lovestruck

what about us

- Angst Chapter -
Stay quiet
   Your opinions won't matter
  She bit her tongue back as she gripped her dress in fist. They were wrong about the Isle. They weren't all bad. Mal was from the Isle. Evie, Jay, Carlos...all from the Isle. They wanted to close the barrier for good ever since Uma—one person—how much more bias can that get? The people there were her people. The Isle is her people and yet they think it's just going to blow over perfectly with her?
  What about the King's own work? He had to fight to bring over Mal and her crew and yet he is even debating it. She couldn't stand for this, but she couldn't dare speak up in such a high council meeting. Not only could she be snapped at by the officers but Ben could be disappointed in her. Which wouldn't surprise her, they both had been under so much stress lately...at any moment either would snap. And the last thing they needed was an argument.
  "We'll leave the topic on the table." The King spoke bringing Mal back to reality. "But for now this meeting is over. What was discussed here will not leave the walls of the castle, understand?"
  Of course, keep the people out of it. Keep Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos out of it. Their opinions would be bias on such a subject, but aren't their own opinions such too?
  "Yes, your highness."
  The King rose beside his Queen and gently nudged for her to stand with him. The Queen stood, exiting the room the same way she entered. With her king. She didn't have to even use her mother's magic to see he was upset. To the outside eye, he would look fine, just in character, but to her, she knew he was hurting. He had worked so hard to finally get his own happily ever after—even if it was from the isle, the Isle of the Lost had given him Mal. Given him his wife. She couldn't even begin to imagine his inward struggles.
  Once inside the solitude of their bedroom, the purple-haired Queen finally took a breath and watched as he sat on their bed. She knew the tension between them was caused by the issues of Auradon, and she hated it. The brick wall between them left her deprived of his touch. Ironic. The daughter to the loveless and infamous Maleficent was touch-deprived. Love deprived even.
  "What's your decision?" Mal asked him crossing her arms.
  He froze and looked to her with worried eyes. "Mal can we please not discuss this," he begged her meekly.
  She shook her head and walked towards the vulnerable man, the heels of her shoes clicking through the room. "No. We need to discuss it between us, as husband and wife discuss what's for dinner we'll discuss this." She tried to loosen some of the tension surrounding the room but only failed when he refused to oblige to her attempts.
  "It's much more serious then dinner." He told her laying back on the bed.
  She inhaled before sitting on the bed with him. "Then let's just talk, please. We can't avoid it forever. I mean if we do it'll never be solved and the Isle will have to be cut off from-"
  "We're keeping the barrier."
  She froze. "What? B-But you said it was an unfinished meeting. The solution has yet to reveal itself."
  Ben set up and glared at her. "No, you have yet to allow the solution to reveal itself to you."
  "How can you even say that! Ben, I'm from the Isle! That's my home, not Auradon! And definitely not here! Not with you."
  The hurt on his face soon turned into anger. She had finally done it, the wall was broken, but at what cost?
  "I will not sit here and listen to you disrespect my decisions. You may be Queen but I am still your King." He growled at her. "And you will treat a such until you realize it." He yelled moving to the window.
  She shook her head, angrily standing up. "We are searchlights, we can see in the dark We are rockets, pointed up at the stars We are billions of beautiful hearts" she sang slowly trying to calm down. "And you sold us down the river too far"
  Ben looked back to her from the window, anger and hurt plastered on his face.
  "What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters What about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust?"
  "Mal please-"
  "What about us? We are problems that want to be solved We are children that need to be loved" she told him. "We were willin', we came when you called But, man, you fooled us, enough is enough, oh What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters?" She yelled.
  "Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love?" She motioned her hands between them. "What about trust? What about us?
  He only looked away from her. But she didn't care. He needed to hear her.
  "Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust? What about us?"
  She took a deep breath.
  "Sticks and stones, they may break these bones But then I'll be ready, are you ready? It's the start of us, waking up, come on Are you ready? I'll be ready I don't want control, I want to let go Are you ready? I'll be ready Cause now it's time to let them know We are ready, what about us? What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? So what about us?" She made her way towards him. "What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love? What about trust?" He looked in the eyes for the first time since the meeting, she saw the storm inside him eye to eye. Running wild.
  "What about us? What about us? What about us? What about us? What about us? What about us? What about us?"
  She placed a warm hand on his cheek, he responded warmly like a kitten would to their owner's hand. "I love you. But you can't lock them out," she looked out the window as his hands fell to her hips. "Block me out."
  The two made eye contact tears glistening his hazel eyes, now green from his tears (my eyes actually turn a more prominent green when I cry so I wanted to add that little detail) and his face warm. No words could express their hurt. Especially his, sure, she was hurt that the isle was closing but the decision wasn't all on her. It was on him. His kind heart couldn't take it.
  Ben collapsed to his knees and allowed the tears to finally fall. "I'm sorry," he cried. "I'm sorry! I just want to keep my people and you safe from people like Uma. I can't do this alone,"
  "I know," Mal's soft voice spoke stroking his hair with her hand, her other his cheek. "I know it's okay. You don't have to this alone."
  "But I do, it's my duty as King."
  "And it's my duty as Queen," Mal kneeled in front of him and lifted his chin as he hand migrated to his shoulder. "To love and protect you. Assist you in your rule."
  "Hold me..."
  Mal chuckled quietly and smiled softly as she embraced him, wrapping her legs around his waist. His strong arms wrapped around her holding her close him. She felt his warm tears soak up her shirt but she didn't care, he needed her. She laid her head in the crook of his neck and whispered calming words to him like a mother to a child. As much as she hated to see him in such a way, she had missed holding him and him holding her. No matter what she said earlier, he was her home.
  "I love you, did I mention that?"