Poppies Watered in Blood | third life | flower husbands

Part Six

The cold lifeless stone walls of the castle had become familiar to Pearl in her time spent deep down in the dungeon.

None of the other prisoners tried talking to to her, and even the guards who'd taunt the souls trapped in these walls didn't dare bother her. She didn't mind though. Ever since a magical being had exposed themself to heal her eye she'd been ever so thankful to those creatures.

He hadn't fully healed it so there was a scar, but he had stopped the bleeding.

Pearl carelessly tossed a knife she'd stolen up and down. After she had stabbed the eye of a guard out no one had dared take it from her.

She wondered what that boy was doing now, whether he'd found others like him, or if he was dead. Pearl hoped the ladder wasn't true since she did kinda owe him.

The sounds of chains brought Pearl back into reality as a boy with brown hair and emerald green eyes was thrown in. Pearl noticed scars speckled across his body as well as the rags wrapped around his body.

"Here, maybe a month with her will teach you a lesson!"

The guard snarled before closing the gates. The boy gave the soldier a wave smiling like an idiot. "Cya later Mr. Guard!" He then turned to Pearl still smiling.

"Well hello there" he said.

"What did you do to end up in the same cell as me?" Pearl asked, "not even murderers get me as a roommate."

The boy chuckled sheepishly, "I may have stolen from the king."

"Yeah that checks out, that greedy hog would go to the extreme when catching someone who stole from him."

"I thought death was the extreme"

"It was until I came here"

"What did you do?"

"I scooped out my parents eyeballs with a spoon and cooked their bodies in a stew that I then fed to my neighbours."

"Really!?"

Pearl laughed, "no, not really. I just defended a creature"

The boys eyes widened, "you met one!?"

"How do you think I got this scar?"

"Wait, if a creature attacked you, why did you defend them?"

"They didn't attack me, they healed me, well not fully, they did have to run, but yeah that's the story."

"What's your name?"

"Pearl, you?"

"Scar!"

"I should've guessed from the sheer number of them on your body."

Scar chuckled, "yeah, I guess you could say this isn't my first run in with guards."

"First time you got caught?"

Scar nodded, "unfortunately you are correct, it's my first time being caught."

"You're lucky, that guy over their has been caught five times now, one more and he'll either end up with us or dead."

Pearl pointed to another prisoner whose features were hidden by both their cloak and the shadows that filled almost every corner of the dungeon.

"What did they do" Scar asked, "from what I've heard they're just a twelve-year-old boy trying to feed their family." Pearl explained, "I mean it is understandable with the drought and everything."

Pearl nodded. The two sat in silence for a bit before Scar said, "how long have you been down here?"

Pearl shrugged, "couple weeks probably"

Scar laughed, "I guess you do have a point in that you can't really tell the time down here"

The brunette paused before asking Pearl something she hadn't really expected to hear. "Do you wanna go find that creature that healed you?"

Pearl blinked, "I mean, of course I do, I never got the chance to thank him, and I do owe him a bit."

"So then let's find him!"

"I don't know if you noticed, but we're who knows how deep underground in a literal dungeon."

"But what if we escape?"

"Unlikely"

"Well, have you tried?"

"Not really, no"

"Well you'll never know till you try!" Pearl smacked him in the face as a guard neared the cell they were in.

He only glanced at the two for a moment before moving on to taunt the person in the cell next to him. "Why aren't they doing the same to us?" Scar questioned.

Pearl gave him a pointed stare, "ohhh! They're scared of you!"

"You say that as if you're surprised"

"I am! How can they be scared of you!?"

In response, Pearl pointed the stolen knife at him which made Scar shriek in fear. "Y-you're not g-going to stab me right!?"

The guard at the cell next to them laughed, "bet you wish you never stole from the king now!"

Pearl rolled her eyes before pocketing the knife. The guard then left to a higher level of the dungeon seemingly board with taunting the prisoners for now.

Pearl looked at Scar and his stupidly big smile.

Maybe she could give whatever wacky idea he had a chance. I mean she would at least be able to thank that healer if it worked.

"Alright" Pearl said, "tell me the plan"