From the moment she stepped out of the limousine, Ben knew that he had made the right decision. This was her, the girl from his vision. He had been right. She had been on the isle.

Stepping forward and talking to her had been a bit awkward, not only for the fact that Audrey was right there by his side. He knew that he was in no way completely smooth and suave in his greeting as he had been taught to be. His eyes instantly gravitated to her. She was beautiful, easily the most gorgeous girl he had ever laid eyes on. From her pale, porcelain skin framed by vibrant purple hair, to her pouty lips that were twisting in the beginnings of a grimace as she, almost reluctantly, held out a hand to meet his. She didn't look at him immediately, but when she did, Ben swore he saw a growing realisation in her own eyes that had her pulling away abruptly and looking away.

Knowing that the time was not right, he had let the matter drop...for now. At least he had the excuse of him being responsible for their presence in Auradon to explain why he was constantly seeking her - them - out over the first few days, first to ensure that her first day had gone smoothly, and then just because...he wanted to.

And he loved every moment of it. Mal was snarky, sarcastic and very blunt in her opinions. She wasn't afraid to tease him or more commonly mock his and Audrey's relationship, and he loved it. There was an honesty to her that he appreciated deeply, more so the fact that she did not at all seem to care that he was the future king. This was unlike Audrey who seemed hell bent on ensuring that everyone knew of that fact and that, more importantly, she was his girlfriend, and therefore, more than likely (more and more unlikely in his own opinion) going to be Auradon's future queen. He didn't like her attitude, and the deeply rooted hatred she (and admittedly most of the school) had for the villainous children.

He couldn't understand it. It was in the same way that they were not all inherently good and had to be indoctrinated into it. Something told him that those four isle children were not truly evil. There was something about them, Mal especially that told him that they were more acting the part than anything else, even when alone seemingly. There were moments when he saw a genuine smile or look of amusement on Mal's face at some activity occurring, and display genuine curiosity about it. But never did she allow herself to participate in it, holding herself back as if she was not allowed to. It bothered him, and he hoped to eventually see her, see them all broken out of it.

It was why, seconds after diving beneath the crystal clear water of the Enchanted Lake and feeling the fog of artificial love he did not even know he had been surrounded by lift, he felt no anger, no rage, no need to drag Mal by her hair if need be, back to the school to have her first expelled and then shipped right back to her home. Instead, he felt...confusion and perhaps, yes, a hint of hurt that, like Audrey had warned, her dabbling in magic would go beyond simply playing hairdresser for the girls. But, as he swam about, instinctively heading for the small cavern behind the waterfall that hid beautiful gemstones, he reflected on the time he had spent with her since he had eaten that cookie.

She seemed genuine, was genuine. There was no sense of victory behind her as they talked. She spoke with a shyness that told him that she was being truthful when she admitted things to him, like her middle name and her seemingly genuinely belief that he would make a good king although he himself was still uncertain of that fact. No, he didn't think she was being malicious in anyway. So what had been her motivation?

He surfaced behind the waterfall, holding a hand sized gem that he was sure that she would be excited to see. He could already envision her eyes widened with the same childlike innocence that he had seen nearly two hours before when she had taken in the spread he had set up. He smiled ruefully at the thought, wondering how he should go about handling what she had done, when he heard it, soft and questioning at first and then with increasing panic.

Mal's voice.

She was calling for him, fright in her tone.

Ben muttered an oath, only now realising that he was definitely out of her viewpoint. She had probably gotten her fill of the fruits (and truthfully hadn't her reaction to the strawberries been absolutely adorable?) and had sought him out. Quickly, he cut through the water, heading back in the direction he had come from when he heard it, the sound of splashing water and panicked squeals that had him diving beneath the water with urgency. He sped up, heart racing as it suddenly occurred to him what her real reluctance had been earlier. Was it possible that she could not swim?

It was.

Ben could only feel a next pang of regret for the life she had had to live when she admitted, in a rather angry tone for the fright he had caused her, that, despite the fact that she had grown up on an island, she had never had the privilege of stepping into the water. None of those children had that privilege. He was stunned by the realisation that despite the fact that she had known she would more than likely drown, she had run into the water after him. And in that moment Ben knew that she really did care for him deeply, and that explained why she had drugged him. She had taken the only method she had grown up knowing to deal with the situation, and he could not blame her for it.

The brokenness in her tone when she had admitted not knowing about love was like thorns continuously shredding his heart apart, and immediately he swore to himself and to her, that he would not stop until the beautiful girl before him did not only learn to love, but would learn to be loved.

After all, it could not be a coincidence that she had appeared to him in a vision. He was meant to save her, and in perhaps doing so, change and save himself as well.