That morning found Ben in a meeting with the sidekicks. He had already had three in that morning alone. His schedule had been filling up lately, so he couldn't spend as much time with his girlfriend and their friends as he would like. That's why, his friends were all out and having a good time without him. He had planned on tagging along, in fact he had made the plans himself. But some last minute meetings had popped up that Ben couldn't get out of. No matter how much he tried. As the sidekicks argued amongst themselves, Ben took the time to think.

It had been a year since Mal had joined the court as his lady. Auradon had really warmed up to her, and, as he promised, they loved her. He couldn't be happier. Actually, no, that's a lie. He would be much happier if he wasn't stuck in yet another pointless meeting with the sidekicks. They came to him at least once every few months with a new problem that they need to be solved. And it could 'only be solved by the King'. Their words, not his.

Ben sighed as he returned his attention to the meeting. "Can everyone please just calm down!" At his words, the room immediately quieted and the corner of his lips turned slightly upward. "Thank you. Now, what is the issue here?"

"The issue, your highness, is them," Gus, one of the mice that had helped Cinderella, pointed an accusing finger in the direction of the dwarves. "We had an agreement. They would give us their best jewel each month, and would repair the holes in their clothes for them."

"Okay," Ben said slowly. "So, what is the problem?"

"Instead of giving us their best jewel, their giving us a crappy one!" Gus tossed a gem on the table. It rolled around before landing in front of Ben. In his opinion, it definitely was not crappy. It wasn't too big, but it shone brighter than some of the jewels that even Audrey owned. "How are we supposed to pay for our cheese with this?!" Cheese? Cheese! This was all about cheese. Ben blew off his friends for cheese! He took a deep breath. It was all he could do to not yell at anyone.

"Oh come on! This would get you enough cheese for thirty lifetimes! That's the best one that we have this month!" Grumpy shouted. He obviously didn't care about whether he yelled or not.

"Our mine is running dry. Until we start a new one, they gems aren't going to get much bigger," Doc explained calmly to Ben.

"How long would it take for you to finish your current mine and start a new one?" The young king asked before the room could erupt in argument again.

"About a few months," Doc replied. To Ben, the answer was simple and obvious. He didn't understand why they needed to interrupt his day with such a trivial thing like this.

"Okay, then. There's the answer," Ben proclaimed as everyone looked at him, slightly confused. He sighed once again. "Simply deal with the gems for now. If they don't improve in a few months, then we'll sort something out." The mice huffed in annoyance, but they nodded nonetheless. "Okay, anyone have anything else?" One of Ariel's sisters, he could never remember which one was which, was about to say something when the doors burst open. Ben turned abruptly in his chair to see what all the commotion was about. He saw a frantic looking Evie standing in the doorway. Jay and Doug were holding off a couple of guards behind her. They stopped when they noticed that Evie had already reach the King.

"We're sorry for the interruption your majesty," They both bowed. "We tried to stop them, but they wouldn't leave." He angrily glanced in Jay and Doug's direction. Ben simply waved to let them know that it was fine.

Jay narrowed his eyes and growled. "Not when someone's life is on the line!" Someone's life was on the line? Wow, he had only been gone for a few hours. How much had he missed? The guards were about to say something else, but Evie didn't give him the chance.

"It's Mal. She's in the hospital. We need to go now!" Evie managed to get out. Ben didn't hesitate. He immediately stood up and ran out of the room, his friends were right behind him. As he ran through the halls of Castle Beast, her texted his parents to notify them of the situation. They agreed to manage the kingdom for the day, or until he was ready to resume his duties. He didn't stop until he had made it inside the royal limo, which was already waiting outside for them. As soon as Jay closed the door, Ben told the driver to head to the hospital, and to be quick about it. He wanted to get there, and he wanted to get there now. He couldn't bear the thought of Mal being in the hospital. He was worried if she just got a paper cut. Knowing that she was in the hospital made him anxious. He was beyond nervous. He was beyond scared. He was beyond worried.

"What happened to her?" Ben asked quietly as they sped off towards the hospital.

"Food poisoning," Jay muttered in a way that caused Ben to believe that it wasn't the whole story. But he didn't push it any further. He knew that they were just as worried as he was. Evie looked like she was on the verge of tears. Like she was about to fall apart at any second. She leaned into Doug as he sat there, rubbing circles into her back to comfort her.

The rest of the drive was silent. No one really wanted to say anything. No one really knew what to say. Ben knew that his friends were keeping something from him, but he didn't know what. A classic case of food poisoning wouldn't cause this much panic. He was sure that they had to have seen food poisoning on the Isle. It wasn't uncommon, even in Auradon. He wasn't worried about it though, because he knew that, whatever it was, he would find out soon enough.

Once they arrived at the hospital, there was a small swarm of paparazzi fighting to get inside. There was also a police barricade, blocking them off.

'So they already know that's she in there.' Ben thought to himself as the limo came to a stop. One glance at the royal limo, and the paparazzi started to gather around the car. The police held off the reporters as best as they could while King Ben his friends made their way inside.

Inside was just as chaotic as outside. The waiting room was practically full. Nurses and doctors were rushing in and out with frantic looks on their faces. They nodded to Ben when they passed him to show their respect. He didn't mind that they hadn't stopped to bow or curtsy. He could tell that whatever they were dealing with was quite urgent. He simply nodded in response. But, he didn't understand why the waiting room was full of people. Full of annoyed people. He walked up to the receptionist who looked frazzled.

"Excuse me, miss," Ben greeted as the woman looked up at him. Her eyes widened.

"King Ben!"

"Yes. Um, can you possibly tell me what is going on here?" He inquired calmly as Evie, Jay, and Doug stood impatiently behind him.

"What do you mean, your majesty?" She asked.

"Well, the staff seems frantic and there are a lot of patients just sitting around waiting for some help," Ben elaborated. "What is everyone so riled up about?" The receptionist looked at him as if he grown a second head.

"They haven't told you yet?!" She exclaimed as she glanced back at the three teens behind him.

"Told me what?" Ben asked his friends more than the receptionist as they all looked at the floor. None of them meeting his gaze.

"Lady Mal was admitted to the hospital not too long ago. She was in extreme pain. All of the doctors have been trying to help her, but they don't know how. They say it's possibly a life or death situation," She explained quietly as Ben's eyes narrowed.

"Life or death situation," Ben repeated as the receptionist nodded grimly. The other teens still would not make eye contact with him. They kept their heads hung low. He turned to face her fully. "Where can I find her?"

"Room 411," She stated as she pointed to the elevator. "On the fourth floor." Ben nodded and thanked the woman as he took off towards the elevator. The others not far behind.

"I did say someone's life was on the line," Jay tried weakly once they were all inside the elevator.

"You told me she had food poisoning," Ben said in return, his eyes narrowed.

"Technically, she does," Doug replied weakly.

"But that's not all, is it?"

"Unfortunately not," Jay answered with a murderous look in his eyes.

"And the others? Are they already here?" Ben questioned as his friends nodded.

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. After what seemed like forever, it finally opened. Ben almost wished that it hadn't. Once it did, he could hear screams that would make the blood from even the coldest, darkest heart curdle. He knew they were Mal's screams; his heart broke at the sound. He saw more doctors and nurses rushing around, looking over papers, talking to one another, looking for some kind of cure. Ben rushed past all of them and headed to room 411. The screams were getting louder and louder the farther he went. He noticed that all of the other rooms were empty, the only room that was occupied was 411. The room that Mal was in. The room where the screams were originating from. He placed his hand on the knob. He slowly twisted it and opened the door. The first thing that he saw was Carlos, Jane, Lonnie, and Audrey standing off to the side. Then, he saw Mal laying on the hospital bed. The sight shattered his already broken heart. Her eyes were shut tightly, she was tossing and turning, kicking and screaming. She also had a cuff on each arm. He immediately noticed it because when she had left earlier, she didn't have them on. They were thick, long, and made of some kind of metal.

"What are those things… on her arms?" Ben asked quietly as he entered the room. Jane jumped slightly, startled at Ben's sudden presence.

"Ben," Audrey said silently.

"They're iron shackles," Lonnie stated grimly as Jay, Evie, and Doug joined the others in the corner.

"Okay," Ben said simply, putting the conversation on hold. He walked over to Mal's side and gently took her hand in his. Her eyes shot open immediately. They were glowing an intense green, but there was fear and pain evident in them. He gently played with a strand of her hair. "I'm sorry, Mal. I should have been there with you," Ben whispered in her ear as she held back a scream. She quickly shook her head, trying to reassure her boyfriend that it wasn't his fault. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead as he stood up. He gestured for the others to follow him as he left the room and headed towards a conference room. It was a little ways away from Mal's room, so the screams wouldn't be so loud. Ben sat down, and the others followed his lead, knowing that he wanted to know everything.

"Can someone tell me exactly what happened?" Ben said slowly. He was trying his best not to break down, but Mal's current state was making it extremely difficult. He had to be strong for everyone. For Mal. None answered him. He sighed. "Food poisoning?" he tried again. He wanted answers. He needed answers. They couldn't just expect him to sit around and do nothing while the love of his life was in so much pain.

"Somehow iron got into her system. None of us know how it happened. One minute she was fine, the next minute she was…" Carlos trailed off as he put his head in his hands. Jane place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Iron burns fairies of her kind. In some cases, it can be lethal," Jane explained before Ben could ask about it.

"Okay, so what happened the last time you saw her?"

"Well…" Jay began as recounted the events of earlier that day.

"We have to stop by the new cupcake place!" Audrey exclaimed as she pointed out the shop from across the street. "Everyone says it so good!"

"Alright, let's go," Mal stated as the group made their way to the small bakery. They all ordered one and headed back out. They sat down at a table outside to enjoy their treats.

"Mm. These are good," Carlos hummed as his friends laughed. "What?"

"You have a little something right there," Jane indicated to where her boyfriend had a little bit of frosting coating his lip.

Carlos tried to lick it away but failed. "Did I get it?"

Jane let out a soft laugh. "No, um… here, let me." She grabbed a napkin and gently wiped away the frosting.

"Thanks," Carlos thanked as Jane nodded her response.

"I think I'll go grab some for Ben, Belle, and Adam," Mal stated as she stood.

"I'll go with you," Audrey offered. "I'm sure my parents and grandparents would love these as well." Mal shared a smile with the princess. It had been a couple years since Ben's proclamation. Aurora and Phillip had welcomed Mal with open arms. Even Queen Leah had apologized for her over reaction at Family Day. Mal considered them as family. Although, she still hadn't met Stefan. The man was always conveniently on a business trip or in a meeting when she was around.

"Let's go then," Mal and Audrey linked arms as they headed back inside. After a minute or two, Audrey came back out with a box of cupcakes, but no Mal.

"Where's Mal?" Evie asked, her tone worried.

"Mal ordered custom cupcakes. The baker said that it would take a few minutes. She told me to wait outside," Audrey explained with a shrug as she sat down. The others nodded. They all waited for their purple haired friend to return as they made small talk. They didn't know how much time had passed when they heard a couple loud crashes and a scream. The scream belonged to a female. It belonged to Mal.

"Mal!" They all shouted as the jumped up from the chairs and ran into the bakery. The place looked like a bomb had gone off. Mal was cowering in a corner, iron shackles on her arms. She let out screams of pain.

"Come on. Whoever did this couldn't have gotten very far," Jay said to Carlos and Lonnie. They nodded before running off. Doug and Evie knelt down next to Mal. Evie tried to soothe her best friend while Doug inspected her. Jane and Audrey held onto each other, not sure of what to do.

"If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's the shackles that's causing all the pain," Doug stated.

"Are they iron?" Jane asked timidly.

Doug inspected the metal shackles a little more closely. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"Mom told me once that all fairies have certain weaknesses. Some fairies from the moors are burned when they come in contact with iron," Jane explained.

"My grandmother used to tell me that after Maleficent cursed my mother, my grandfather ordeedr that all of their weapons and armor be made from iron," Audrey recalled as Mal let out another scream.

"No sign of anyone. Not even the staff," Jay informed as he, Lonnie, and Carlos returned.

"Yeah, everything's been abandoned," Carlos added.

"It looks like they left in a hurry," Lonnie said as glanced around the shop. "But why?"

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that we get Mal some help," Evie said sternly. Audrey immediately pulled out her phone and dialed two numbers. The first was an ambulance. The second was the royal limo driver that Ben had sent with them.

"Alright, here's what going to happen," Audrey began, slipping easily into her role as a leader, as everyone turned to look at her. She tried to ignore Mal's screams as best as she could. "Some of us will accompany Mal to the hospital while the others go and get Ben. I say Jay definitely should be one of the ones to go and get Ben."

"Like hell I am!" He yelled as Lonnie tried to keep him calm. "I'm staying with Mal!"

"I know you want to stay with her, Jay, but the guards aren't going to let us see Ben while he's in a meeting. We need someone to keep them busy while someone else gets Ben," Audrey explained patiently as Jay scowled.

"Fine," He huffed in anger.

"Doug and I will go with him," Evie volunteered as Doug nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then it's settled," Audrey concluded as sirens could be heard in the distance.

"… and now we're here," Jay finished as Ben nodded.

"Why can't you just take the shackles off?" Ben asked. He had been thinking that since he saw them.

"The doctors say they're enchanted. If you try to take them off they'll zap you and then increase the level of pain," Jane stated as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Ben, I'm sorry," Audrey whispered as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "If I had just stayed with her, none of this would be happening."

"You don't know that Audrey," Ben said softly as he moved to Audrey's side. "You could have gotten hurt as well. Then, we would have an even bigger problem. It's not your fault." He wrapped her in a hug.

"So what do we do know?" Lonnie asked.

"We find whoever is responsible and we make them undo this," Ben said firmly, leaving no room or any arguing.

A/N: Hey guys and gals! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed. Thanks for just reading, it means a lot to me.

Just an FYI, I'm going through and trying to update all of the chapters. So, if they seem different or off or don't match with the rest of the story, that's probably why. I don't know how long it'll take to get through the whole thing. Hopefully not too long.

Anyway, stay safe and healthy! See you all in the next chapter!