two."
"Yes," Belle nodded with a smile as she held back the tears that were threatening to fall. I finally get a daughter.
"Don't cry mom," Ben said softly as he returned the smile.
"Happy tears, Ben. Only happy tears," his mom told him as she gently kissed his forehead. "Don't scare me like that again Ben okay? I know you're the King but your father and I are still going to have a talk about keeping stuff like that from us."
"I...I didn't want to worry you," Ben said softly.
"Ben, it's the parents' job to protect their kid. Not the other way around," Belle said gently. "Mal, welcome to the family."
"Thank you Belle," Mal said with a smile as Belle came over and gave Mal a hug. Something that, she found, she didn't mind.
As Belle left, Mal found herself thankful for the slightly informal dress as she curled up next to Ben. There was no place she'd rather be.