Secrets Beyond - The Beginning (a Tangled the series original fan fiction)

Ashton - Chapter 17

Iris's eyes flew open, 'When did I black out?! Wait where am I, why is it so- was that a dream??...' The siren thought, quickly but groggily sitting up. As she tried to put the two and two together of where she was she soon discovered that she was in a cold cell. The floor and walls were made of a cold, wet, grimy black stone. The rock had flecks and veins of iridescent white running through the rather decently sized cage, containing herself, Chess, and Varian. Under arms aching as if she had been roughly dragged around by them, the teen girl propped herself against the back of the three solid walls, only one of them being the bars that let the inmates look out and the enemy look in.

"Ugh-.... ow..." She muttered, rubbing her under arms. Iris turned her head to look at the two boys who lay unconscious on the floor. "Gracious what all happened...... oh right, I guess it wasn't a dream...." She spoke softly to herself. Iris further studied her cell, trying to gather all possible information she could... after all there had to be some way to escape. As she looked around she noticed a short of toilet in one corner, and four roughly carved pockets in the walls, presumably sleeping spaces; though the men were quite carelessly flopped across the floor, Varian atop Chess, both boys on their stomachs. The mermaid couldn't help but smile at the sight of them both sleeping like that.

Iris then made her way over to the toilet, though to her disappointment it had no pipes, just an endless dark pit that seemed to extend down as far as the little light would allow her to look. Hope still burning within her, she walked over to the bars, wrapping her hands around the poles. "Where's the lock?..." She muttered finding that there was no door either. "What the... How'd they get us in here?.." She mumbled.

"There is no door or lock...." A voice came out of nowhere from inside the cell. Iris jumped, her heart painfully skippy two entire beats, "OH MY- Who are you!?" She asked, turning around quickly, hand to her heart, back pressed against the bars. The siren looked around unable to find the source. "Nobody... but if you really wanna know, then I guess you can call me Ashton..." The voice answered again. It sounded young, but not necessarily male or female. "W-where are you!?" She asked again, not liking at all that she couldn't see the said person.

"Right here..." It answered, then something pitch black that perfectly fit in with the walls shifted and contorted in the corner of her vision. Iris spasmed slightly, still nervous after the whole Antonella thing. As the thing took shape, or at least Iris was able to make out what it was, her brain finally comprehending, Iris felt no less at ease. What stood before her was a tall humanoid creature. It strongly represented a person, or a man. It's body was made from a glistening pitch black flesh that looked more like a liquid-like goop, or symbiote even, than a solid flesh. Judging by the faint and soft, but sure features it had, it looked more like a young African American man in his early twenties, much like Chess. Its eyes were like solid white, his pupils and irises hardly visible. He wore no clothes other than tattered red pants.

Iris couldn't help but stare. He scoffed after a moment, "Never heard of an Imp before?? Never seen one?" He asks, giving her a sort of cold and broken look. His voice was soft and silky, but sounded tired and horse. "I- no??" She answered. He furrowed his brows, "...You're serious??" He asked again, still confused. She nodded slowly in response, still not understanding his confusion. "So you're not going to kill me??" He asked, a glimmer of curiosity surfacing in his face. Iris gave him a horrified look, but not only at the fact that that was a concern, it was at the fact that that was something he treated so casually. "WHAT!? WHY WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT!?" The teen siren sputtered, beside herself. "You really don't know!... wow..." He muttered. "Ok, do you know what a fae is??" He asked.

"Ummmm it's like an elfin fairy or something??"

"Tch- Umm kinda??" He snickered, "Forest spirits. Only the purest, kindest, and wisest linger in this world.... So, an imp... is kinda like a fallen fae."