A Nightmare's Honor

Freedom

{M} Quill/Yellow Apprentice POV:

So tired... My wrists ached as I tried to lift my arms, but after a few short moments, I gave up. The wall I was sitting against was the only reason I wasn't lying down at this point. Cuffs on my wrists and ankles led to heavy chains linked to the wall. The light of the room was constantly on, making it nearly impossible to sleep. As if I could sleep at a time like this...

My stresses from earlier came back to me once more. The Yellow Kingdom was left with no Apprentice for its leader. Not only would there be more paperwork, which is a major worry when it comes to the high number of safety reports and guard hiring papers I sign, but if anything happened to the Nightmare King...

I shuddered at the thought, pressing away my fears so they wouldn't hinder my mind. After all, I still had an escape to plan.

I flinched hard as the door to my cell((?) Not exactly like any cell I'm familiar with) opened loudly and the Assistant walked in. I tensed, glancing subconsciously down at the bruises I still had from the first day I was put in here. To my surprise, however, the Assistant stopped just a block away from me, then bent down, placing down a plate with food on it and a glass bottle filled with water.

[I apologize for your treatment here. I was unaware of the Professor's lack of care to follow health protocols. I will be sure you are given food and water for the rest of the time you are here.]

I stayed silent, not daring to move, regardless of how tempting the food and water were. There's probably something in it that the Professor is testing on me... but if I don't eat, I'll starve. I suppose I have no other choice...

The Assistant, after placing down the plate, left the room, the door clanking shut loudly behind him. The moment I was alone, I picked up the food. It looked delicious, and if I weren't so dehydrated, my mouth would have watered as I inspected it for anything suspicious. Satisfied that it was (probably) safe, I ate it quickly, hoping that it would quench my gnawing hunger. I drank the water even faster than I ate the food, relishing in its refreshing taste. Neither were enough to satisfy my needs, but it would keep me alive. Hopefully long enough to escape...

Barely six minutes later, while I tiredly devised a plan, I heard muffled explosions of something somewhat familiar. Fireworks?

I flinched hard as something banged loudly against the door. I noticed a slight indent in the metal. Bang! The indent grew larger. Bang!! I noticed with confusion that the indent had taken the shape of armor- or, perhaps, someone wearing armor? BANG!!

Pieces of the metal door went flying in all directions as an all-too-familiar person broke into my cell.

"S-...Sky...?" I asked weakly, my voice dry and hoarse.

Before she could respond, someone let out a cry of pain behind her. Instead of checking who it was, however, she ran to me, knelt down beside me, and started hacking on my chains with her sword. I don't think swords can cut metal, I thought to myself, careful to stay away from Sky's sharp blade as she worked.

Sky, it seemed, was not bound by logic, because before long the chain broke. She very casually sheathed her sword, then wrestled my wrists and ankles from out of their clasps. The parts of my skin where the clasps had been were raw and painful, and I bit my lip hard when I saw that they looked as painful as they felt.

Sky, without missing a beat, quickly helped me to my feet. My limbs felt weak and wobbly, making it difficult to stand, let alone walk. And yet, with Sky supporting me, we managed to slowly make our way out of the cell to find-

"M!" I cried out in shock, then coughed suddenly, regretting speaking in my weak state. Sky gave me a momentary concerned glance, then looked back to the lab.

In the secret lab there was only one person, who was lying on the floor unconscious. It was the Red Apprentice. M.

I heard Sky mutter a strange word I had never heard before under her breath. Judging by the tone of her voice, however, I came to the conclusion that it was a word I probably shouldn't.

"He got away- and he must have taken Sabre! For the love of everything holy, why do we keep getting kidnapped?!" Sky exclaimed with exasperation.