*by the end of the week they have had a really great time enjoying the lack of attention, Maurice and Mal had gotten on very well and Ben was having a great time being with his grandfather for the week, today was his 17th birthday and tomorrow they were to go back, as today was also the one year anniversary of his coronation Ben was have a field day trying to evade the mass of calls he was getting from the council members, his staff and most importantly of all, his father*
Mal: was that him again?
Ben: yeah
Mal: how pissed is he?
Ben: let's put it this way, I'm here with gramps which he already doesn't appreciate, mom wants to see me for my birthday but I said I'm here and also I'm not going to attend any of the celebrations so he's not exactly happy
Mal: you can go if you want, I don't mind
Ben: yeah you do, and I do
Mal: if you need to go then go I'll be fine
Ben: sure?
Mal: uh yeah
*she was a little taken aback that he had taken her up on it, she knew it was stupid to say it if she didn't mean it but it still hurt that he would do it*
Ben: thanks babe, I promise I'll be back before you go to bed
Mal: uh huh
*he heads into the bedroom and she goes into the bathroom, she she locks the door and then sits on the floor, she hugs her legs right to her chest and rests her forehead agains her knees, she cannot figure out why she's so upset by this, as the first tears fall she realised its mostly because he had said just days ago that he never wanted to leave her feeling like this, never do to her what he was doing at this very moment, that hurt her because if he was breaking his word about this now then what would it be like as he got further into his reign, she knew that was what usually happened, people slowly got further and further apart, she couldn't bring her mind out of this and she slowly broke, finally her sobs because louder and more intense at which point Maurice hears her*
Maurice: Mal dear are you alright?
*mal sniffs a little as she tries to compose herself but you can hear it in her voice that she's not okay*
Mal: uh yeah sorry, I'm fine
*not believing her Maurice walks in to find Ben fiddling around with his suit he was about to put on*
Maurice: Benjamin!
Ben: gramps? What's wrong?
Maurice: come with me
*a confused Ben follows Maurice until they're stood outside the door which holds a sobbing Mal inside*
Ben: what happened?
Maurice: ask her yourself, she was fine until she went and talked to you
*maurice turns to walk away but turns back to him*
Maurice: where are you going?
Ben: well I wa...
Maurice: no, she brought you here for time away from that, she wanted a week with you and instead you leave her on your birthday, the fact she wanted to be with you on your birthday is very important
*ben looks at him feeling ashamed, he had just swirn never to neglect her the way he was beginning to do so, this was the second time in just over a week he hadn't treated her the way she deserved*
Ben: Mal, babe, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even considered going, I'm really sorry
Mal: this is how it's gonna be isn't it? You say that you won't be that guy who leaves me praying I'll get to see you but I don't
Ben: Mal
Mal: I don't want that, I don't want that for me and I don't want that for us, we deserve better than that
Ben: I'm not going, I'm never going to do that to you again, you are the most important thing in my life and I know that my actions have to reflect that, from now on they will I promise you
*she slowly gets up and unlocks the door*
Mal: I don't want us to be those people who barely see each other, that's not a relationship, at least not one I want to be in
Ben: I know it's not, I'm not gonna pretend there won't be times when I'm really busy but I can promise you this, you always will be the most important thing to me, if you need me then call and I'll be there if I'm not already
Mal: I just feel like things are starting to change between us, like we're starting to slip
Ben: what are you saying?
Mal: I don't know
Ben: I think you do
Mal: maybe we need to slow down
Ben: except by that you mean stop completely
Mal: I don't know what I mean
*he suddenly pulls her in and crashes his lips into hers, blatantly ignoring her request to slow down, he wasn't letting go that easily, he didn't know what we going on with her but she was different*
Ben: I am not letting you go, please, don't do this
Mal: Ben we need this
*a tear falls but she quickly wipes it away*
Mal: you need to put being King as your priority for a while and I understand, maybe someday it'll be our time, maybe that time is not now
*its then that Ben realises this isn't her, he knows these words have been put in her mouth and even worse, he knows who put them there*
Ben: when did my father get to you?
Mal: what?
Ben: don't pretend with me, I know you too well, I knew it didn't sound right to begin with, the Mal I know would never be like this, the Mal I know wouldn't want a break over this, he raised me, I know him and those words, him in every way
Mal: Ben
Ben: why? What did he offer you to do this? Why would you do this?
Mal: offer me?! You think I'd do that?! God Ben! You have no idea!
Ben: then what?!
Mal: he threatened me!!
Ben: what?!
Mal: uh
Ben: tell me exactly what he said to you right now
Mal: I don't want to repeat it
Ben: Mal
Mal: okay, okay, um he, well
Ben: Mal!
Mal: he told me that if I didn't stay away from you then he'd make life hard for me, he said he could get you into trouble with important people
Ben: I'm going to actually kill him, I'm not even joking
Mal: I can't even be sure it was him, the note said it was but I'm not sure
Ben: note?
*mal pulls a note out of her pocket and hands it to him, he reads it and he watches the anger across his face*
Mal: I should've come to you
Ben: did you believe the things it says, about you? About how I feel towards you, because every word of this is a lie
Mal: okay
Ben: if anyone lays a hand in you, you tell me, okay?
Mal: okay
Ben: in fact you know what I'm having a guard put on you when we get back tomorrow
Mal: Ben
Ben: no, you will be protected, the things in this note, they make my skin crawl
Mal: do you really think it was your father?
Ben: I don't know, I'm not sure if this is his handwriting or not and I don't think he'd say these things, he's warming towards you, and even if he wasn't, I don't think he's this bad because this is awful and disgusting
Mal: okay
Ben: when did you get this?
Mal: I found it this morning
Ben: where?
Mal: the doorstep
Ben: I'm going to talk to him and if this was him then I swear to god someone's going to have to restrain me
*she suddenly grabs onto him tightly in a big hug*
Mal: I'm sorry I didn't tell you
Ben: I understand, we'll talk properly soon but I have someone else to talk to first
*mal watched on nervously as he stormed into the living room, grabbed his phone of the coffee table and dialled the number*
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I might do another bal short story inspired by this chapter because I had a vey intruiging idea xo