𝟏 | 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐀𝐃? | 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 | 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤 ✔️

𝑡𝑒𝑛. 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍:

𝑷 𝑨 𝑻 𝑰 𝑬 𝑵 𝑪 𝑬

The thing about the Wonderland Kids in Auradon was that no one could really place a label on them. No one knew them well enough to do that, though they never really get a chance to try. The WK's didn't allow that, they maintained a very close relationship, excluding any of the royals. That was how it was when Jax was with them, but since then, six years have passed. They had all changed, they've all become different people.

"Join me for a game, would you?" Ruby slowly slid the chair from her desk to sit down. In front of her, the red side of her chess set, and as Jax sat down in front of the white side, she gave him a gentle smile. Binx and Wyc had left a few hours after the VK's.

"I don't know why I would, I never win." He muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

"It gives you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes," She states, moving a pawn two spaces ahead.

Jax copies the move, "I'm a slow learner,"

"No, you're not." She responds quickly, knowing it was a lie. Jax is a good player, she just happened to be better.

"Ruby, your parents were at one point, literal chess pieces, you have an inherited advantage." He reminds her.

She ignores him as she successfully checkmates him. "There, that wasn't so bad." She grins.

"I lost." He deadpans.

"In twelve moves." She nods.

"Well, there aren't any chess boards on the Isle, unfortunately." It got quiet after that. They stayed there, in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Until finally, Jax decided to ask the inevitable, "What's the real reason you asked me to play?"

When Ruby answered, her voice had gotten surprisingly raspy, "To make sure that you were the same person I said goodbye to." She took that moment to sigh, in preparation. "It's been a while, things have changed around here, Jax."

He furrowed his brows, "Tell me about Allie. Before anything else, tell me about her." He could sense her hesitation, "Last night she didn't come back, and you said she just got her clothes and left while I was in the showers. You didn't tell her I was here, did you?"

For the first time in a while, Ruby didn't meet his eyes. That only happened when Ruby wanted to shield someone from pain. "No, I didn't." She whispered.

"Why?" She finally looked him in the eyes, he saw agony and regret in them. He stood up and moved his chair so he could sit next to her. "What exactly happened to Allie?" He gulped.

"I thought you knew," Ruby had goosebumps, talking about it, just made her feel guilty and terrible.

"Sort of, the gargoyles said she was different, that they planted something inside her head,"

When she finally composed herself, she straightened her back and took a deep breath."They gave her a conscience, like the Blue Fairy. Allie is a little girl, she isn't made of wood, so giving her another conscience was, without saying, a drastic thing to do. It's a terrible thing, what they put inside her. Any time she does something or sees something that we're doing is wrong, she has to tell the royals. Whenever we speak of home or talk about going back, she can't help but go to them and reveal everything that we've talked about." She gulps and pauses. "So, to protect us, she's isolated herself. She spends her time in the library or the cafeteria, but recently she stays in the gardens because-

"Because it reminds her of home." Jax cut her off, "Yeah, she did that a lot. Keep going, please."

"She only comes back here for a change of clothes and to sleep. She knows that when we're all together, the topic of going home always comes up, so rather than risk it, she's decided to stay away from us completely." Ruby let out a deep breath. "I tried to talk to them, to get them to punish me and not Allie, to implant me with the conscience instead," She gulped, "But they said this was my punishment. So, you see, as much as she would love to see you Jax, and she would," She took his face in her hand, and said with the most melancholy of smiles, "Jax, she still loves you, oh so much. Seeing you would brighten her spirit so badly, but it would break her heart to know that she would be the one to endanger you."

Jax, in his only response, just kept leaning into Ruby's hand, and lay his head on her shoulder. "I miss her. I've missed all of you." His breath shudders, and she shushes him to keep calm. That was Ruby, never letting herself fall apart, not even a little, and immediately comforting the ones she loves. "How long has she been like this?"

Ruby doesn't answer him, and when he lifts his head to show her that he had to know, she finally says, "Since Ben's coronation." She whispered.

Jax's eyes widen and he slowly starts standing up from his seat. "A year? She's hasn't been able to be around her own people for a year?" He shouts in rage. "I'll kill them." He finally says in a murmur.

"Jackson! Sit down, and calm yourself." Ruby orders sharply. "Don't you think I've had your exact thoughts passing through my brain these past twelve months? But I haven't made a move, because Allie promised me not to, she was scared that they would do the same thing to someone else. So, she made me promised not to do a thing until a resolution could be formed. It's not the right time. You have to be patient."

"I've never been patient, you know that." He recalls.

TO BE CONTINUED
in BOOK TWO