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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐋'𝐒 𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐓

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After racing out of the Caterpillar's lair, Indigo reluctantly began leading Will and Alice toward the Whispering Woods. Her thoughts were zooming around in her head, which annoyed Jefferson to no end, as they walked in silence through the woods. The Ace of Spades would never admit it, but she debated a few times with herself about leaving her traveling companions behind and going back into hiding. In her opinion, no wish was worth facing the likes of the Grendel.

What felt like an eternity to the Lark girl passed when they finally got out of the Wonderlandian woods and made it to a grassy clearing. A wave of anxiety washed over her when she realized how close they were to their destination. However, before another thought could run through her head, Alice opened her mouth and broke through the silence. "What do the two of you know about the Grendel?"

"Nothing good," Indigo responded as she slowed her pace down to walk beside them, "only a few people have seen him and lived to tell about it."

"And what they tell is nasty," Will added, causing chills to run through the girl standing next to him.

"What would a creature like that want with a Forget Me Knot?" the Kingsleigh woman questioned after the Ace of Spades gestured for them to turn down another path.

"I suppose he wants it for the same reason as the Caterpillar does, Alice," the Knave of Hearts continued speaking while the Lark girl nodded along in agreement, "there's power in knowing things other people don't. Knowing their secrets, things they've tried to hide, mistakes they've made."

"So we're going to make the most cruel and powerful insect in Wonderland even more powerful, and therefore, even more cruel?" the blonde woman rambled, only for Will to mutter a snarky comment in response before Alice continued speaking, "there must be a way to get what we want without just putting our troubles onto others."

Indigo let out a long exaggerated sigh that made Will send her a confused look. The three of them soon stopped in the middle of the clearing then Alice turned just in time to watch the younger girl look up at her. Silence surrounded them as the Ace of Spades continued to stare at the Kingsleigh woman before the latter broke through the stillness. "What if I were to tell you you could be with Cyrus forever, but somebody else had to suffer because of it? Would you do it?"

Alice just stared at Indigo dumbfounded. "Well, that's not an option-"

"Maybe it's not an option today, but it could be tomorrow. How much is he worth to you, Alice?" the Lark girl stated, earning another confused look from the Scarlet man before she continued walking down the path while muttering under her breath, "because I would do anything to get Kaden back."

Indigo thought only she heard her last sentence but she couldn't have been more wrong. As they continued to walk through the forest in silence, Will stared at the back of the girl's head wanting nothing more than to question her about his brother. But he knew this wasn't the time or the place to do so.

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"Do you think the Grendel's in there?" the curious traveler asked after the three of them stopped on the path they were traveling down when they saw a small cottage in the distance.

"That's why I brought you here, isn't it?" the Ace of Spades responded with a hint of irritation in her voice that her companions chose to ignore.

"Doesn't matter. We don't have a choice," the Knave of Hearts told them before letting out a long sigh, "we're going in there either way."

The three of them continued to stare at the house in front of them before Alice unsheathed her sword and began walking toward it. Indigo and Will instantly shared a look, knowing her plan to face the Grendel head-on wouldn't end well. The Lark girl let out a long sigh and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the blonde woman for a moment longer. It wasn't long after that when Indigo decided to stop her before she got much farther.

"You gonna challenge him to a duel?" the Spade called out to the woman, making Alice stop in her tracks before she turned around to face her traveling companions once again.

"I fought monsters before. Have you?" Alice retaliated with a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

"We've stolen from them," Will told the Kingsleigh woman as he took a step forward to stand next to Indigo, "and what my experience has taught me is, the only thing better than defeating a monster is never having to fight one in the first place."

"Well, how do you two propose we get the knot from him then?"

"Simple. We'll create a diversion. Once we've drawn the Grendel out, you go inside, grab the knot, and run," the Scarlet man explained while Alice listened intently to his plan and Indigo stood by with a smirk on her face, "if we lose each other, meet at Greener Pastures where the bottle was buried."

The blank expression on the blonde woman's face soon turned into an impressed look before she opened her mouth to respond. "That plan is actually quite sound. You really are a thief."

"Aye. Follow me," Will told them before he began leading them towards the Grendel's cottage, "keep you cool, and always stay one step ahead of your mark."

As soon as the Knave finished saying those words, the ground beneath them gave away and the three of them fell into a deep hole. Indigo landed in the dirt with her head taking most of the impact, making the world around her fall into darkness.

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The sound of clanging pots and pans brought Indigo out of her forced slumber. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the new world around her, the Lark girl's blood ran cold. She was sitting on the floor of what looked like a kitchen with her arms and legs tied up. She saw a figure walk up the stairs on the other side of the room, completely unaware of her being awake. When she looked to her right, Will and Alice were still passed out next to her.

Panic continued to course through her veins as she nudged the Scarlet man repeatedly with her elbow. It didn't take long for the Knave's eyes to slowly open before he sat up as straight as he could. Indigo watched as he looked around the room to take in his surroundings then his eyes moved to meet hers. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before he turned to face the Kingsleigh woman.

"Alice?" Will quietly called out to her. When the blonde woman still didn't stir, the Knave nudged her with his leg and called out to her one more time. His second attempt caused Alice to jump before her eyes landed on her traveling companions trapped in the same position she was in.

"Are you two alright?" the Kingsleigh woman questioned, only to receive an annoyed look from both Indigo and Will.

"I've been better," the Lark girl told her before she looked around at the rundown living space once again, "where are we?"

"I think we're in his house," Alice stated after she finally looked around to assess their situation.

"Actually, I think we're in his kitchen," Will corrected when he spotted pots and pans hanging from the ceiling.

Before either of the women could respond to the Knave, the sound of footsteps cut through the air. The three of them instantly turned their attention in the direction of the sound to find the Grendel walking back down the stairs and into the kitchen. However, the creature paid no attention to them as he walked through the kitchen and placed more wood in his fireplace, making the flares double in size.

They just watched the Grendel for a moment before Will called out to him, only for the three of them to jump when the creature turned around and growled at them. After the Grendel disappeared from view behind the counter to resume what he was doing, the sound of metal on metal cut through the silence. Will exchanged another look with Indigo and Alice before he slowly leaned forward to see what the creature was doing. It wasn't long before he forced himself back against the wall with a panicked look on his face.

"What did you see?" Indigo asked as the sound of grinding metal continued to fill the air around them.

"Nothing good," the Knave of Hearts muttered before he turned his attention toward Alice, "I think now might be a good time to use one of them wishes."

"There has to be another way out of this," the Kingsleigh woman responded, only for Indigo to let out an agitated sigh before she caught Will staring at something in the distance.

When she followed his gaze, her eyes landed on something she could've gone her whole life without seeing. Because she was so far gone into her daze, the Lark girl jumped when she heard Will speak. "The only way out seems to be through his digestive tract."

The three of them just stared at the bones on one of the Grendel's shelves for another long moment, not knowing what to say or do. It wasn't long before Indigo snapped out of her daze and leaned forward a bit to see the Grendel still working on sharpening his knife. When she leaned back against the wall, her attention immediately fell on the Scarlet man. "You kept going on to Alice about how we're such great thieves. I think it's time for us to show her what we can really do."

A smile appeared on Will's face before quietly shuffled around the floor and managed to get back to back. Once they were set, the two thieves began to attempt to untie the other's ropes while Alice kept a lookout for their captor. Indigo and Will continued their struggle to break free when they heard the Grendel's voice, making them instantly stop their actions.

"Did you hear that?" Alice questioned after her eyes landed on the pair of thieves sitting next to her, "I think he's talking to someone."

"Brilliant!" Will sighed as an irritated look formed on his face, "because one bloody monster isn't enough."

"What's for dinner?" they heard the Grendel say, causing the annoyance in the Knave's eyes to transform into confusion.

Before either of the women could say another word, the Scarlet man fell forward on his side to look around the counter and to get more information on their current situation. "He's alone. The crazy bloke's talking to himself."

"Will, come on. He might see you," Indigo told him after exchanging a worried look with Alice.

The Knave of Hearts began to sit up to get back to their escape plan, only for him to stop halfway through his actions and look back toward the Grendel. "Well, hello."

"What is it?" the Kingsleigh woman questioned with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"The knot. It's right there."

Indigo and Alice exchanged another look before they both scooted forward to look around the counter and at the Grendel. Shock replaced the terror that was once flowing through the Spade's veins when she saw their captor sitting at the dining table across from the Forget Me Knot. Just as she was about to open her mouth and break the silence that surrounded them, the magical object began to glow.

When the image within the knot became clear, they saw a woman not much older than Will and Alice setting the dining table. Soon a man appeared in the scene with the woman and they shared a kiss. Once the couple in the knot ended their moment, they had a hushed conversation with each other. Indigo continued to watch the scene play out in front of her before a wave of realization washed over her.

"Those two must have been the last ones in the room," Alice stated without taking her eyes off the picture in the knot, "what did he do to those poor people?"

"I don't think he did anything to them," Indigo responded after hearing the Grendel let out a quiet laugh before the former looked over at Will to see the same look of realization on his face.

"What?"

"Alice, I think there may be a way for us to get everything we want today," Will told her as he and Indigo both got smiles on their faces while the Kingsleigh woman continued to stare at them with confusion in her eyes.

As soon as the Knave finished speaking, the two thieves went back to lounging around in their corner of the kitchen while Alice continued to try and break free of her restraints. Indigo and Will listened to her huffs and puffs of annoyance as they went back to watching the scene play out on the Forget Me Knot. When the Kingsleigh woman noticed that neither of her companions were even attempting to get out of their ropes, she let out a long sigh. "Come on, let's get out of here. I can't find Cyrus if I'm dead. Forget the knot."

"We've got to have it. Let me talk to him," Will responded with a hint of desperation that went unnoticed by a panicked Alice but not by Indigo, "don't worry. I'm good with monsters."

"Wait, Will-"

"No," the blonde woman interrupted the Lark girl, making the two thieves look over at her with blank looks on their faces, "this is for me, and I say we find another way."

"This is for me and Indie, too, and we're doing it," the Knave responded then turned around to face the Grendel before Alice could speak.

"Excuse me, Mr. Grendel?!" Will shouted towards their captor, causing the creature to let out a grunt as he looked over at them, "that woman that you've been looking at, she's quite lovely."

"Stop talking," the creature told the Knave before he went back to chopping up his vegetables.

"Do you know her?" the Scarlet man continued without even acknowledging the annoyed look on Alice's face, "does she have a name?"

The only response Will received was another growl before the Grendel charged at them. The group of three instantly flinched away and prepared for the worst, only for him to stop a few feet away from them. Indigo watched as the anger on their captor's face slowly faded away as he looked back at the knot. The Grendel just stared at the images for a long moment before he slowly walked closer to it.

"She was yours, wasn't she? You loved her," Indigo continued for the Knave after seeing the longing look in the Grendel's eyes, "losing someone you truly love, it can change you."

"How do you know?" the Grendel asked without taking his eyes off of the Forget Me Knot.

Indigo glanced over at Will to find him intently staring back at her, wanting her to continue and get them out of their current situation. But the Lark girl knew he wouldn't be expecting what she was about to say. Silence surrounded them for a short moment as the Spade silently prayed that her old friend wouldn't question her too much. It wasn't long after that when she turned back toward the Grendel and continued speaking.

"Because the way you look right now is how I've felt for a while now," the Lark girl admitted while trying to push away her emotions, completely aware of the confused looks Will and Alice were sending her way.

"Believe me, we understand what you're going through," Will continued for the Spade after seeing the tears forming in her eyes before Alice's perplexed eyes fell on the Scarlet man, "I say that the only way to move on is to leave the past behind you. Looking through that knot, thinking about her, seeing her, remembering her, it hurts too much. You wanna move on? You have to let go of the hurt. It's the only way."

Indigo and Alice both stared at Will for a long moment before turning their attention back toward the Grendel. The creature was intensely staring at the knot with a blank expression on his face before he turned his head to look at his prisoners.

"I don't want to move on," the Grendel whispered just loud enough for the trio of travelers to hear him.

"Sometimes you don't have a choice. It's for the best, mate. Trust me," the Knave of Hearts stated, not meaning to hit a nerve in Indigo as she thought back to the boy she was forced to leave behind.

"Silence!" the creature shouted, making the three travelers jump before he walked forward and crouched down in front of Will, "dinner time."

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