Clipped

Chapter 2

Everything was pitch black when Daigo woke up. His hands were tied together and to some sort of beam above him, the familiar feeling of the rope around his wrists bringing back bad memories. There was a bundled cloth stuffed inside his mouth and tied around his head, stopping him from calling out into the darkness. He could tell his sword was gone and for some reason, his boots seemed to also be missing and the right leg of his breeches was rolled halfway up his shin.

"Ah. It's awake."

He recognised the voice of the woman that had grabbed him in the battle. She said a few more words which, again, he didn't recognise, and a dim light surrounded Daigo. He could see that he was in some sort of small house. There were cupboards and jars filled with strange objects and liquids, a table and a few chairs, a bed and a small stairway surrounded by plants growing in through the stone walls that he guessed lead to the exit.

The woman herself was pale, like him, with messy black hair and green eyes. She wore a black lace dress and had a silver necklace fastened around her neck. Her mouth was twisted into a smirk, but Daigo swore she looked almost proud at the same time.

He glared at her, wishing he could speak, but the cloth in his mouth prevented any communication. The woman's expression faltered and she huffed, walking gracefully over to her captive and untying the gag.

"I'm surprised you couldn't do that yourself," she said, sounding almost disappointed.
"How could I have? I'm tied up, in case you hadn't noticed," Daigo pointed out, his voice sharp with anger.

The woman looked taken aback for a second, then frowned and turned away, walking to the steps Daigo had noticed before. He could only watch as she pulled open a door and stepped out, leaving him hanging there, his hands beginning to feel numb.

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Daigo didn't know how long he'd been alone in the small room; it felt like hours. He'd tried to escape but it was no use. His wrists stung and his ribs ached from trying to struggle against the ropes, twisting and writhing but to no avail. He let his body hang, limp, while he tried to catch his breath and make sense of what had happened. The door opened again and Daigo's head snapped up, but his heart sunk when he only saw the woman again. She looked over at him expectantly, obviously unhappy about something.

'She's not the only one,' Daigo thought as he scowled back at her.

"Why are you still there?" She asked.
"What part of tied up don't you understand?" He spat back.
"Why don't you-" she raised her voice but paused. Her tone softened as she spoke again.
"You don't know, do you?"
"Know what?" He asked hesitantly.

She let out a small bitter laugh.

"You don't even realise. You have no idea."

Daigo only frowned at her. He had no clue what she was talking about.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" He questioned, hoping to get some answers.
"Your little knight friends didn't tell you about me?" That smirk was back and it made Daigo uneasy.
"Why would they?"
"How about my dear brother? Or his annoying manservant? Did they not mention anything?"

Daigo paused. His breath caught and his heart pounded in his chest. His expression gave away what he had realised.

"Figured it out?" She asked.

Daigo didn't answer, but he didn't really need to. He knew who the woman holding him prisoner was and the realisation left him gripped by fear.

Morgana.

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Gwaine paced around the room he shared with Lancelot, who had gone to get some water. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't even stay still. Nothing was taking his mind off Daigo. The boy was young, not quite nineteen yet, and he hadn't had any armour in the battle. He'd only been a knight for a few months. It had only been a few months since Serkad and Gedmin had been killed. Had they been killed? Of course they had. Gwaine shook his head to try and clear his thoughts but it didn't work.