Chapter Text
It happened years ago, they said. A man- more akin to a beast, if anything- tried to take over and kill the king. Your father, ever the gallant ruler, fought the giant beast and sentenced him to eternal imprisonment in the lowest cell of the castle dungeons.
A part of you was thankful you were not there to witness such a sight. To see your beloved father have to fight what was perhaps the scariest enemy in a long time would’ve frightened you. Yet, another part of you was admittedly… curious. Your elder brothers always warned you against going to the dungeon. They always joked that the giant would eat you and your heart.
“He towers over everyone… his shadow looms over everything,” the eldest would say. Your second brother chuckled along with him before hunching his back and cupping his left hand.
“He’s got a big hook, too. If his ugly face sees ya, he sinks it into ya!” He swung his arm around like it was a hook and your third brother pretended to be scared. He grinned after his performance and slunk to you.
“And, father says, with only his right hand, the giant takes away your life. He just,” your brother covered your face with his right hand and shook you while growling loudly. “Drains you until you’re a husk!”
You shove your brother off of you and roll your eyes.
“There’s no way anyone like that exists,” you huff and adjust your appearance. Your three older brothers laugh wildly, as if you had told the funniest joke in history.
“Oh come on, you didn’t see him!” The third one says. “You were on a different island!”
“I doubt you saw him, either,” you cross your arms. “You guys would be terrified if a man like that really existed.”
“Are ya callin’ us liars?” The second one frowns and raises a brow. “Don’t make us throw you into the dungeon with ‘im!”
“Maybe I am! Why would you go and try to make a joke out of a man that father had to battle like that?”
“Ugh, there you go, again,” the first rolls his eyes. “Can’t even take a joke!”
“I think all those books ruined yer brain, (Y/n),” the second chortles as he points at the book in your hand.
“I think all the seawater melted yours,” you shoot back and hold your book tighter.
“Well, I just hope you can fight if that beast breaks out one day!” The third one laughs. He takes his sword out of his holster and swings it with calculated precision. He sheaths his sword and you sigh.
“We can hope he never does,” you reply. “Maybe you three will be courageous enough to actually look him in the eye.”
“Those are fighting words! Ya think we can’t look him in the eye?” The second yells.
“I don’t think so,” you taunt. “He probably doesn’t even look anything like what you just said.”
“Fine. We’ll take ya down to see him and prove to you how dangerous he is. And when you cry, we won’t save you.”
Seeing your brothers so adamant to prove themselves made your arrogance rise as well. Not to mention, that little voice in your head that was always, always wanting to see the man your father had cursed under his breath over and over since that day. In a sick, twisted way, you wanted to see the man that nearly brought your kingdom to ruin when you were away.
“Fine. We can all go together and we’ll see just how tough you are from the ‘giant’.”
Your brothers smirked and nodded. The eldest stepped forward and whispered. “At midnight. Be quiet. The guards and father are having a meeting tonight. Use the back staircase and we’ll all meet by the doors.”
All four of you shook upon it and continued with your day. Your heart raced, your thoughts drifting to that beast locked away in the dungeons.
A man who towered over everyone. A man with a hook. A scarred face. The power to take life away with only his right hand.
You tried to imagine how this monster would look, but all images your mind conjured were hideous and unsightly. You shivered, yet the way your feet bounced with nearly every step gave away the excitement you secretly held inside.
After pretending to fall asleep on your bed, you waited till the moon was at its highest and opened the door. You peered out the hallways, checking if the coast was clear before scurrying along to the rendezvous point with your brothers. Just as they had promised, the three of them were waiting for you with eager grins and smiles.
“So you really did come?” The first chuckled. “Thought you would’ve hid away.”
“I wasn’t going to,” you clicked your tongue. “I’m ready to see how you three will react to him, though.”
“Please, that man’s got nothing on us,” the second dismissed. “Four against one, he’s done for.”
“More like three against one,” the third snorted, nudging his head to you.
“I don’t need to fight. None of us should need to, actually. We’re just taking a look, and then we’re leaving.”
They glanced around before your second brother picked the lock to the cellar with a pin he had taken from your mother. They urged you inside and checked that none of you would be discovered.
The dungeons were dark, mildewy, and worst of all, freezing. You shivered as you realized your nightclothes were a bit too light for this cold place.
“Come on, hurry up,” your brothers whispered as they practically ran down the steps to the lowest dungeon level. You made an effort to catch up with them before you noticed how low the temperature was down here. Every time you and your brothers let out a breath, you could see the small amounts of steam cloud around you four.
They lived in such conditions…?
Your brothers quickly made their way to the farthest cell in the dungeon and laughed loudly.
“There he is!”
“Ahaha! My god, he’s hideous!”
“Come on, give us a glance!”
You gasped at what your brothers were saying. “Don’t say things like that! You know better than that.”
As foolish as you were to come down here, you were not foolish enough to insult the beast.
The third rolled his eyes. “Oh, quiet down will you?”
“What are you, our mother?” The first glared. He began to bang on the bars. “Wake up, will you?”
You made your way to the cell and noticed the looming shadow in the corner. His back was towards you and your brothers, barely clothed in the rags he wore. There were two large chains wrapped around his arms, preventing him from using them to escape and use the ferocious powers your brothers discussed. He was sitting, hunched over, yet, even in this position, you could tell how large and massive he was. He hardly moved or flinched at the noise your brothers made, making them more upset.
“Come on! Give us something! Look us in the eye!” They hit the bars again, but the man stayed as still as a statue.
This was the man who nearly ended your kingdom…
You didn’t need to see his face, but through his behavior alone, you knew that despite him being in the cell, you and your brothers were his prey.
“Cut it out, now,” you warned, the anxiety creeping in your voice.
“What? Scared? Scared the ugly beast will eat ya?” The second brother called out. The third brother continued to make loud noise.
“Come on, we got our little sibling here! Don’t you want to impress them, giant?” He yelled before he grabbed you and pushed you against the bars. You yelped in pain and from the cold metal pressing into your face and body.
“Stop it! Let me go!” You screamed.
“What happened to the beast who tried to end us? Huh? I thought you gave my father a good fight! So look at us!” The first glowered at the giant before he smirked at the ground.
“What are you doing? Stop that!”
“Would you just shut your mouth?” The first leaned down to pick up a large rock and tossed it in his hand. Your other brothers chuckled darkly while you shook your head.
“No… this wasn’t what we said we’d do! It was just to look!”
“He can’t do anything to us. Look at him. He’s wasted away. Just watch,” the first says as he pulls his arm back before launching the rock at the giant. It hits him square in the back of his head and echoes as it patters to the ground.
All is silent as you and your brothers stare. Yet, still, the giant does not move.
“What a waste! He’s a dumb ogre! Can’t even look at us properly,” the second sighs.
“Why would you do that?!” You shout at your brother. “Why would you throw that?”
“You challenged us to see if we were scared. I think that beast is scared of us! He doesn’t even move!”
Your brothers roared in laughter while you heard the rattling of the chains. Your eyes widened in horror as you noticed the man’s arms were beginning to move slowly.
“G-guys. Let go. We need to go,” you beg. “Let me go.”
You try and remove yourself from your brother’s grasp while they all laugh harder.
“What? Scared? You’re even stupider than him!” They tease you. The third shoves your face harder into the bars.
“Oh go on, you’re both stupid cowards! Go on! Why don’t you give him a little kiss? He might like that!”
You struggle against your brother as you hear the chains clink. Your brothers laughter echoes in the dungeon until the third screams loudly in pain.
You hardly have time to notice what is going on as you’re flipped around and see the third is on the floor, gripping his bleeding hand in pain while your other brothers are wide-eyed and trembling. Your back is now against the bars and you feel a cold metal against your throat.
You’re shaking, afraid for your life as you glance down to see a gold hook pressed against your skin.
Your other two brothers quickly unsheathe their swords and point it to the assailant, but their fear is evident by the way they can’t even hold their weapons properly.
“The g-giant…” the first whispers, quaking in his boots. You know it’s a bad idea. Every part of you is screaming to not do so. Your mind races with warnings and against your better judgment…
You lean back and try to glance up. You freeze as you look up to the giant’s sharp features. You can’t see much from this angle, but you can make out how tall he is. Your brothers’ descriptions of him didn’t do him justice, and you recognize how much more imposing his figure is.
He presses his hook harder, pulling you further to him. He was careful not to use the pointed end of it to hurt you, but in your current state, you couldn’t care.
A low grumble catches your attention as you realize it is the giant attempting to speak.
“Do not touch them ever again,” his low voice threatens. Your brothers are even more shaken by the giant’s voice as they squeak and stumble backwards.
“W-wait, don’t-” you cry, not wanting to be alone. Your brothers put away their weapons as they force themselves back up and run away, screaming bloody murder. Your heart sinks as you watch your brothers run off without you as their voices get quieter in this dark dungeon.
The giant removes his hook from you, dropping you unceremoniously to the ground as you struggle to breathe.
“Go,” is all he says, his shackles shaking as walks back to his corner. You don’t know what to think.
“You’re not…?” You begin, unsure of what to say at all. Do you thank him? Apologize? Cry? Leave? You’re too stunned to know what to do next.
“No. Just go. You shouldn’t be down here, anyways.”
“Wait,” you call to him. “Why did you save me?”
“Would you prefer I kill you?” He sharply replies.
“No. I just… I didn’t expect that from you…” you mumble. He sighs.
“You were foolish for coming down here. And you were even more foolish for allowing them to use you like bait.”
“I didn’t think they would,” you admit pathetically.
“Of course you didn’t. Life’s pretty easy up there, isn’t it, your highness?” He bitterly laughs.
“Don’t patronize me. I just wanted to know why you would do such a thing.”
“Telling you wouldn’t make a difference. Just let me rest and rot away the rest of my life in peace, would you?”
You stop and nod, the adrenaline wearing off as you’re back to feeling the bitter cold on your skin. “Are you not freezing down here? You’re hardly wearing anything that could keep you warm.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Prisoners aren’t afforded that luxury, your highness. We stay in the cold and in this silence to pay for our crimes.”
The logic was understandable, but you felt a pang of guilt in your heart.
“I haven’t thanked you for saving me and stopping my brothers, yet,” you start, fumbling through the ideas in your head. “Thank you. As a show of my appreciation, I’ll bring you something to keep you warm.”
He stood still, as if considering your words. “You would do something like that for me?”
“Yes. I will do so. I’ll bring it down for you as soon as I can,” you assure him, feeling resolute in your decision. Criminal he may be, but royalty you were. Even the worst subjects required kindness and repayment for their actions.
He turned his body around, and you managed to see his face fully under the dim light of the lantern. His face was sharp, chiseled, and scarred. The scar ran across his face over his nose, and the stitches on it looked brutal. The dark circles and bags under his eyes were prominent, like the strands of hair that were falling and framing his face. It was clear he tried to slick it back, but given his situation, he couldn’t do much with it in this grimy cell.
You gasped at his appearance, taken aback by how strangely beautiful you found him. He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest.
“Don’t worry, I get that a lot,” he smoothly teased. “Do I look like the monster you thought I was?”
“No,” you earnestly respond, surprising him, somewhat.
“Oh? Why is that?” Unlike your brothers, who cowered away in fear, you looked directly into his dark eyes with a firm resolve.
“You look just like a man…” you reply. His eyes flicker with light for a brief moment, before they return to the dull color they were a moment ago.
“Monsters can look like men, your highness. You should know better than that.”
“Yet you did not kill me when you had a chance. Would a monster spare me?”
“I guess not,” Crocodile sighed. “Perhaps I’ve gotten soft while being locked away for so long.”
“I can only hope. But I promise, I will bring you the gift soon.”
“Hm, don’t take too long, your highness. It gets terribly cold down here,” he replied in a drab voice. He turned himself around and faced the stone walls. “I don’t have anything else to say to you tonight.”
You were taken aback by his abrupt statement but chose not argue further. He had done you a massive favor, and you too would probably feel the same way if locked away here for so long.
“Thank you again,” you said to him before you pulled yourself up and dusted the dirt off your nightclothes. You glanced back at him, but the man was back to staying silent and not moving.
What a dreary life that must be…