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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟖
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐄'𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓

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Indigo stood near the genie bottles and continued to hold her glowing hands over them as Jafar read through his spellbook. Every now and then she would find herself looking over at Kaden, who stood in the corner with a pained look in his eyes. That was the second time he had his heart taken from him and he only had his freedom for a week. The Lark girl couldn't even imagine all the thoughts that were running through his head. All the despair he must've been feeling. And it was all because she wasn't strong enough to save him.

It wasn't long before Indigo found herself looking over at the Jabberwocky, only to find her staring back at the curly-haired girl with a hungry look in her eyes. The Lark girl had never encountered the creature before and only knew about her from the stories Jefferson told. But that was enough for a fear of the Jabberwocky to form within Indigo. She knew what the creature was capable of and didn't want to face her firsthand. But something told Indigo that she wasn't going to have a choice in the matter.

"Incipio," Jafar recited, drawing Indigo's attention back to the sorcerer, who was already staring straight into her eyes. When nothing happened after chanting the first word, the raven-haired man walked around the table to stand in front of Indigo and the lamps. He just stood there for what felt like an eternity before holding out his hand so it was directly above the Lark girl's. "Tres genies in utres. Ego te coniungere. Da mihi virtutem!"

As soon as the vizier finished uttering his last word, Indigo's hands began to glow even brighter and the world around them began to shake. The Lark girl stared down at the bottles with fear in her eyes before realizing one of them wasn't moving. That caused her to look up at the man in front of her, only to find Jafar staring back at her with a large grin on his face. Out of the corner of her eyes, Indigo caught the Jabberwocky sitting up on the chair she was lounging on to get a better look at what was happening. However, it wasn't long after that when the shaking began to slow.

Shock coursed its way through Indigo's veins as she watched the glow of her hands dim. She kept her eyes glued to her fingertips as the world began to still before the shaking stopped completely. Jafar just stared at the girl and the lamps in front of him with irritation in his eyes before throwing his arm. "Magicae res tres. Vult totam!"

The world began to shake once again, but it wasn't as fast this time around and it stopped almost instantly. Indigo's hands only brightly glowed for a moment before they dimmed. And, most importantly, only two out of the three bottles shook. It only took Indigo a second longer to realize which lamp wasn't doing what it was supposed to do. It was Will's.

"What is it you hope to achieve with this spell?" the Jabberwocky questioned with a hint of irritation in her voice as she sat up.

"If you can read my mind, then you already know," Jafar said in response while looking between Indigo and the lamps on the table in front of him. It wasn't long after that when walked back toward the table behind him to look through his spellbook again.

"I can't read your mind, Jafar, only your fear," the white-haired woman replied before stretching and repositioning herself on the sofa like a cat, "and right now, you're afraid you're doing something wrong."

"I don't need your magic to see that," Indigo muttered under her breath, earning a small chuckle from the Jabberwocky while Jafar sent her an irritated look.

After looking over his spellbook one last time, the sorcerer's attention fell on the only lamp that refused to shake. A wave of terror washed over the Lark girl as she watched Jafar walk over and pick up Will's bottle. The raven-haired man just stared at it for a long moment before reaching up and taking off the lid. Orange fog instantly came out of the lamp like a snake until Will appeared right beside Indigo. The two of them just stared at each other, both concerned for the person standing next to them. It wasn't long after that when their attention fell back on Jafar.

"Listen, mate, would you mind keeping it down a bit? I'm trying to have a bit of a nap," Will told them in a bored tone to mask his true emotions, a mask that only Indigo and Kaden could see through.

"How are you doing it?!" Jafar demanded without even attempting to hide the anger in his voice.

"Well, I close me eyes. I tried counting sheep. But you two, you're like that," the Knave responded while using his hand to mock the way they were talking.

"The spell!" the sorcerer shouted before picking up his staff and walking toward the newest genie. As Jafar continued making his way toward Will, the eyes of his snake cane began to glow a menacing red. "I want to know how."

"Why don't you let me...talk to him?" the Jabberwocky suggested as she stood up on the sofa, drawing all attention to her. It wasn't long after that when the woman began walking toward Will with a hungry look in her eyes until she was standing a foot away from him. "Isn't that why you have me here? To apply...a woman's touch? You think there's something wrong with him. Let me get inside, take a look around."

A sinister smirk appeared on Jafar's face before he took a small step back. The terror within Indigo did nothing but grow as she watched the Jabberwocky turn around to face Will. The white-haired woman just stared at him as she began to work her way into the Knave's head. It wasn't long after that when a confused look appeared on the white-haired woman's face, something the Spade never expected to see.

"What are you doing?" Will asked as the Jabberwocky circled around him before stopping directly in front of him.

"Listening."

"To what?"

"You," the Jabberwocky declared, earning an unamused look from the Knave as she continued to study him, "your deepest fears."

"I'll save you some time. Water, hairy spiders, being stabbed in the head, and, uh, raisins," Will responded while Indigo did her best to hold back a laugh.

"Raisins?" the Lark girl couldn't help but ask, drawing the Knave's attention to her.

"Grapes are fine, but raisins, no, thank you."

"Enough!" Jafar shouted, making the Lark girl jump and her amusement fade.

"I don't understand," the Jabberwocky muttered under her breath as she glared at the brunette man standing in front of her, "I can't read him. There's something different about this genie."

"It's the Red Queen," the sorcerer said without a second thought while Indigo continued to watch the scene in front of her unfold from her place next to the lamps, "she must've put some sort of protection spell on him."

"Why would she do that?" the white-haired woman questioned after circling around the Knave one last time before staring into his eyes.

"She and this one, they have history," Jafar explained as he walked across the room to stand beside his partner and in front of Will.

"Oh," the Jabberwocky gasped before a sinister smirk appeared on her face, "perhaps we're talking to the wrong person."

"Perhaps you're right. Let's play Anastasia a little visit," the vizier responded as a matching smile formed on his lips. Before another full thought could go through Indigo's head, Jafar turned back around to face her. He just stared at her for a long moment before pulling Kaden's heart out of his bag. "Keep your eyes on our guest and make sure she doesn't do anything foolish."

The next thing the Ace of Spades knew, Kaden walked toward her and grabbed her upper arm. Indigo was then dragged across the room before she was forced to sit on the sofa that the Jabberwocky previously occupied. Before the Lark girl could even think about moving, the Red Knight unsheathed his sword and pointed it straight at her. Indigo just stared at the metallic object for a long moment before her eyes traveled up to meet Kaden's. The dread within her did nothing but grow as she stared into the Scarlet boy's conflicted eyes. Jafar couldn't help but smile at Indigo's shocked expression before turning and walking out of the room with the Jabberwocky.

As soon as they were gone, Indigo found herself glancing over at Will, only to find him already staring at her. The Knave wore an apologetic look on his face as he stared at the young couple forced to be on opposing sides. Neither of them deserved this and yet here they were. After years of being forced apart and made to fight against each other, the Scarlet man was determined to get his younger brother and close friend their happy ending. But Will knew that needed to wait for the time being. Because right now, he needed to get Indigo a message without Kaden hearing.

The two of them continued to stare at each other for a long moment before Will finally had an idea. Despite the confusion flowing through her veins, Indigo did her best to keep a straight face as she watched the Knave bring his hand up. Her eyes stayed glued to his finger as he tapped against his chest. It only took the Lark girl a moment longer to remember what he told her after they escaped the Boro Grove. The reason why that strange forest didn't affect him. Will didn't have his heart.

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What felt like an eternity passed before Jafar walked back into the throne room. The smirk that was once plastered on his face was replaced with a scowl. The vizier didn't slow his pace until he was standing between the Knave and the Spade. His eyes went back and forth as he studied both of them before he nodded at Kaden. Without any warning, the Scarlet boy grabbed Indigo's upper arm and forced her to her feet while Jafar did the same to Will. No one said a word as they walked out of the throne room and headed toward the dungeon.

As soon as they reached their destination, Will was thrown into a cell next to Anastasia. Indigo was forced to stand at the end of the hall by Kaden and watch as the cell door slammed shut. The Knave glanced over at her with a look only she could decipher before his attention fell on Jafar.

"Your heart, where is it?" the vizier questioned, making Indigo wonder how he figured out what the Knave was missing.

"That's funny, I don't remember," Will responded, masking the fear underneath his boredom. A mask that only the Lark girl could see through. "And locking me down here won't do you much good. I've slept in worse places than this."

"But have you ever slept next to a corpse?" Jafar asked before waving his hand through the air to open Anastasia's cell. The sorcerer kept his eyes on Will as he walked toward the blonde woman. The former queen did her best to fight against the raven-haired man, only to fail as he dragged her out of her cell. Jafar kept a tight grip around Anastasia as he pulled out a dagger and placed it at her neck. "She's useless to me now. She's made her wishes. I have no reason to keep her alive. But I think perhaps you do."

"Jafar, stop!" Indigo shouted while taking a step toward the raven-haired man, only for Kaden to pull her into his chest and place a hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry," the Scarlet boy was able to say before he was forced into silence once again.

"Tell me exactly where your heart is, or she dies," Jafar declared as he applied more pressure to his dagger, breaking the skin on the Red Queen's neck, "simple enough?"

Will just stared at Anastasia with an emotionless look in his eyes That lasted for what felt like an eternity before the blonde woman broke through the silence. "Don't do it, Will."

"He'll kill you."

"He'll kill me anyway. Protect your heart," the blonde woman told her former lover before letting out a pained gasp when Jafar applied more pressure against her neck.

"Tell me where, or tell her goodbye," the vizier repeated while Will continued to stare at the blonde woman in front of him.

The Scarlet man kept his eyes glued to the woman he once loved as his brain went over all the scenarios. Another moment passed before he said four words that made Indigo's blood run cold. "Okay, I'll do it."

Jafar instantly took the dagger away from Anastasia's neck and shoved her into the bars of Will's cell. The blonde woman just stood there and let a few tears fall before looking up at the Scarlet man. "Why?"

"My heart's caused me enough suffering. Nobody needs to die over it, not even you."

The sinister smirk returned to Jafar's face as he forced Anastasia back into her cell. It wasn't long after that when the sorcerer grabbed Indigo out of Kaden's grasp and shoved her into the cell across from Will. Anger flowed through her veins as she turned back around to face him, only for it to fade at the sight of Kaden's heart in Jafar's hand. "If you even think about using your magic to free yourself or your allies, your precious knight dies."

Before Indigo had a chance to respond, Jafar walked out of the dungeon with the Jabberwocky. Kaden stayed back for a moment to stare at his loved ones forced behind bars. It wasn't long before he was forced to follow after his new master, wanting nothing more than to be far away from Wonderland with Indigo by his side.

The Lark girl kept her eyes glued to her true love until he was out of sight. Instead of conversing with the other two prisoners around her, Indigo chose to sit in the back of her cell and tune out the world around her. Unknown to her, someone was watching her every move and noticed the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. And it was at that moment that Will felt guiltier than ever for dragging his best friend into an unwinnable adventure.

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An unknown amount of time passed before Indigo finally managed to get her emotions in check. However, she didn't move from her position at the back of her cell. She felt as though if she moved from her spot, the world would come crashing down around her. It wasn't until she heard a loud bang and the sound of approaching footsteps that she forced herself to her feet and walked toward her cell bars. It wasn't long after that when the Jabberwocky came from around the corner with Jafar and Kaden following her.

Indigo kept her eyes glued to them as they stopped in front of the cells. Jafar just stared at Will before placing a box on the floor and lifting the lid to reveal a glowing red heart. The Lark girl's blood ran cold as she watched the Jabberwocky force the Knave out of his cell and lead him toward the vizier, who was now holding Will's heart in the air.

"This might sting a bit," Jafar announced before plunging the heart back into the Scarlet man's chest.

Will's agonizing screams were the only thing that was heard in the dungeon as he fell to the floor. Tears ran down Indigo's cheeks as her friend squirmed on the floor while their enemies watched with grins on their faces. What felt like an eternity passed before an eerie silence settled over them once again.

"Will! Will! Look at me!" Anastasia shouted, drawing the Knave's attention to her before he rushed to get to his feet.

The Scarlet man just stared at her for a long moment before he rushed toward her. As soon as they were close enough to each other, Will pushed his head between the cell bars and shared a long-awaited kiss with Anastasia. However, their moment was soon ended by the Jabberwocky grabbing the Knave and forcing him back into his cell before slamming the door. At the same moment, Jafar opened the Red Queen's cell and pulled her toward him. After making sure Will was watching, the vizier pulled out his dagger.

"No! No, no, no!" the Scarlet man shouted as he rushed forward and tried to reach for Anastasia through the bars.

"Let's make sure that heart of yours is still working, shall we?" the raven-haired man told Will, who was continuing to scream at the top of his lungs for the sorcerer to stop.

The next thing anyone knew, Jafar plunged his dagger into Anastasia's back. Indigo watched in horror as a single tear slid down the blonde woman's cheek before all life faded from her eyes.

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