FOR MY LOVE | WINGS OF FIRE AU. ✓

10 - Can We Make It This Time?

✶ CHAPTER 10 - QIBLI ✶

CW: abuse

Qibli was sitting in a small, cold, and dingy cell. He was pressed up against the freezing cold wall, trying to distance himself as much as possible from his mother, who sat across from him. She glowered at the floor, occasionally looking up to glare at Qibli with cold eyes. Whenever she did this, he did his best not to meet her gaze.

Metal handcuffs were clamped around his wrists, heavy and depressing. Qibli stared blearily at the barred wall, watching for movement outside the cell.

They had been temporarily put into the cell until Queen Glacier was able to send them back to the Sand Kingdom, where Queen Thorn could deal with them. They had already been waiting for seven hours, and Qibli's exhaustion was taking over. He was hungry and tired and cold and scared and didn't want to wait any longer in the dank hole that was a prison cell.

Qibli's attention was caught by the sound of conversation echoed through the jail hall. Queen Glacier appeared down the hall, a while away, talking to the occupants of another cell. Qibli knew that Tundra and Narwhal were the prisoners in that cell. The Ice Kingdom queen was interrogating them from outside the bars.

"Qibli," hissed Cobra from across the cramped room. 

He clenched his jaw, eyes rooted to the floor. He gave no acknowledgement to her.

"Qibli, I can help you."

The boy felt tears pricking in his eyes and hot rage boiling in his stomach. You've never helped me. You're a manipulative, lying bitch.

Cobra stood to her feet and took a step towards Qibli, leaning in towards his ear. Qibli didn't move. "I can help you get out of here and escape, look," she proposed, and held out her hands. The handcuffs around her wrists were opened.

"Leave me alone," he mumbled hoarsely, forcing the words to leave his throat. 

"This isn't a request," his mother warned. "This is a command. Help me out, and I'll free you," she hissed. "Those guards are no match for us, weapons or not."

I can't let her free. I also can't trust her to keep her side of the deal. But could I trick her?

As Qibli thought in silence, Cobra became visibly impatient. "Qibli, now," she urged. "This is our chance. We have no other."

Qibli turned away from her and shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I'm not doing this."

"There is no option," Cobra reminded him threateningly. She took a step closer to him, hovering over her son, cowering in the corner.

His body shook with fear, eyes rooted to the ground, too scared to look anywhere else. Then the woman raised her hand, grabbed Qibli by the collar of his shirt, and slammed him against the wall.

He yelped and fell to the ground, bringing his knees up to his chest. Tears blurred his vision as the memories rushed back to him with full force, making Qibli touch his scar self-consciously with a shaky hand. He traced the dent over and over, choking on his sobs, which flowed steadily out from his eyes, unable to be controlled.

Cobra threw a punch to his face, barking curses and insults at him. Qibli cowered lower, crying out in pain and terror. He could hear shouting in the background, past the ringing of his ears and the blood rushing in his head.

The cell door swung open as the guards piled in, hauling Cobra back with all the strength they had. They held her down, forced her hands into cuffs, and set her at the other side of the small room from Qibli. Two guards crouched by him, guiding the beaten boy to his feet with steady hands. One guard pressed a wet cloth to his face, wiping away his tears and blood.