Chapter Text
When Pearl drifted back into consciousness she felt as if she was sinking into a too soft cloud. Obviously, she'd finally lost the last of her sanity. Either that, or the stone she usually curled up on had miraculously turned into a cushion.
She didn’t particularly want to force herself into consciousness, though her subconscious had been no more comforting than reality. Fragments of her dreams lingered, flashes of shadow like people sneaking past the cells, one of them stopping short when they noticed her.
She had dreamt of them opening the cell and taking her with them. Of them taking her to an all too familiar castle. Of Scott taking her hand in his as people around them fussed over her.
It was weird. Pearl had dreamt of rescue many times before, more so than she had dreamt of her own escape. She had never dreamt of herself getting past the threshold of the dungeon though, unable to imagine her freedom even in her wildest fantasies.
Her eyes were slow to focus, her vision blurry as she peeled her heavy eyelids back. It was bright, too bright, brighter than Pearl had seen in months and she shied away from it, frantically squeezing her eyes shut before cautiously opening them as gently as she could. The brunette could only squint in confusion as she tried to figure out what was going on, unsure as to why her cell had changed so drastically.
Something was weighing down against her, as soft as it was constricting as she half heartedly tried to shift it off of her. Pearl could not help but yawn widely as she sunk back at the realisation that most of her aches and pains had retreated. It had been so long since she had been able to stretch her jaw, she thought idly. Normally the guards only took the muzzle off when they could be bothered to feed her.
Wait.
Pearl could yawn.
There was no metal scratching against her face, no leather straps digging into the back of her head.
Her muzzle was off.
Pearl fought against the soft restraints, her previous exhaustion draining away as she struggled to bring her fingers to her face. Her nails dragged down her face as she searched, expecting to be met with the familiar sensation of the harsh and unyielding metal mask and instead finding herself able to trace the bridge of her nose, blunted fingernails digging into her lips as her mind raced frantically.
There were no chains digging into her wrists and keeping her tied down and away from the door, nothing but the heavy blankets and her own weakness constraining her.
They had taken the muzzle off. They had taken it off-
“Doctor!” In her panic Pearl hadn’t notice someone enter her space, their figure a blur as they dropped what they were holding and rushed to her. Pearl couldn’t speak, couldn’t make any other sound as she struggled to breathe, to force her lungs to expand. Hands closed around her wrists and Pearl couldn’t hold back a whine of distress as her arms were pinned back at her sides, the sensation too much after so long without.
She thrashed, panic coursing through her as she tried desperately to slip from their grasp, to free herself from this new set of chains.
There was no muzzle grinding against her jaw and keeping her mute. No chains rubbing her wrists raw when she tugged against them. They were going to put it all back, she thought wildly. They were going to hold her down until they could bury a hole deep enough and then they were going bury her underground again and Pearl couldn’t do that again.
She wouldn’t let them shove her back down beneath the earth,
Someone was shouting and more people were appearing but Pearl didn’t- couldn’t care. Could not stop herself from pulling against that iron grip around her wrists, uncaring of how it would undoubtedly leave her and Scott with bruises as she pleaded for them to let her go,
“Pearl, stop!” Pearl froze, mouth agape as the words registered. The voice was unchanged and the face that appeared in her vision too familiar to bear. Oh it was older, aged no doubt by time and by stress, and Pearl could make new lines that had made their home in its skin, but there was no mistaking that face. Horror built up in her as she locked eyes with Martyn for the first time in nearly three years. “You need to stop or you are going to hurt yourself.”
It hadn’t been a dream. She hadn’t been imagining it. Those had really been Scott’s soldiers who had pulled her out of that cell.
“No.” She gasped, finally regaining her voice and shaking her head as she tried to pull away once again. She pleaded again when he didn’t let up, tears welling up as she once again failed to break free. “No. Martyn, please!”
“It’s alright Pearl.” He promised, glancing over his shoulder before meeting her gaze once again with a reassuring smile. Uncertainly flickered in his eyes as someone else moved forward and his smile waned slightly, but Martyn still shifted to the side to make space for the approaching figure.
Pearl didn’t want to go back into a cage again, didn’t want the lid to be shut on her newfound liberty. But she was weak and outnumbered and could only watch in horror as her fleeting moment of freedom was snatched from her grasp before she could even begin to enjoy it.
Someone else was rubbing their hands over her arms even as she flexed her fingers and tried to scrabble her fingers against Martyns grip once again, but the motions were a cold comfort as the doctor drew closer. Pearl had no chance to reply, sobs spewing from her lips as she begged for Scott to come and free her in one breath and then cursed him in the next.
She loved him for the fond memories they had once shared. She hated him for confining her, for demanding she conform until she warped into something she wasn’t.
She loved him for getting her out of that cell. She hated him for letting his court do this to her again.
A cold hand had found its way to the nape of her neck, gripping her tightly as it held her head still even as Pearl pushed back against it.
“Martyn, please.” She tried again, her voice desperate as the visage of the doctor blocked him out. “Please, not again. Don’t let them do this to me again!”
Her pleas were of no use though and a bottle was pressed to her lips, tilted back until Pearl had no choice but to swallow. Its contents were horrifyingly familiar and although Pearl fought to stay awake, it was but a few moments before she was falling back into sleeps dark embrace.
She slept fitfully, desperate to wake but never quite managing to claw her way back to consciousness. Time passed slowly yet seemed to only rush by her, slipping through her fingers as she drifted in that haze between sleep and waking.
Figures danced on the back of her eyelids, shadows she could barely make out as people came and went. She heard voices, some familiar and yet so strange to her now and none could decipher. At some point fingers carded through her hair, and disappointment flooded her at their retreat when they began to tug on the various knots littered through her hair. The fingers are quickly replaced with a brush and Pearl dipped back into the blissful darkness as it began to work its way through her hair.
When she finally woke properly, Pearl was alone. She was slow to properly wake and it took her several tries before she was able to open her eyes and keep them open. Smugness took hold of her and she smirked slightly as she fought off the last of whatever concoction they had given her. But it was a short lived feeling and dread soon crept in as Pearl finally managed to sit up and take in the familiar room.
It hadn’t changed one bit in the years since she had climbed out the window and disappeared into the night. Her favourite blanket was still thrown over the back of the couch, her little collection of books was still shelved neatly next to her desk, placed just out of reach of the sunlight streaming through the windows.
Heart pounding, Pearl slid quietly from under the covers and stood on her own two feet for the first time in months. Swaying, she gripped the bedpost and strained her ears towards the door, holding her breath as she listened for any sign that she had company. When the door remained shut, Pearl deduced that they must not have bothered with monitoring spells while she slept and staggered towards the balcony door.
Her heart in her throat, Pearls hands trembled as she closed them around the handle and tugged.
It didn't budge.
The window was similarly locked shut. She could hear the clinking of metal armour outside the door.
Pearl had traded one cage for another.
Heart beating wildly, she lunged for the other windows, tugging at each one in desperation. But six long months spent chained to a dungeon floor, relying on only her soulbond to sustain her had left her weak. Pearl could barely stumble from one window to another as her muscles tried desperately to remember how to walk.
Even if she managed to get the windows open, Pearl doubted she would be able to heave herself out of them, let alone climb down the castle walls without falling.
She was trapped.
The door opened before Pearl could descend into full blown panic and she could only stare as a maid stepped over the threshold and yelped at the sight of her.
"Lady Pearl!" The girl stammered, hastily dropping into a curtsey and scrambling to keep a grip on the basket she held. "You're awake!"
There was a clatter from behind the girl and a guard appeared behind her briefly, shock flitting across their face before it smoothed out and they disappeared back the way they came.
Well there went any hope of keeping her return to consciousness a secret.
"I am." Pearl agreed warily, eyeing the basket she held in suspicion.
If it held more of those awful drugs…
"It’s just- the doctors didn't expect you to awaken for another day." The girl hurried to explain when Pearl said nothing more. She swallowed nervously when Pearl simply tilted her head, giving a nervous glance over her shoulder as footsteps sounded in the distance.
"Oh really?" Pearl said flatly, stepping forward to grip the bedpost tightly. They must have miscalculated the dosage for her to be awake so early. Or they didn't wish to risk letting it impact Scott.
"You had to be given so much of the sleeping potion that they were worried it would knock Lord Martyn out as well." The maid rambled on, curling in on herself when Pearl scoffed at her words. "The doctors-"
"I think thats enough." It wasn't Martyn who cut the maid off, nor was it Scott. Pearl sighed and resisted the urge to look away as Cleo stepped into the room, one eyebrow arched as the maid dipped into another curtsey. "You can leave us."
Cleo was the one to shut the door behind the hastily retreating maid, the click of the lock loud in the silence between them. Pearl pursed her lips as Cleo turned to her, sliding a key into their pocket as they levelled her with an expectant look.
Pearl hadn’t expected them to be the first to show up. She didn’t know why, but she probably should have.
Cleo was the one who eventually broke the silence, realising that Pearl wasn’t going to move before she did. “You should probably sit before you keel over.”
Pearl just dug her fingers into the soft wood of her bedpost and lifted her chin stubbornly in response. She pointedly ignored how her legs trembled, how she had to lean against the bedpost as she struggled to stay upright.
Someone must have filed her fingernails while she slept, for they were not the jagged weapons she last remembered them being. She used to be able to use them to scratch messages to Scott when the mood struck her.
She hadn’t done that in a long time. She wouldn’t be able to until they grew back. If they were allowed to grow back.
Cleo sighed when Pearl made no motion to move and swept further into the room to take a seat on the couch. Pearls eyes followed them and she shifted so she was able to keep both Cleo and the door in view.
“You know I’m happy to have a staring match with you, but I don’t think-“
“What are you doing here?” Pearl interrupted them, her patience already stretched thin. She was in no mood for Cleo’s jokes, for the forced camaraderie they had always put on with Pearl when their positions pushed them together.
“I live here.” Cleo replied simply, settling back with a slight smirk.
“Not what I meant.” Pearl bit out with a scowl. They always did this, them and Scott. Never took her questions seriously, always brushed them off with a snide comment or sarcastic joke. She just wished they would-
“I’m here because the guard who came to tell us you’re awake found me first and I didn’t want you to be alone.” Cleo tilted their head in a silent apology. Pearl shifted, something ugly swirling in her gut as she looked away, suddenly finding herself unable to meet Cleos gentle gaze. “Scott’s in a meeting so I sent Martyn to get him and the doctor-“
Pearls breath hitched and blood roared in her ears as she staggered back, eyes wild as her gaze darted to the door in a panic. Cleo was quick to jump to her feet, a look of alarm in their eyes as Pearls breathing sped up.
Cleo stopped short when Pearl flung her arms out, holding their arms up in consolation as Pearl stared wide eyed at them. They were talking, but Pearl could barely hear them over her own heartbeat pounding in her head.
"-breathe Pearl, big deep breaths." Cleo kept her voice low, as if they were trying to soothe a frightened animal. Pearl hated that it worked, that she was able to copy their exaggerated breaths until she got her panic under control.
She missed Tilly. The wolf had always known what to do when Pearls mind turned on her body, pressing against her or flopping into her lap until her human had been able to get herself under control.
She hoped that the ones who had...
"Pearl?" Cleos voice was frighteningly gentle as they inched closer, caution dancing in their eyes. "You back with me?"
Yes. No. She didn’t know. She just knew-
“No doctors.” Pearl said firmly, eyes focusing on the wall behind Cleo.
“What?” Cleo blinked and stopped, brow furrowing as Pearls words registered. “But-“
Pearl was so tired, so gods damn tired, of no one listening to her when she spoke.
“No.” She repeated, gaze meeting Cleo’s for a fleeting moment before returning to her spot on the wall. “No doctors.”
“Pearl, they need to check you over.” Cleo’s brow furrowed, confusion written all over their face.
“No. I’m fine.” Pearl insisted.
Maybe she would try taking a vow of silence. It would probably lead to the same result and speaking was so much effort anyway, it would probably just be easier if she stopped altogether.
"Really?" Cleo said dryly, staring pointedly at Pearls outstretched arms and the way her legs were trembling for a moment before catching Pearls gaze and raising an eyebrow.
“I am physically fine." Pearl said mulishly, eyes narrow as she tried to slow her heart down, tried to . "I'm not going to hurt Scott, get the doctors to check him over if you want but I do not want them anywhere near me.”
“That’s not- I didn’t… fine.” Cleo sighed, slumping their shoulders in defeat. “We can hold off on the doctor for now. But will you at least come and sit on the couch while we wait?”
Pearl begrudgingly settled herself in the seat furthest from Cleo, crossing her arms with a sigh as they waited.
It didn't take long for the door to open again and Pearls breath caught in her throat, her limbs frozen in place as watched Scott follow Martyn in. The blue haired man froze as his eyes met her own and Pearl couldn’t help but take in every detail. He hadn't changed much in the past few years, though the bags under his eyes had grown a little. There was a new scar on his chin, which Pearl knew matched her own. An incident with a berry bush that Scott hadn't had a chance to heal in time. He had-
Pearl was broken from her musings by a man in white robes pushing through the door, clutching a leather bag from which she could see numerous bottles and tools sticking out. She was out of her seat in moments, putting the couch between herself and the rest of the room as panic climbed her throat, threatening to choke her as her chest heaved.
Scott shot her a look of alarm, a frown tugging at his lips as he glanced between her and the newcomer. Martyns face was unreadable, but he inched closer to put himself in front of Cleo.
"We won't need the doctor for now." Cleo came to her rescue, pushing to their feet and ignoring Martyns silent protest as she stepped around him and planted herself between Pearl and the door, blocking Pearls view of the doctor completely. "He can come back when we're ready for him."
“Or never.” Pearl muttered mulishly.
Martyn raised an eyebrow and Scotts brow furrowed as the doctor spluttered his protests, but Cleo simply shot them an unreadable look that had Scott sighing in defeat as Martyn stepped forward to herd the doctor out of the room.
The door slammed shut behind the detestable man and for the first time in over two years, Pearl was left in the same room as her soulbond.
It was less dramatic than she had envisioned it.
Scott didn't seem to know what to say, opening and closing his mouth several times before slumping slightly. He looked like one of the goldfish that lived in the gardens ponds, Pearl noted amusedly.
"You look... better." Pearls gaze shot to Martyn, who was rubbing his arm as he smiled hesitantly at her. Pearl didn’t smile back, the memory of him gripping her wrists while she begged, pinning her down as the doctor forcefully drugged her still far too fresh in her mind.
“You mean from when you pinned me down and let the doctor drug me?” Pearl scoffed, a grim satisfaction curling in her chest at the way Martyn winced at her words. “Yeah I guess you could say I’m a bit better.”
Cleo tugged Martyn into the seat next to them, shooting a warning look at both him and Pearl as they took their soulmates hand. Pearl just sneered and looked away as she took her own seat, her chest growing heavy in the face of their casual affection.
Those two had always been able to make it work better than Pearl and Scott had. But then again, no one had tried to smother or hide Martyn as they did her. Cleo wouldn’t have allowed it, always resolute in her defence of their soulmates freedom. After Pearl had left, she had kept tabs on them as much as she could, partly out of curiosity and partly out of a need to avoid them all. Martyn had spent much of his time travelling their realm, sometimes acting as an envoy or representative and sometimes just for his own fun.
Part of Pearl wondered if that was because of her own disappearance into the night. If Martyn and Cleo had taken a look at the mess she and Scott had created and promptly gone the other way.
"The doctors were worried that you would hurt yourself." Scott cut in, his gaze guarded as he stepped forward. "Your behaviour when you woke up here was... concerning to say the least."
"You mean they were worried you would get hurt." Pearl scoffed, crossing her arms as her eyes drilled into Scotts own and ignoring the discomfort as distorted memories flashed behind her eyes. "Besides, if I wanted you to rescue me I would have asked when they first caught me, not months later."
All three of them froze at her words, their eyes wide as they stared at her. Pearl frowned at the sudden change, tilting her head slightly as she watched Scotts face go through a myriad of expressions before it settled on what looked to be horror.
“Months?” He questioned, something in his tone making Pearl stiffen.
“I think so?” She said quizzically, tilting her head uncertainly. “How long has it been since the Harvest festival? The one with the Blood Moon?”
“That was six months ago.” Martyn whispered, his eyes strangely red as avoided her gaze.
"You were down there for six months?" Scott said quietly, his voice pained.
Pearls frown deepened and she blinked a couple of times in confusion, shooting furtive glances at Martyn and Cleo just to find them sporting similar looks of horror.
"I guess so?" Pearl answered tentatively, shrinking into herself as dug her fingers into her arms. The fiery anger that had fuelled her only moments ago drained away as she desperately tried to find her footing once again. "I wasn’t really able to keep track. The guards could be inconsistent with the meals and I was underground so it’s not like I had a window to know what was going on outside. But they attacked me right after that Harvest under the Blood Moon so however long it’s been since then…"
Pearl trailed off as the rooms temperature dropped, brow furrowing as she studied the others reactions. Cleo had a hand over her mouth, her eyes dark as they stared at Pearl in abject horror. Martyn had gotten to his feet and started pacing back and forth behind the couch, his hands curled into fists.
Scott stood frozen, his eyes locked with hers until Pearls couldn’t bear it anymore and broke eye contact. She shivered slightly, wrapping her arms around herself as she lost the feeling in the tips of her fingers and watched ice creep out from under Scotts boots. Cleo and Martyn had noticed as well, though both seemed hesitant to interfere, well aware of just how temperamental Scotts magic could be.
It really was like nothing had changed since she left.
"You were locked in a dungeon for six months.” Scott started, swallowing harshly as his eyes bore into the side of Pearls head. “You were kidnapped and trapped for underground for six months and you didn’t think to tell me?”
Huh. Seems like she had possibly underestimated just how much Scott would care about this whole thing. Honestly Pearl had thought he would be happy she was being kept away from trouble. Was it really so different than what his doctors had tried to do to her?
“Did you not think I would help?” Scott asked desperately, brushing off . “I know we have had our differences but surely you don’t hate me that much? Surely you didn’t think I would have just left you there?”
Well, kind of? Pearl would not have been surprised if he had just chosen to cut his losses, social taboo be damned. He had been so willing to drug her, to betray her the first time, what would it matter if he just made that betrayal permanent?
“What, so I could call on you to be rescued and be taken back here to be locked up again?” Pearl raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the room around them. Anger was always a good way to deflect, she knew. It certainly always seemed to catch Scott off guard when she dared to express anything close to it. "Take me straight from cage to another?"
"I wouldn’t-“ Scott protested, rocking back as if he had been hit.
"So I can leave?" Pearl asked, her voice positively dripping from the disbelief she had words into her words. "All those locks on the windows and the guards standing outside my door, those are just for show are they? Just protect me, are they? Not in any way meant to keep me from walking out of here?”
"I- Pearl, look-" Scott was grasping for words now, glancing desperately at Cleo as he tried hopelessly to defuse the situation. "I'm not- I just don't think-"
“Look me in the eye Scott, and tell me you're going to let me walk out of here." Pearl challenged, leaning forward in her seat as she kept her gaze trained on the other half of her soul. On the one person in the world who was supposed to care for her, to love her and stand with her against the world. Who had committed the most egregious betrayal of Pearls life. “Look me in the eye and tell me that if I walked out of the castle right now, you would let me. Look me in the eye and tell me that Scott and I'll believe you."
Scott could only look away with a wince, crossing his arms as he suddenly became very interested in something on the other side of the room. Both Cleo and Martyn were quick to duck their head and avoid her gaze when she turned to them and Pearl scoffed derisively as their cowardliness.
"Yeah." Pearl said bitterly, leaning back into her seat and resting her hand on her cheek as she furiously sought to keep back her tears. “Yeah, thats what I thought."
"You've just experienced something incredibly traumatic Pearl and it has clearly had a rather deep impact on you.” Cleo's voice was gentle, but Pearl couldn't be bothered to look at them. It didn’t matter what they were going to say, the result would be the same no matter what. Pearl was still going to be trapped here until they decided to let her out. If they decided to let her out. “As your friends, as people who care about you, it just wouldn’t be right for us to let you go off on your own when you are so obviously not unwell.”
Of course. Of course they thought her unwell. They thought her crazy, that the time in the cell had taken what was left of her mind. None of them had thought much of Pearl in the first place and this had just finally presented them with the perfect excuse to do something about it.
"Get out." Pearl said suddenly, exhaustion crashing over her. This room seemed to sap her of all her strength, brought back all of those bittersweet memories she had spent so long suppressing. It was stifling, sitting here and being judged by annoyingly concerned eyes once again. As if she wasn’t a grown woman who had taken care of herself for years, as if it wasn’t partly their fault she was like this. "Just. Get out.”
"What? Pearl-" It was Martyn who spoke up now, half rising out of his seat before freezing when Pearl flinched away from him.
"I don't want you here." Pearl said as firmly as she could, unwilling to sit there and listen to their faux concern any longer. "I get it, you think I'm unfit to look after myself and so you’re going to keep me locked up in here until I’m better or something. Great, whatever, now at least have to decency to get out and leave me alone."
Anger thrashed against her ribs, slamming into her empty stomach before it started fighting its way into her throat. Pearl felt like she was going to choke on it, a hazy red coming over her gaze as she watched them exchange pitying looks. She wanted to scream, to shout and yell and make them feel as she did every time they did something like this.
Oh look at her, that poor girl. She’s mad they say, she can’t take care of herself. Lock her up, it’s for her own good, for all our goods, push that wildness of hers down, it’s for her own good. Truly she isn’t well, she needs help.
"Get out!" She shouted when none of them moved to leave, jumping to her feet and baring her teeth as she slammed her fists against the table. "Just get out and leave me in peace!"
“Pearl, stop-“ Scott started, stepping forward slightly before halting in his tracks when Pearl stumbled away at his approach, holding her arms out to ward him off. "Pearl, please. I just-"
"Scott." Cleo intercepted him, rubbing his arm as he gave Pearl a pleading stare. Cleo was unmoving as he turned his wides eyes on them, her voice firm as she tugged lightly on his arm. “It’s a lot for her to take in, why don’t we give her some time."
Pearl managed to keep herself somewhat together as they filed out the door, Martyn giving her one last concerned glance that Pearl just sneered at before he slipped out of the room. But as the door slammed shut and the lock clicked faintly, Pearls unsteady grip on her control broke and her body heaved with sobs as reality crashed into her.
She had given so much to escape this place and all its trappings, had spent so long in the wild, on the run and away from anyone and everyone. It was almost unbearable, the idea that it was to have all been for naught, that she had ended up back here anyway, her wants ignored in favour of what everyone else thought was best for her.
Even if Scott was willing to let her go, his advisors and counsel would no doubt rail against it, arguing that it was too much of a risk to let his biggest vulnerability outside of the protection of the castle walls. No doubt the reputation she had built over the years would have made its way to their year as well, making them even more wary of her and her so called ‘instability’.
No one here would be willing to let her go.
Outside the door, the guards startled as something shattered against the door, a strangled scream echoing from the room before it petered out into muffled sobs.
They dared not to look. Not even a quick glance, not even at one another. Some things were better left unacknowledged. Hopefully, this was one of them.