Gryphon's Glenn

Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

A week had passed since Reggie had been captured. Julian wanted to help him, but the Knights had assigned Albert to watching and interrogating him. Albert wasn't a bad man in the slightest, but he probably wasn't exactly gentle as he pressed Reggie for information on the Pirates. From what Julian had heard, Reggie hadn't given anything up.

Julian headed down to the dungeon early that morning, hoping he could finally check on Reggie without getting caught. Luna was waiting on their word to send in a rescue party. He figured no one else would be awake, and he brought Matty with him. If Reggie was seriously injured, Matty could heal some of it without the Knights noticing.

Suddenly, Julian grabbed Matty's arm and stopped him as he heard voices coming from Reggie's cell.

"I brought you fresh fruit today... You probably don't get that much at sea," someone was saying. "And, because it is an essential part of any diet, I also brought you some chocolate."

"Thank you, Princess," Reggie replied weakly.

"Princess?" Julian and Matty whispered to each other in surprise.

"Well, we can't have you wasting away, can we?" Princess Taylee replied. "Losing too much weight might erase some of your beauty. Go on and eat."

Julian carefully looked around the corner. He could see Princess Taylee sitting beside Reggie. The young Pirate began coughing as he tried to eat.

"Are you alright?" The Princess asked. She seemed genuinely concerned. She put a cloth to Reggie's mouth, wiping away the blood he'd coughed up. "What did they do to you? This won't do at all..." She began a simple healing spell.

Who is that imposter and what has she done with Princess Taylee? Julian wondered. Matty looked just as stunned.

Reggie gently touched her hand as she healed him. "I'm alright, Princess," he said softly after a minute. "Flynn was not satisfied with my silence as Albert interrogated me, so he kicked him out and took over." He paused before adding, "It's not as bad as it looks. I can take it."

"Flynn did this to you?" The Princess shook her head. "You should not have to bear such violence... Why not just tell them what they wish to know?"

"I won't betray the Pirates, Princess. They're my family."

She sighed. "I shall speak to the Knights and order them to cease such violent attacks. They clearly accomplish nothing anyway."

"Thank you, Princess. That's kind of you."

"I... I rather enjoy our talks, Reggie. You are just a boy... There's no need for them to be so harsh on you."

Julian pulled Matty away from the unbelievable sight. "We should leave them for now," he said. "We cannot risk the Princess questioning our presence in the dungeon."

"Jules... Taylee's being kind to him," Matty said. "I think she genuinely cares for him."

"It's a surprising turn of events... Hopefully, it will work in our favor. If the Princess is looking out for his safety, the Knights won't dare to harm him. She's been tossing threats of treason charges around pretty casually since the False King's been gone. The others are afraid to cross her."

Julian contacted Luna. "Julian... Do you have an update?" She asked hopefully.

"He's fairly safe," Julian began. "He was hurt... Flynn attacked him pretty brutally... But he's alright now."

"Did Matty heal him?" Luna guessed.

"No... We discovered just now that Reggie has an unexpected ally in his corner."