Since Ao3 is down... Here's Chapter 12 of "A Beast Like You...."
(don't worry, i'll post it to Ao3 once it wakes back up!! Also here's a song from the playlist I made for them... )
The damp cell where Marianne had thrown her fit grew silent as the night wore on. What little voice she had left after screaming for hours was raw and scratchy, her throat swollen and sore. She laid against the brambles silently now, watching dirt and dust particles move through moon beams that crept through her barred window.ย
A quiet slapping sound grew nearer and Marianne could see Griselda waddling down the stairs towards her cell with a bowl of berries in hand. โOh, goodโ youโre awake!โ The goblin woman cried, throwing her free hand into the air and wiggling her fingers merrily. Marianne didnโt acknowledge her, choosing instead to let herself rot on the spot on the ground that sheโd settled into. Griseldaโs wide mouth creased downwards and she huffed, leaning over and dangling her face in front of Mariannes. โNo hello? No hi? Sheesh, didnโt your parents teach you any manners?โ She wandered into the cell and plopped onto the mushroom bed, gesturing for the guard to bugger off.ย
The nonchalant behavior of the woman was enough to draw a weak groan from Marianneโs chapped lips. โPlease, Iโm not in the mood for visitors.โ Her voice was pathetic and strained. The fairy pushed herself into an upright position and ran her hands over her face, wiping away the wetness from her cheeks and scratching at dry, salty flakes of tears that had long since been shed. โYeah, but Iโm not just any visitor. Mโnames Griselda.โ She fluttered her lashes and snickered, placing the berries off to the side. โIโm here to check on that leg of yours and get tโknow the girl my son canโt stop talkinโ about!โ The woman gushed, sliding onto the floor and sitting directly in front of Marianne.
Marianne gave her a puzzled look, โYour son?โ The only people sheโd really grown acquainted with were a few medics and Bogโ but surely this little, silly woman wasnโt the mother of the cruel kingโ โBoggy! The Bog King~!โ She pounded her chest in emphasis as he did only a day before. Marianne squinted in response, bewildered. โThen you should know heโs the last person I want to talk about.โ Griselda began to work on the girlโs leg, tenderly unwrapping the bandaging from around it and peeking inside. โSo you had a little fight, big whoop!โ The bandaging was fully removed to reveal Marianneโs broken leg, a large half healed surgical wound spread down it where they had to reset her leg and remove excess bone shards. Griselda examined it thoroughly as she spoke, โMy late husband and I fell in love during a fist fight!โ The tiny woman snorted, grabbing an ointment bottle from her pocket and opening it.
โOh, donโt look at me like that. Itโs the goblin way! Not to mention how steamy things get when youโre wrestlinโ like that!โ The sly wink Griselda shot her made Marianne want to gagโ The fearsome Rot King and this little creature were in love? The goblin took a finger tips worth of ointment, which was quite a lot given her thick, stumpy fingers, and ran it along the length of Marianneโs wound. The fairy barely winced, having grown used to the pain of her wounds. โThis wasnโt just a little fight, this was the realization that heโs been lying to me. That heโs the reason Iโm stuck here, trapped.โ Her lower lip trembled, tears prickling at her amber eyes. โIโฆ thought he was a good one.โ Griselda finished applying the ointment and began rewrapping the wound, โA good man, or a good goblin? Regardless, yโwerenโt honest about yourself either.โ Marianne was the one to snort now, โIโm also not the one holding him captive.โ Griselda let out a startling cackle, nudging the other with an elbow and winking, โI beg to differ!โ Despite her grim position, Marianne couldnโt help but loose a breathy chuckle at the other womenโs animated and overly chipper behavior. It was refreshing, almost like she was back in the Fairy Kingdom. Her heart throbbed at the memory, aching for a time since passed.ย
Marianne chewed her lip as she watched the elderly goblin waddle towards the bed and retrieve the bowl of berries. Her wide lips parted and she popped one into her mouth as she returned to her spot on the ground next to Marianne and shoved the bowl into her hands, โListen, tough girlโโ The fae grimaced at the familiar nickname, realizing Bog had spoken to his mother about her in some manner. โYโput my son in a tough situation. He returns you now, they see how banged up you are and blame us!โ Marianne opened her mouth to protest, but the meaty hand placed over it silenced her as Griselda continued. โYeah, yeah, you could try to convince them otherwise! But then your fatherโs in a tough situationโ asked by his daughter to not retaliate against the evil Goblins who his people believe did this to his daughter? How could he be trusted by the fairy folk after that? And would they believe that we hadnโt done this to you? They know we have Plum here, they could be convinced we asked her to brew something up, change your mind about us!โ Her hand slid free from Marianneโs face. โThenโฆ Am I truly stuck here, forever?โย
โNo, no, I have a plan.โ
Marianne shot her a look riddled with hesitation.
โIโll tell you all about it in due time, yeah?โ
โCanโt you tell me anything about it?โ
โI can tell you it starts with yโgetting better.โ
A delighted grin spread over Griseldaโs ashy features as she stood up and patted the fairy on the head like a dog. โTry tโget comfortable in the meantime. Itโll help yโheal, Iโll handle my son.โ Somehow, Marianne did feel some sort of comfort from the interaction; Griselda was just far too endearing to feel entirely untrustworthy. Griselda left just as quickly as she came, sauntering off and muttering about her โarrogant sonโ and how he was โgrumpier than a toad mistaken for a toadstool, just like his fatherโ. The evening ended with skeptical optimism for the fairy as Griselda wandered the castle to find her son, who was due to return from his meeting with Dagda any minute now.
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