Daughter of the Night [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 19

TW: beating, violence, blood, wounds, implied torture

[2 days later]

It had taken two days for Y/N to find the cavern where Silver was being held. She had her mother's potions to thank for that. But now, Y/N slipped into the depths of the cavern, running her hand along the edge, careful not to cut herself on the odd sharp rock. She dared not use any light, for fear of being discovered by the queen before she was able to get to wherever they were keeping Silver. She took a deep breath and took a step, her bare feet meeting with the wet rock below. The thunder and lightning outside would cover any sounds that managed to slip through the enchantments that the queen no doubt put in place. 

The thought of the queen doing something horrible to Silver made Y/N want to break down and sob right there on the cavern floor, but she steeled herself for whatever sight might await her at the end of the tunnel and kept walking. 

"Please be okay, Silver," Y/N whispered, her eyes starting to fog again as her mind started to conjure up worst-case scenarios. She tried to fight them as she walked, cautious of where she placed her feet, and careful not to make any sort of noise. Even as her foot met what felt like an old bone that crunched beneath her heel, she bit her lip to keep from wincing. 

Eventually, she reached a large open cavern at the bottom of the cave, and she paused at the entrance, pressing her back against the cold stone wall. She could hear something inside. A sickening chuckle, a threat to return soon, and a sound that seemed like a mix of a whimper and a scream. Y/N pulled her cloak tighter to her body as she pressed herself into a small alcove by the entrance to the cavern. A hulking figure stomped out, humming a sickening tune to himself. Y/N slipped in as the man left and her eyes widened in shock.

Silver was lying on the stone floor in a cage, his hands and feet bound in shackles, with a chain bolting them to the floor. They were too short for him to even stand. Y/N could see blood oozing from wounds on his body, and she felt her stomach churn at the sight. She waited for the man to leave entirely before rushing over to the cage.

Silver forced his head to turn. These approaching footsteps were familiar, but they didn't sound like the man's footsteps. These were different. 

"Silver. Hold on, Silver, I'm getting you out of there."

"Y/N," Silver panted out, trying to turn to see the door of his cage. The act of rolling over caused a thousand dagger-like rocks to dig into his side and he winced, freezing on his back, tears starting to roll down his face, joining with the corpses of their brothers, which had frozen and embedded themselves into his skin.

Y/N hurriedly pulled out her lock pick and stuck the pins into the simple keyhole, hoping that the henchman hadn't been smart enough to enchant the lock as well. But when the lock fell open, the rattle echoing around the cavern, Y/N let out a near-silent sigh of relief. She would have preferred the lock not to fall, creating a loud racket as the locking mechanism was released, but all she cared about right now was Silver. 

She pulled the lock off the door and placed it on the ground before pulling open the cage door and running in, falling to her knees next to Silver's wounded body. Cuts and bruises marked every inch of exposed skin, which was more than what it should have been in a cavern this dark and wet. His torso had been left bare, and his pants had been torn at the knees, allowing the twisted henchman to carve away at Silver's otherwise beautiful skin. 

"Oh, Silver," Y/N sobbed, reaching for his hands. "I should have got here sooner. I am so s-sorry, t-this is-s all m-my fault." She fumbled with her pins for a second before she was able to clear her mind.