This genuinely was a really hard (and apparently really long) chapter to write. But hope I got it right in the end.

It'll take me a while to upload HPM. But until then enjoy this!

FUN FACT: The Lake of Rage, i.e. the chapter title, is a lake in the pokemon verse. Not that this has anything to do with the story. It's fun and it's fact... so here you go!

I headed towards the kitchen, praying that Trevor hadn't forgotten to save me something for lunch. I swung the door to the kitchen open but stopped abruptly once I noticed a long-haired blonde occupying my these days usual seat.

Really, really, REALLY long-haired...

"Ruby?" I asked, my confusion seeping into my tone.

Ruby jumped at the sound of my voice, turning around clumsily, almost banging her head against a nearby hanging pan in her haste. I prematurely winced.

"Al?" she said, her eyes widening, "What are you doing here? Please tell me Melody didn't send you. I told her I was alright but she just doesn't listen. You know how much of a mother hen she can be. I mean it's been 2 weeks for god's sake. It hurt at first, I'll admit, but it would be pretty pathetic if I was still hung up on that..."

"Woah, woah, woah- stop there," I said, having tuned out of her rambling right after the mother hen statement due to the Mount Everest sized headache I was starting to be introduced to. I hissed softly in pain, hoping Ruby couldn't hear it, while the only thought in my brain was shut up, shut up, shut up. Not the nicest thought I could've had in that situation but definitely the most self-preservation prone.

"Melody didn't send me here, I swear," I said, moving forward once I'd gotten used to the pain towards where Trevor usually kept the saved food, facing away from Ruby as I rubbed the side of my heads futilely.

"Oh," Ruby breathed out, "I thought... never mind. What are you doing here then?"

I turned to look at her and answered honestly, "Headache."

From the confused look on Ruby's face, I could tell that the honestly wasn't appreciated.

"Loud hormonal teenagers plus (magically potent) headache..." I gestured vaguely.

I might have forgotten to mention that I was also avoiding the cafeteria due to 4 incessantly clingy VKs and Jordan's undiscernible death glares. No need for her to know that.

I watched a concerned look immediately overcame Ruby's face while I finally found the platter of food and walked over to her.

"Are you alright? Do you want me to make you some tea... or soup?" she asked, the gentle lilt again overcoming her previously nervous voice.

"No, thanks though Ruby," I replied, hoping that the smile I was giving was reassuring, "Did you have something to eat?"

She opened her mouth but was cut off by the growl emitting from her stomach. She smiled sheepishly at me.

"Well, that answers that," I said with a chuckle, uncovering the platter and noticing that Trevor had left more food than usual. Ruby must have told him of her plans.

In silence, Ruby laid out the crockery and I served the food before we sat down to eat continuing the quiet atmosphere and I wish I could say it wasn't awkward but it was. It was also peaceful though, so I wasn't going to complain.

And I definitely wasn't going to be the one to initiate the conversation. Naturally, Ruby was the one who broke the silence after a few minutes.

"So..." she started off unsurely, "have you talked to Audrey recently?"

I paused as a thought occurred to me...

Ruby must have known why Audrey was avoiding me. After all, the two princesses share everything with each other. This seemed like my one chance to find out!

"No," I replied, "She's been avoiding me..." I hope she caught onto the unsaid question.

"Figures," Ruby said with a snort, apparently NOT catching on, as she finished up her food. I was taken aback by the bitterness in her tone.

"Did you and Audrey have a fallout?"

Ruby looked up abruptly, the spoon falling from her hand with a sharp clang. I watched as a hurt expression overcame her face.

"Don't be so cruel, Al. It's not funny," she said and jerkily stood up, carrying her plate over to the sink.

"Wait, Ruby!" I followed her, almost tripping over her long hair, "I'm not joking! I genuinely don't know!"

She looked over at with an incredulous look on her face. "Are you kidding me?" When I didn't answer- not knowing how to- she scoffed and started heading towards the door.

"No- please, listen," I pleaded, knowing I probably sounded pathetic, "I'm not lying! I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ha- as if it was hard to notice."

Ruby continued to walk towards the gate. I ran after her and grabbed her arm, "Ruby, just listen to me, please-"

"Don't!" Ruby whirled around and I startled back upon seeing the blazing fury in her eyes.

For the first time that day, I got over my own suffering long enough to see- REALLY see- her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her skin blotchy as if she had been crying for a long time. Her lips were trembling at the moment with ill-suppressed anger and her finger were clenched. Her long hair behind her was swinging with her abrupt motion like multiple tandem pendulums.

I was shocked. Ruby was one of the calmest souls I knew. I remembered the time that Alex had, quite accurately, called her 'a soothing lake'. Looking at Ruby now, I couldn't help but think she seemed more of like a raging stormy ocean.

"Don't you dare!" Ruby said, taking a step forward, "You were there at the game. You saw what happened. You saw what Audrey did, I know you did! And you of all people know what that meant to me. So don't you dare act as if you're some clueless, helpless bystanders who doesn't understand what is happening."

I could feel the beginning of a headache building up in my head but shoved it to the side, trying desperately to ignore it.

Later on, as I would ruminate on the incident I would wish I had remembered something Lumiere and Cogsworth had once told me-

"Le silence est parfois la meilleure réponse, jeune femme," Lumiere spoke extravagantly, "Silence is sometimes the best answer."

"Especially so if your alternatives are excuses or lies," Cogsworth chimed in, his voice gruff, "Mark my words. No good has ever come off them, no good at all."

But at that moment, all I could see was Ruby's hurt eyes.

My brain had completely dismantled, courtesy of the headache. All that remained was my instinctive urge to soothe the golden princess in front of me. I panicked. I got desperate. I couldn't remember why I couldn't tell Ruby the truth. Just that I couldn't. What could I say to make this better? What could I do? How could I show I wasn't trying to hurt her-

"I forgot!"

I immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say.

I watched as Ruby's previously blazing eyes simmered down, narrowing as they turned to icy orbs.

"You... forgot?"

I took a step back, letting go of Ruby's hand, turning my head away.

"I- I mean-"

"I can't believe you," she said. Her voice was calm, quite completely contrasting her previously brash tone.

I couldn't tell if this was better or worse.

"And to think I thought you were better than this," she said, shaking her head.

And that stung. That really did.

I bit down on my tongue, trying to keep quiet. After all, what could I say? I wasn't lying when I said I forgot! But how could I explain what that truly meant without being completely honest?

'Why shouldn't you be completely honest, though?' a voice in my head whispered, 'Why shouldn't you tell her? It's not like you owe the VKs anything.'

But what good would that do? I didn't know Ruby. I didn't know her thoughts on the new proclamation. I didn't know how she would react if she found out that Mal had used magic in Auradon, especially on the future royal advisor (even if unintentionally). One wrong move and it could earn them a one-way trip back to the isle.

'So what? Ruby is an Auradonian. She's one of your own. Someone you swore to serve the moment you decided to become a royal advisor. Shouldn't she be your priority?'

I could always apologise later though. I could always explain once the spell was removed and fix this whole mess up. And the isle is part of Auradon too. I owe them as much as I owe her.

'Are you not even going to defend yourself? Are you really going to let her think so lowly of you? Let her down? Disappoint her?'

And that was the magic word..

Disappoint.

Being a royal advisor wasn't the same as being the King or Queen. For one, there wasn't nearly the same amount of public exposure. So, the amount of public pressure on you was less. The Monarch had to face most of the brunt of the burden. A royal advisor's job was to alleviate some of that.

What people failed to see was that that was a burden in itself.

"You may be called just the advisor but you're duties are much more vast."

There were no specifications on the duties of being a royal advisor. You were supposed to be informed, be knowledgeable on every aspect of the kingdom on which the King could need help... which was a formal way of saying: Everything.

"How are your studies? Were any tests taken recently in any classes? How much did your score in them? Are all your assignments completed? Are all the teachers happy with your performance? What about your physical fitness? I remember..."

Because you were supposed to be the safety harness against any bad decision the King may make. Any faults from his part were as much yours as they were his; never mind the faults that were truly your own, your own responsibilities.

"If something goes wrong then they'll blame me as much- if not more than- they blame you."

Even worse was the fact that it wasn't your birthright. When a King is coronated- no matter how bad he is- you can detest it, be against its very concept, but you can't question the very legitimacy of him inheriting the throne, for it runs in his blood. And till the day his son coronates or the people rebel, he does not have to fear him losing that legitimacy.

I was chosen. I had to prove my worth. The idea may have at first been entertained due to my and Ben's childish shenanigans but after that every step of the way I had to show that I was worthy of receiving this post. Of being one of the most powerful people in the Kingdom.

And more than that, prove that my mentors and my King were not wrong for trusting me with this post.

Disappointment, was never an option.

So at this moment, was I willing to disappoint someone? Was I willing to let down the years old instinct for four people I've barely known?

"But then again, you and Audrey always were close. Birds of the same feather, I suppose." Ruby slammed the door shut behind her as I remained silent.

Apparently, I was.

I shook away my previous thoughts as I reeled (and not just because of the headache) at the last thing Ruby had said. Never had I heard the girl speak so crassly about her best friend- or seeing situation right now, former best friend.

What had happened? What could possibly have driven her of all people to become this temperamental? To become this rageful?

I cursed my luck. Of course, I had to get cursed to forget what seemed to be some of the most eventful days' at Auradon's Prep.

The last time I had seen Ruby this agitated was after the 'Chad incident'. But Chad couldn't have a hand in this. Audrey despises Chad as well as I, only putting up with him when she was in Ben's company. So it couldn't be something involving both of them surely...

I gasped as the pain in my head suddenly increased tenfolds like a tsunami.

It felt like liquid lead had been poured into my brain and then solidified right there, pulling my head down towards the ground. It was more painful than all of the headaches I had experienced till now, combined. I felt myself starting to tumble over and had to scramble to grasp the edge of a nearby counter to keep, my other hand coming up to clutch painfully at my forehead. Every single thought from my head was obliterated, leaving behind nothing but the feeling of pain.

I gently lowered myself onto the ground, my limbs trembling and the feel of a low sheen of sweat coating my forehead, trying to take deep breaths and felt the headache painfully slowly recede away.

I couldn't think straight, a part of me didn't want to at that moment either. So I just sat there in silence, waiting for the headache to recede and wondering what could have caused it to become this bad. Never had I experienced anything like that, even with the curse.

Could it be getting worse?

I stopped that train of thought right there lest I end up panicking.

I remained in that position for who knows how long wondering what else the spell has in store for me.

If you guys wanna see the artbreeder face claims for my ocs, check out this story on either my quotev (FawkesOnTheRoll) or wattpad (FawkesOnTheRoll). It's uploaded on the most recent chapter.