Chapter 20

"H....Help me..." Griselda took a swig from her lowball glass filled with whiskey as she remembered Krogan's desperate plea. She was in the study of her manor, slumped against one of the plush chairs near the fireplace as she tried to process the events of today.

The maids had stoked the fire in the room, all while casting worried glances in her direction at the time before she ordered them out. She couldn't deal with their stares, not now at least. Griselda looked down at her attire. She was still wearing the boating dress from today's party only now its skirt was covered with a large bloodstain.

The maids had heard her screams and they along with two palace knights had rushed in to find her desperately cradling the injured rogue on her balcony.

Griselda lifted her free hand in front of her while the other hand clutched the tumbler glass. Mere hours ago those hands had been stained with blood. The maids had helped her wash them yet her hands still trembled as she remembered feeling Krogan's blood. 'Life was fragile.... It could easily be snuffed out.' Her mind supplied as she refilled her glass.

"You shouldn't be drinking that much," A voice said from behind her, causing Griselda to startle.

She turned to see Prince Grimmel standing near the doorway. He shut the mahogany doors to her study and easily approached as she frowned in his direction.

Griselda frowned as her eyes narrowed. She then uttered "That's rich, coming from you," Perhaps the alcohol made her braver for she would have never said something like that to the Prince's face. She knew for a long time that Prince Grimmel was a hedonist deep at heart. He was scheming, yes, but he also liked to have his fun. Often he could be found at the Colosseum, spectating the games between Gladiators and criminals or wild predators. She also knew that he was quite fond of the Opium that was introduced to the Kingdom by Eastern merchants so it seemed perfectly laughable that he would tell her not to drink so much. Hypocritical even.

With a look of defiance in the Prince's direction, she downed the remainder of her glass like a shot. The alcohol burned along her throat as she slammed the glass down on the coffee table and got up while clutching the armrest. "Don't you dare tell me you care for me now!" She uttered angrily as she stumbled slightly. "Where was this caring personality today huh? Did you enjoy humiliating me and souring the mood of my party?!"

"That was...." Grimmel tried to say but he was interrupted by Griselda's mad laughter.

"Safe it!" She shouted. "Do you know how much you embarrassed me? Do you even care?!" By this time she was already in the Prince's personal space and thus jabbed him in the chest causing Grimmel to take a step back.

"I was promised as your fiance," Griselda soullessly chuckled. "While not official, it was universally accepted in High Society. The official announcement probably wasn't even that far away!" She jabbed Grimmel in the chest again. "But then what do you do?! You make a scene and allude to another Crown Princess candidate."

"You're jealous," Grimmel huffed as he looked away.

"No... I'm not jealous. Jealous would mean that the chit you chose to woo actually held a candle to me!" She then shouted, raising her finger towards Grimmel's face for emphasis. "I am incensed and embarrassed! The Prince I knew had a good head screwed on his shoulders."

Grimmel said nothing for a minute as he watched Griselda stumble away from him and lean against the chair she had vacated. Her dark tresses hung loose around her shoulders and her eyes looked half-lidden. "To think that the man I love and respect ends up doing something so idiotic as trying to get engaged to a woman he barely knows the background of, ending said engagement process, and then just as quickly trying to woo the girl's step-sister?!" She was shouting now though she couldn't hear herself. All the pent-up emotions from the day were coming back in full force.

"Not only that! You had the gall to lash out when Marchioness Hofferson rejected you outright?!" She growled. "Not only did you sour the mood of the party, you embarrassed me! The host!"

"Griselda, I didn't mean....." Grimmel started but Lady Griselda's look of contempt shut him up quickly.

"I have loved and supported you all these years and this debacle is how you repay me?!" She hissed. "Not only that, you don't seem to care for your subordinate at all do you?" She then asked. "You only show up five hours after I notified you," Grimmel was going to say something but Griselda uttered "Don't even dare! I saw your look of indifference when you came. I've had fewer interactions with Krogan but even I was more worried than you!"

"Just.... Just get out!" She then uttered angrily. "There's nothing here for you at all is there? You disregard my feelings as you please and Krogan... Krogan, your most loyal follower was bleeding out on my balcony after doing Thor knows what on your orders and you're not even worried?!"

Grimmel left without even looking back which only caused Griselda to break down in tears. She didn't know for how long she was crying on the floor but when her eyes were red and puffy she stood up and exited the study. The halls of the manor were cold and quiet. Only the moonlight from the large bay windows offered any sort of lighting for her to see her path. Her feet walked automatically, not towards the direction of her room but to the room where Krogan was recovering. When she finally reached the door she hesitated slightly.

Once inside she leaned against the door and looked at the still figure on the bed. Krogan seemed to be sleeping now. It was a miracle really the doctor had told her. Any later and he would have bled out on her balcony. She just ended up taking a seat at his bedside before drifting off herself.

Meanwhile, in the depths of a damp rat-infested dungeon, the twins were more or less growing bored.

"You know, I expected some creativity," Ruffnut huffed. "The least they could do is torture us for information."

"I have to admit they were rather.... Lackluster when we got captured." Tuffnut shrugged.

"Any way we can signal for help?" Ruffnut muttered as she paced from one end of their cell to another.

"For the thousand time sis... no!" Tuffnut groaned. "We both knew that there would be no communication if we got captured."

"Yes... yes... I know.... We can't implicate Berk at all and if we do get caught we acted alone..." Ruffnut threw her hands up in frustration. "But that was before I knew it could be so BORING! I've even named the rats!"

"Surely you're joking," Tuffnut laughed but the look his sister shot at him meant that she was serious.

Ruffnut then pointed towards a rat with half a tail. "That's Eddie. He's trying to get into Bertha's pants," Pointing to another rat that was ignoring the previously mentioned one.

"Daisy," Ruffnut now pointed to a wet rat covered in mud and explained "has the hots for Eddie and got into a fight with Bertha yesterday. Daisy's brother August likes Bertha too and bit Eddie's ear."

"Thor dammit woman.... You ARE bored." Tuffnut guffawed which only earned him a slap on the head from Ruffnut.

"You know... anything that could create chaos could help...." Ruffnut then sighed. "Being bored is bad for us,"

"Well... I have this," Tuffnut said as he pulled out a small firework from his pocket.

"Why didn't you say so before?!" Ruffnut shouted. Her voice echoed through the underground hall. Luckily there were no guards nearby.

Tuffnut twirled the firework between his fingers and said "Well it's not like I have anything to light it with. They don't even give us spoons anymore because you started digging a tunnel."

"At least I was trying to escape, Crab brain! You were just lamenting over the fact that they took Chicken away!" She uttered as her brows furrowed.

"HEY! Chicken is family! And I don't have crab brains you damn Bride of Grendel!" Tuffnut shot back as he stood up.

"Bride of Grendel?! How dare you! I'm much too sexy for that!" Ruffnut retorted.

"SEXY?! EW! That was not a mental image I wanted to have," Tuffnut made a gagging motion before yelling "AAAAHHHHHH!" As his sister jumped on him to pummel him. The scuffle alerted the guards and two rushed to the cell only to see the twins trying to strangle and hit each other on the ground.

One of the guards opened the cell and shouted "Hey, cut it out you two!" But when the twins ignored the guard's commands he stepped forward to try and separate them. That was a big mistake as in their scuffle the twins ended up both punching the guard in the face.

When the guard fell over in a slump the twins momentarily stopped their brawl and looked wide-eyed from the downed guard to the one standing slack-jawed near the cell door. The guard that had been knocked out had the keys so Ruffnut swiped those off of him while Tuffnut charged at the other guard, who sad to say, was not at all prepared for an 'ambassador' to charge at him like a bull.

"Well that was easy," Tuffnut remarked as he dragged the second unconscious guard into the cell.

"We're not out of the woods yet doofus. Help me strip them," Ruffnut grumbled as she tugged on the armor.

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AN: (Shadow stares at the chapter)

Shadow: "Okay, I gotta ask. Is Griselda the same as Griselda the Grievous from HTTYD or an OC with the same name?"

Vala: "She's the Griselda the Grievous from HTTYD. Honestly, you're the first one that noticed."

Shadow: "I don't know if I should feel scared or excited right now."