Chapter Text
I wake up with a pounding headache and try to move but quickly realise I'm restrained and tied to a post. I look around myself and note that I'm sitting in a campsite by a fire, there’s a tent set up a little bit away, presumably for my captor. I look around as much as I can,noting the river that runs by the camp through this forest. I don't recognize any of the land, which is interesting, because I've been all around this land adventuring with Etho… I look around frantically, searching for Etho trying to find him especially since I was just with him he can't be far can he?.
“Well well well I finally found you Gem.” I freeze at that voice knowing exactly who it is.
“Grian, it seems you did” I reply, turning to look at where his voice came from, watching him step from the tent smugly.
“Now, don't worry I didn't kill Etho, I just led him a different way”
“Grian why? Why capture me? Why do this to the both of us?”
“Because we both loved you Gem and he took you from me”
“I-.... What?”
“You didn’t notice, did you? Our constant fights and wanting to hang out with you alone? The side eyes we always gave each other and vying for your attention? You only gave it to Etho unless we were alone and I always hated and envied him because of the attention you gave him and time you spent with him.”
“No, no I didn't notice, but to be fair Grian I knew him before I knew you.”
“I couldn't give a snickerdoodle that he knew you before me, but anyway, let's go. We have time to travel today. '' He unties me from the post, but keeps me next to him as he packs up the camp. I let him trying to plan how to escape but trying not to show on my face that that is what I am planning.
“Don't bother trying to escape, I'll just catch you again Gem.”
I just nod even though I'm still trying to plan how to just keep a straight face. We start going after eating a little food. I'm a little surprised he even gave me any to begin with, but also, it makes sense. I follow behind him as we walk, letting him guide me since I have no idea where we are going but he does. I decide to speak up and ask,
“Where are we even going?”
“Back to my base, Gem.”
I nod and just keep walking, manoeuvring my hands, trying to free them from the rope that binds them, trying to stay subtle so I, hopefully, can untie it without alerting Grian of my actions. He doesn't seem to notice as he walks ahead of me and doesn't have the line of sight to see me. I managed to get my hands in a position where I am able to untie the rope, but I keep it tied so I can easily just drop it when I need to escape from Grian. We keep walking occasionally talking to each other, or stopping to rest,eat or drink.
We get to his base and I am led to his basement and put in a cell down there with bars and the whole nine yards. I settle down on the bed, deciding to take a nap to hopefully get rid of this awful headache I've had from Grian knocking me out when he took me. I sleep for a few hours before waking up to some hot food on a table with some water. I stand up and go eat it, happy the nap seems to have cleared the headache. After that I dig through my pockets, trying to find something that can help me escape as my powers won’t help at all. Grian comes down to visit and opens the cell, motioning- to my surprise- for me to come out saying,
“Let's take a walk yeah?” I nod and follow him to go on the walk, taking a mental note of all the corridors we use to get outside. We reach the exit and go for a stroll, looking at his crops and his animals as we talk about random things from our childhood decidedly, not bringing up the touchy subjects of Etho and him or, you know, him sorta kidnapping me. We talk for a long while before heading back to the house. Grian brings me to a bathroom that has clean clothes for me, and tells me to shower and freshen up. I simply nod, I have few choices, so I go shower and freshen up before coming out, having changed into clean clothes, already missing my old ones, since those were a whole lot more comfortable than these, but who cares at this point I guess. I follow him back down to the cell, which he locks me in again, and I sit down on the bed. I just think for a little while about how to get out of here. Making a run for it? No won't work he'd catch me. Try to dig out? Would take too long. Maybe try to run if he does that again when he lowers his guard? I do have the rope still. That might just work, I hum quietly as I ponder the details, deciding on attempting that plan for now. I then lie down and go to sleep as it was getting late.
I wake in the morning to another plate of food, but the beverage is milk this time. I get up and eat before noticing my old clothes folded and put in a stack on the dresser thing that also resides here. I slip them back on and wait for Grian, sitting on the bed, assuming he is going to come get me at some point. He comes in and opens the cell, taking me out. I follow his command and step out while he shuts it behind me.
“Follow me Gem” He’s already starting to walk out of sight. I quickly hurry up and follow him, recognizing some of the halls I know to lead outside. I keep silently following him as he leads me outside and, this time, to the flower field he has. We start talking about childhood memories again and after an hour of talking his guard down almost trusting me not to do something. I say,
“Grian I'm sorry” I then hit him hard on the side of his head, to have him fall unconscious, so I’ll have a chance to run. I gently set him down on the bench we had been on previously as we had been talking, I start to run, heading in the direction we had originally arrived in trying to get away as fast as I could. I find a horse as I run, and talk to him, trying to let me ride it to get away quicker. He agrees after our conversation, and I hop on, directing him in his mind so we’re galloping away, ready to be far away from Grian and his obsessed mind.