Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter! Sorry I was gone so long but I decided to take a break because I wanted to write some stuff with other couples and other concepts (hence Nature's Wonder) but I'm back in the game. Originally, I was going to post this on Sunday (because it's my birthday on that day) but I decided to not leave you guys hanging. Also, I replied to comments in the AN at the bottom.

Boy, this chapter is probably one of the heaviest in the story so far. Why? Read and find out.

WARNINGS: Blood, violence, language, and rape

Chapter 33: A Light in the Dark

Third Person POV

A mysterious figure clad in a black cloak slowly rode to DunBroch upon a black horse. Underneath the black hood, the figure smirked at his sudden change of fortune. He was supposed to be stuck in MacInroy Castle until his Lord wedded the Princess but, for reasons unclear, he was pardoned of his wrong-doings and invited to return to the castle.

As the figure approached the gates, the guards were closing them for the night. However, when they spotted the figure, their eyes widened and they quickly reopened the heavy doors, bowing as the figure passed them.

He continued his slow, menacing pace until he reached the stables of the castle. He slid off his black steed and handed the reins to the stable boy. The figure looked up at the castle and smiled.

Briskly, he walked into the castle to his destination. It didn't take long for him to find it, seeing that he had been there many times. Without hesitation, he knocked on the oak door, entering when he heard permission from within.

William MacInroy stood with his back to the door, staring into the fireplace with his hands behind his back. Only when he heard the door shutting behind him did he turn around, smiling at the familiar face.

"It's good to see you again, my friend." He said with a smile as the figure removed the hood and bowed.

"My Lord," He said, "I didn't believe I'd be back so soon. Her Majesty, the Princess, can hold quite a grudge."

"She can but you needn't worry about that. It's all taken care of." The figure smiled.

"Did the scum really try to kidnap her?" He asked, sitting down in a nearby chair. William sat down in a nearby chair.

"We're not sure," He lied, "But the Princess' mind is hell-bent on proving that they didn't. Ever since the scum came here, she been trying to convince the King and Queen that they are innocent and trying to have they released. Of course, she's failed." William said with an evil smirk. The figure smirked too, lewd thoughts of a particular someone among the scum coming to mind. The thoughts reluctantly stopped when William spoke again,

"I have a task for you and it must be completely tonight." The figure unintentionally smiled. He stood up and looked at the Lord intently. William stood up and looked him straight in the eye, "The scum's trails start tomorrow," He explained, "And I want you to ensure that they are so broken, they'll say nothing to defend themselves."

Third Person POV

North's death had delivered a hard blow to the ones that had once shared a cell with him. The hours of boredom had increased and the fear tenfold. The stench of death was more potent and the screams of distant torture seemed louder.

The three prisoner had resigned themselves to spent their hours in silence. They spared each other the occasional glance but little was said. Anything that was brought into the cell was ignored too.

Hiccup had kept his spot by the window. He spent his hours staring at the sky, either praying or trying to hear his dragon, who was as silent as the cell/ He avoided looking at Jack and Rapunzel because every time he did, he was faced with the overwhelming feeling that this was all his fault.

If he hadn't asked them to help him and Merida elope, then they wouldn't have been stuck in here. Then North and Flynn would've been alive. Then he would've been able to see Merida.

Simply the thought of her gave Hiccup a boost of hope. The loud-mouthed, gossiping guards had seemed more than willing to share the fast spread whispers of the castle. They told him that the princess was relentlessly trying to convince the King and Queen of their innocence.

"I love you, Merida." He whispered to the full moon, hoping that the princess was looking at it too. Staring at the bright sphere gave Hiccup an odd sense of serenity. That sense was short-lived.

He tore his gaze away from the window when he heard running outside the door. Some men were yelling too.

The lock clicked and the door swung open. The sudden brightness blinded Hiccup and thus, he was unable to see the two bulky MacInroy goons enter. The larger one of the two headed for the blacksmith, delivering a painful blow to his stomach.

Hiccup had no time to yell or even regain the lost air before the goon clutched his throat. He began clawing at the goon's hands as they wrapped tighter around his throat, trying to loosen their grip but even with the strength acquired in years of blacksmithing, he could not budge the hands.

The goon smiled devilishly as the blacksmith slowly turned paler from the lack of air. He chuckled when he let out a strangled gasp and his eyes began to roll to the back of his head. Suddenly, the goon released him and let the man fall the hard floor.

Hiccup managed one gasp and one cough before being kicked in the stomach again. HE was lifted by his tunic. Through his blurry vision, he could see the goon briefly before it all turned black. This blackness, however, would save him from the horrors that would transpire.

The second goon, the smaller one, had gone after Jack. He had slapped Rapunzel away and had lifted Jack as if he were a mere ragdoll. The goon smashed Jack against the wall, earning a groan of pain.

IN the meantime, Rapunzel had recovered from the assault. She caught sight of Hiccup lying unconscious on the other side of the cell before a grunt of pain turned her sight to Jack. She watched in horror as the goon attacked Jack.

"Keep your hands off of him!" She screamed as she kicked the goon behind the knee. The man screamed in pain and swung his hand around to backhand Rapunzel's cheek. The sheer force of the slap was enough for Rapunzel to tumble to the floor.

"Kentigern!" The goon screeched as he continued his assault of Jack, "Take care of this bitch!"

The larger goon- Kentigern- smiled lewdly at Rapunzel, noting that the hem of her dress had gone up to a normally inappropriate height, showing her beautiful, bare leg.

"Wait." A voice said from the outside. Kentigern stood still and politely bowed his head to the figure in the doorway.

Rapunzel looked to the door and gasped in horror when the figure stepped into the cell and she could see his face.

It was Artair.

Rapunzel quickly moved to cover her legs, lest she tempt him, but the hem had barely reached her ankles when Artair roughly grabbed her wrist.

"No." He whispered lewdly, moving the dress back up, "It's better up here." He moved his hand to caress her leg but she slapped it away.

"No." She said firmly, though she had a slight quiver in her voice. Artair huffed lightly, cupping her cheek gently. He smirked.

"Still as feisty as ever." He whispered. Before Rapunzel could do anything, Artair smashed his lips against hers. Rapunzel tried with all her might to push him off but he was much stronger than her. He became more forceful with his kiss, pushing her down onto the floor.

Rapunzel began to panic. With her free hand, she frantically searched on the floor for something- anything to fight back with. Luck was on her side when her fingers felt a piece of wood, a remnant of the stool North had destroyed.

Artair stopped his kiss and stared down at her. That's when Rapunzel struck. With a yell, she slammed the piece of wood against the left side of Artair's face.

With an agonizing scream of pain, he rolled off her, clutching his face.

"Fucking whore!" He screamed. He removed his hand and stared at Rapunzel. Her attack with the wood had caused a large, deep gash from his eyebrow to his ear. The worst, however, was his eye. The lid was closed and swelling, the skin bulging red. Fury seething, Artair forcefully placed himself in between her legs, roughly keeping her hands above her head. He leaned down, relishing the sound of her panting in fear.

"You're going to regret that, you little cunt." He whispered into her ear. He growled and attacked her neck, biting down hard on the delicate pink flesh until he tasted blood. He smiled when he heard her whimper and bit down on another spot just as hard. After he finished with that spot, he stared down at her chest, seeing the outline of her breasts. He felt himself harden at the mere thought of them. He wanted to see them so badly.

He let go of her wrists but, the instant he did, she attacked, trying to push him off. She slapped him anywhere she could as he tried to get control of her hands again but failed. In his peripheral, he caught sight of Jack, battered and bruised and being forced to watch Artair having his way with his wife. Artair grabbed Rapunzel's throat.

"Lie still or your husband dies." He threatened. He smiled when her eyes widened in shock. Slowly she lowered her hands back to the ground and lay perfectly still. Artair smirked at his victory. He turned his gaze to the goon holding Jack, "Cut his wrist, Moray. Kentigern, guard the door."

Both goons smiled and obeyed their orders. Moray pulled forth his dagger and swiftly cut into Jack's wrist. The cut was deep enough to bleed but not deep enough for the man to bleed to death. Jack, however, barely reacted to the cut. His eyes were fixated on his wife. His beautiful wife being molested by a evil claiming to be a man. He felt a potent rage bubble in him as he watched Artair rip her dress and attack her body. When Rapunzel cried out as Artair forcefully shoved himself into her, Jack struggled against Moray's tight grip.

"No! Stop!" He begged, a tear rolling down his cheek as Rapunzel looked at him and all he saw were empty, hollow orbs.

Rapunzel felt absolutely empty as Artair had his way with her. No more struggling, no more fighting. Just lying there with the occasional tear coming out o her empty eye. She only cried out loud when Artair forcefully shoved into her. It hurt so much but she said and did nothing. She was oblivious to the fact that Artair was leaning closer to her until he spoke.

"You're lucky, bitch." He whispered, grunting as he shoved into her again, "I'm a much better man than you deserve."

Third Person POV

Artair and the goons left the cell laughing heartily. As they made their way to the exit of the dungeon, a guard took notice and moved to lock the door on the cell they had just left. That is, until he caught sight of the people within.

He saw one of the males unconscious in the corner, dark bruises forming around his throat. The other male, whose arm was covered entirely in red, tried to help and comfort the woman, who stared absentmindedly in front of her with her empty eyes. She tried to cover herself with her ripped dress but the fabric was so badly torn she could cover herself only a little.

Watching them, the guard only felt pity. He had seen many criminals in his time but never had he seen anything like this. He locked the door and barked at another guard to take his position until he got back. For an hour, the guard walked around the castle. First to the kitchens, then the servant's quarters, and lastly, the house of the physicians.

He headed back to the dungeon with a large white bundle tucked under his arm. He dismissed the other guard and opened the cell door. As he entered, he saw the man with the bloodied arm standing up and glaring at him, as if he expected a fight. The guard held up his hand to show he was unarmed.

The guard said nothing as he handed the bundle to Jack and walked out of the cell, locking the door behind him.

Jack stared down at the bundle in his arms, wondering why the guard had given it to him. Placing it down onto the ground, he undid the ties and gasped with hope when he saw the content.

Gauze, ointments for bruising, fresh bread and water and a new dress. Jack felt like he was going to cry at the mere sight of the items. Even in this world of darkness, hate, and cruelty, there was still kindness, compassion and hope to be found.

Yeah…. I don't really have anything to say.

Review, favorite, follow.

Replies

KittenFluffz: I don't really get that reference. Care to explain?

Nelsh: I'm trying really hard to fit Merida into this somehow but I just can't find the right moments. I hope the descriptions in this chapter were good enough.

To everyone that cried during the last chapter: I cried while writing it because I thought it was just so beautiful and heartwarming