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~0~

My hearing comes back first, not that it helped much. It took me a while to figure out what the repetitive noise coming into my ears were. The first was the stomping of three sets of boots, which meant there was one more person than he remembered. Or two, I don't remember the shadow people having audible footsteps. The second was the sound of dragging, and now that I focus on the noise I can feel sensation returning to my legs and arms. My arms were outstretched above me and I could feel a set of hands pulling on them, which meant I was right and the two-new people aren't shadows. My legs were listless and dragging along the dirt floor.

The pain comes next. I can feel where the cut on my arm has crusted over with dried blood and where my shoulder throbs. The bruise on my stomach stings from where I'm folding over it and I don't even have to look at myself to know there's a bump on the side of my head. I try not to moan in discomfort but a hiss passes through my teeth when the person pulling on my injured shoulder tugs particularly hard.

"Ah… So, the prince is awake, is he? Just set him over there, boys. There's a lot to be discussed."

The tugging began again but I didn't open my eyes yet. I could feel one of my wings get caught under my body and I wiggled trying to move it. Tugging on a fairy's wings was equivalent to having a fistful of hair yanked. Painful and annoying. It was but a few seconds later when I was dropped onto a flat, dirt surface. It was now that I opened my eyes and the world tilted, black spots in my eyes I barely noticed with how dark the room was. If it even was a room. From where I was, the only thing I could make out was the rock ceiling above me. Everything else was still shrouded in darkness but I suspected we were still underground.

Too familiar pair of boots stepped in front of my legs. "Do you know why you're here, Your Highness?"

"Let me guess, you love fairies so much you just had to have one on display?" I ask cheekily.

The slime ball smirks and lifts a foot. I cry out as his boot stomps on the throbbing bruise on my stomach. "Funny. But no. You see, praised child of the Fairies, you are the means to justice."

I cough. "Justice for what, connard?"

He stomps on me again and I jump up, ready to punch his face out, but the two minions grab my arms again. I lift my leg and send it into the douche's face earning me a punch to my own. Blood pools in my mouth.

"I suggest you don't try that again."

I spit the blood on his face.

He rubs it off and frowns, slapping me in the face. "I see we're going have to be rough with you. I hope you remember how vulnerable dear old mom and dad were to us."

"That's only because you surprised us. We know you're coming now."

I wish I could have kicked that smirk off his face. "Do you? Do you really? Do you even know who I am?"

"I don't have to know who you are to know we're going to kick your ass."

He holds up a finger and wiggles it. "See, with anyone else you might have a chance but with us, you don't have a chance."

My forehead hurt from how hard I'm glaring at the man. "And why not?"

"You see, oh stupid one," he starts as his form starts to waver and grows in size. My eyes widen as I see a disturbingly familiar form take over the fairy man I've been seeing the past few hours. "We know all your secrets."

He was ugly. He was grotesquely ugly. And wrinkly, short, with limbs longer than his body. Oh no. Oh, god no. This was so not happening.

"Recognize me now, Highness?" he asked mockingly.

"You're a Spriggan!" I spat out.

"Correct."

Spriggans were the worst of the worst. They were horrific beings that only cared about themselves. They could be as wise as old men but they had the attitude of little greedy children. Spriggans were the cause of many human troubles. Did a ship suddenly come under the wrath of fierce winds that sent it into an outcrop of rocks, sinking it? The Spriggans did that. Did otherwise healthy crops come undone and rot before harvest season started? The Spriggans probably sent a swarm of poisonous water onto them. Did a human ever find itself going in circles in a forest even though the trees kept changing? Spriggans were notorious for delighting in confusion and danger. Countless humans have fallen prey to their mischievous and other mystical creatures weren't immune either. They were hated among everyone. Especially fairies. You see, for centuries Spriggans were used as bodyguards for our kind. Back then, their true nature was only rumored, never certain. Aside from their heinous attitude, they were also known for their illusionary magic. Every action they took, where they got up close and personal with their victim, they usually had the face of the being they were targeting. They were especially prone to mimicking the face of the being's loved ones to incite feelings of betrayal in the victim so they could watch the mayhem afterward. When my great-grandfather finally got sufficient evidence of their activities, as they had been moonlighting as some of the court members and stealing money from the treasury under the member's names, he had them terminated and more than half of them executed for treason.

"So, what? This is revenge for letting you go? You should be glad there's any of your kind left at all!"

"Glad? Glad?! We were one of the most feared creatures in existence. The most powerful. The richest creatures in the world. People cowered when they saw us coming. But then you slimy little fairies thought yourselves above us. So righteous and fair." His lips curl in a snarl. "Big mistake." He looks up at the men holding me. "Do it."

I barely had time to register the whoosh of air before I got reacquainted with darkness again.

~0~

It was similar to last time. My senses came back one by one. First my hearing, then the pain, then smell. I could tell this time that no one was holding me and I wonder where the men had taken me. Unlike last time, however, an explosion of light blinded me when I opened my eyes. Hissing, I brought a hand to shade them as I tentatively open them again. I look around warily and almost jerk in surprise.

I'm in a dungeon. An actual dungeon underground with bars encompassing three quarters of it. The light was coming from a lantern strung up in one corner of the cell and I was laying uncomfortably on a violet petal. I shift over on my side and groan at how stiff my muscles feel. My nose settles on my upper arm and man, do I stink! How long have I been down here?

I lift my shirt and look down at my stomach and my eyes furrow at the color of the bruise. It was yellowish. I thought bruises took days to turn this color. Wait. Hold up. There is no way I could have been knocked unconscious for days at a time. No way. Anyone that strong would have killed me. And when did I get this bruise on my leg? I don't remember anyone hitting me there.

Wondering what other bruises I had without my knowledge, I try to stand up. My legs wobble. I turn onto my hands and knees, breathing shallowly. I almost choke when I try to spread my wings and feel resistance. My eyes widen and I sit up. Obviously, I can't see my back even though I try to so I stretch to reach the base of my wings. I don't reach it.

I can feel panic start to quicken my breathing when an obnoxious voice comes from a cell in front of mine. "There's rope tying them together, pretty boy."

My head jerks to that direction but I can't see anyone. "Who said that?"

A raucous laugh answers me, grating my ears with its nasal-like quality. "I did, pretty boy. Nice to meet yah. How do you do? How you feeling?"

I stare in the general direction, wondering if this moron was being serious. "Seriously? You're asking me that?"

"It's called being polite, little boy. Something you aren't being right now."

"I am not a little boy, sir." I say the last word mockingly.

"Oh yeah? Is that right? And what do they call you, little boy?" He shoots back, emphasizing my new nickname.

I cross my arms. "I asked you first."

"Testy. Testy." Comes the voice again but this time I can hear a set of footsteps getting closer to me. The person comes into the light as they continue with, "Beetle's my name, and razzmatazz is my game. What's yours, chum?"

My eyebrows shoot up for I was indeed looking at a blue beetle. "Cornelius."

"Unfortunate name." The beetle says making my eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "But it won't matter too much down here." He spread his arms gesturing around the place before leaning on the bars. "So, what you in for?"

"I'm not in for anything. I'm not a criminal." I say forcibly.

"Woah. Woah. You think I'm a criminal? Did you even see who brought you in? Those are the real criminals! I've never done anything bad in my life! And red head over here couldn't have either."

I look to where he gestured to his right and vaguely see an outline of a person. I guess my eyes are getting adjusted to the darkness. Even still, I can't tell what the person looks like, only that they're laying down. "Red head?"

"Yeah. Look." He moves over to the person. "Hey, Beautiful!" He yells obnoxiously loud. "Wake up, there's someone here to meet ya!"

How this person has managed to sleep the whole time this man talked I'll never know. How this person managed not to jump awake when the beetle screamed at them I'll never know either. Just his voice was giving me a headache. Must have been around a long time for them to ignore the guy.

"Toots!"

"I'm not your toots."

The sleepy voice surprised me, not because it was lacking annoyance – they really must have been here a long time – but because it was a girl's voice. A beautiful girl's voice.

"What's going on?"

"We have a new cellmate, Red. Maybe you'll be more talkative with this one."

I can't help but stare when she turns and looks in my direction. She was beautiful. Even as dirty as she was I could tell she was gorgeous. "Hello…" Why did that come out all breathy.

"Ha! She stun ya with her beauty, kid?" I hear the beetle say.

I glare over at him, fed up. "Do you ever shut up?"

"Shut up? How can I? You're the first thing to happen in God knows how long down here!"

"How long have you two been down here?"

"Too long! And if you haven't noticed, chum, there's no way to tell time down here."

"We had the Annual Bloom some days ago."

"It's Spring?!" Was he always this dramatic? "I've been down here two seasons?! My fans will think me dead!"

"Your fans?" I say doubtfully.

"Yeah, my fans! I'm a connoisseur of sweet nectars," He rubbed at the bars, "a designer of rare threads," his moustache came next, "and a judge of beautiful women," he leaned against the bars he shared with 'Red'.

Red doesn't seem to like the compliment. "Would you stop?"

"You too? You wound me, sweetheart!"

Before he can continue with the dramatics, I cut him off and address the third party. "And what's your name?"

She jumps at me addressing her and turns to me. I see her eyes fall to my downturned wings and she gasps and points. "You're… You're one of them."

I blink. "I beg your pardon?"

"A fairy!" she gushes and stands. "I've never seen a fairy before!"

I stand too and lean my face against the bars. "But you're fae." I point out.

Her enthusiasm drops a little. "Fae? What's a fae?" She asks confused.

My eyebrows shoot up at this. "You mean you don't know?"

"Oh, uh…I-I don't actually know. I've been here as long as I can remember."

"You don't remember coming here?"

"No." She looks down sheepishly.

"Oh." I scrunch my chin up thoughtfully. "You never told me your name."

"You never told me yours." She responds immediately.

I smirk at her cheekiness. "I'm Cornelius."

"Cornelius? That's a funny name." She giggles before looking stricken. "Oh, I-I mean it's perfect."

"Okay. Okay. Enough with the flirting!" Wow. He was quiet longer than I thought. "So, what's your story?"

I push away from the bars and sit on the ground, Red following my action. The beetle stays leaning on the bars. "My kingdom was ambushed…."

"Fairies have kingdoms?" Red asked.

"Kingdom? Who are you in your kingdom?" Beetle asked frantically.

"Is there a prince?" Red asks with wonder in her voice.

I smirk in amusement at her. "Yes."

"He must be terribly handsome."

The handsomest. "Oh, he is."

"Strong and brave." I can almost see her eyes dilate thinking about him – me – thinking about me.

"None like him."

"I love to meet the prince."

"Oh, come on, Toots!" Beetle cuts in, annoyance in his words, moustache twitching. He had been watching our little exchange. I guess my face gave it away. "He's the prince! Look at his clothes!" It was my clothes that gave it away? Well then.

"You're a prince?"

"Yes." I say proudly.

Mr. Beetle speaks up. "Don't sound so smug, princely. You're stuck down here too."

"So are you."

"Whatever you say." He waved his arm around. "So, how'd they nab a prince anyway?"

"Well, as I was saying…" I stare at him dryly. "My kingdom was ambushed by these shadow-creatures. They almost looked like ghosts with spears—"

I'm interrupted again by Mr. Beetle. "You were ambushed by Bodach's?! And you're alive?!" He cries alarmed.

Now it's my turn to be confused. "Bodach's? What are those?"

"Wait. You don't know what those things are? And you're a prince?" the beetle asks slightly laughing.

"No. I do not know what those things are. Would you care to enlighten me?" I ask him annoyed.

"What are they?!" he starts with flair. "They're the fiercest creatures known to man, a vision of danger, a messenger of death! And you, sir, should be dead!"

I scoff. "Now I know you're lying."

"Why would I lie?" I could see his moustache twitch. Was that moustache sentient or something? "I'm stuck down here as much as you are! Besides, they can't come down here. They're made of shadows. No light means no shadows. They don't exist underground. What kind of weakness is that anyway? Demonic-like beings that can't be in the dark. They breathe death and they can't be in the dark…"

"Woah. Wait. Wait a minute. What do you mean they bring death?"

"They're like vultures! They can smell death coming before it even happens. The more deaths, the more there are!"

I clenched my teeth. "There were no deaths."

"You must not have seen them, pal."

"No. I saw my people alive. We were attacked by these 'Bodach' and I figured out that lighting my sword with fairy dust killed them. The guards were taking them out when the bast—uh, the Spriggan – had two of the shadows ambush me."

"Wait. You," he points to me, "killed them? Like, they're dead? Never coming back? Meeting the grim reaper dead?!"

I roll my eyes and answer him blandly. "That's the only dead there is."

"But you can't kill them! That's why they're so feared! It's like killing a ghost."

"They exploded in front of me. Pretty sure that means they're dead." I tell him.

"This just keeps getting crazier—"

"How did they get you?" I hear the girl ask.

"It's rude to interrupt, toots—"

"I fell for the Spriggans' trick." I interrupt, smiling at her and making Mr. Beetle throw his hands up. "He used illusionary magic to make himself look like a fairy and wore clothes to look like a servant. He 'killed'," I shoot a look at you-know-who, "a shadow coming at me, then 'helped' me escape through a secret door. I followed, saw my parents with some guards, and got jumped. Had to leave to keep my family safe."

"How terrible." The girl sighs.

"How did he kill it?" Beetle must be pretty bored to keep asking me questions.

"Wrapped him with a table cloth."

"Shadows can't exist in darkness." He repeats gleefully.

"Yeah, you've said that." I point out. "What you haven't said, though, is why you're here."

"I was ambushed just like you." He says before acting out his woes as best as he could in a small cell. "I was walking out of my best show yet with my cousins. The crowd loved me! We were the talk of the town. The ladies worshipped me! The guys wanted to be me! I couldn't go anywhere without being recognized! But then…. Oh, ho ho, but then—"

"He made fun of the shadows during his show and they got upset." Red surprisingly, but thankfully, cuts in.

"My story!" Mr. Beetle cries.

"I can totally see that happen." I snicker.

Beetle humphs.

"And you?" I ask Red.

She blushes slightly and gnaws at her lower lip. "I don't know."

I'm skeptical. "You don't know?"

"I—I think I was born here?"

"Hate to break it to you, but the shadows could definitely not make a beautiful girl like you." I smirk at her. I'm being completely serious even though I'm flirting with her a little. This may be surprising, but damn, this girl really is beautiful, and she hasn't started talking about stupid things yet, which is a plus in my book.

My smirk widens when I see her blush deepen. "No. I mean, I don't remember ever not being here."

"So, you think your parents were prisoners here, and gave birth to you?"

She nods.

"Or you came here as a baby."

She nods again.

I don't know what to say so I settle with, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Cornelius." She smiles.

I smile back.

"Well, as much fun as this has been," three guesses who this is, "I'm hitting the hay."

I furrow my eyebrows. There was no light down here and definitely no sense of time. "You're tired already?"

"Down here, bud, you go to sleep when you feel tired. Night!"

As he goes to the back of his cell and disappears into the darkness, I turn to Thumbelina. She smiles lightly at me and nods her head in goodbye. "Good night," she says as she picks up her rose-petal blanket.

"Good night."

It's only after I've laid down on the violet petal – on my side as ropes on my back were a pain – and found a comfortable spot to rest my head on my shoes – I lied, there isn't one – did I remember something very important about my hot new cell mate. She didn't tell me her name!