Stitched Heart

Chapter 12: Bars

"You were kicked in the stomach... don't move much, your abdomen is probably badly bruised," Crescent said more sternly.

"It's not like I can go anywhere," Gradient chuckled, relaxing against Crescent's tentacles. "But if we get a chance to escape I won't care about any injury or bruise" she added.

Crescent glared at her, a warning glare. She only smirked back at him. She saw how he was about to say something. How he was making up his mind. But before he could say anything. Before he could speak out his mind, someone interrupted him.

"Don't worry, you won't escape any time soon, so you have all the time in the world to heal" a voice said.

Gradient, startled, looked up at whoever was talking. She bit her bottom lip in fear as she stared at the man standing in front of her. She looked in fear at Crescent, hoping for an answer. But Crescent wanted to stare at her. He was staring at the man.

His usual rich dark brown skin seemed more grey than before. As if it had lost the beautiful brown it once used to have. His body was slightly shaking. His eyes were wide and only showing fear. If it weren't for the bar, Gradient would be hugging Crescent right now. Trying to calm him down. And if there weren't any bars at all. The man standing in front of them would be dead. No... screaming for mercy. She glared up at him.

"Who are you!?" Gradient snapped, she tried to get up. But the tentacle around her waist held her tightly. Not allowing her to move much. It did hurt a bit on her abdomen due to how the tentacle had tightened.

"Oh, but you have been searching for me. I'm Grey, leader of the Claw's clan" He introduced himself, chuckling a bit in the end. Before quickly silencing himself. "I would say that it was stupid of you two to go out and try to find and stop me, but my... you had slowed down all my plans. Ruined so many of my plans, by just doing small stupid things!"

"Normally in stories. Just so adults can keep control over other generations, they make them think that they must follow all rules perfectly. But sometimes you're right, and sometimes it's to keep you safe"

Crescent and Gradient looked at each other before looking back at Grey. Both of them were speechless. Confusion clouded their minds. They had been able to stop attacks from happening? How? Everyone would have tried to stop them as soon as they saw him. But they kept on going. No matter what people thought or said.

And right now, they were being told. They had been just told. That what they had been doing was the right thing. Well, not the right thing. It wasn't the right nor the wrong thing. It was just that what they had been doing was actually working. That what they had done was actually stopping the clan from attacking the kingdom. Or at least stopping them for a while.

But they were being told this by the person they least wanted to be told by. He stood proudly and annoyed in front of them. Still, a grin was plastered on his face as he stared down at them. As if they were weak. As if they would never be able to protect themselves. As if they could easily beat them. But that didn't matter. At least not now.

There wasn't anything they could do either. How would they attack Grey from behind the bars. They were hurt. Even if Crescent wasn't admitting it. He was indeed hurt already. Maybe even worse than her.

"So what now? We stay here until we die?" Gradient mumbled angrily.

"Not really," Grey chuckled. "Your parents will be coming for you, especially your mother Cresent. You see... the king and queen and the heir are the most important thing in a kingdom, without them how will it function? How will people know what they can actually do? And since the current king and queen of the Amaris Kingdom are actually doing their job correctly..."