Moonhawk 2 - The Blackcrow

Chapter 40 - Darkness And Defeat

Meanwhile, in the dungeons of the castle, Starla was sitting on the bed in the cell to herself, staring at the wooden ceiling and walls. To her side were the iron bars of the cell, and she could see out into the main hall of the dungeon. Surprisingly, she saw a figure that was walking towards her cell. It was purple, and had a witches' hat, and while Starla could've recognized Ogron, this one wasn't as familiar.

The stranger walked over to her and looked on with a smug face that Starla found even more perplexing. She watched as the witch bean walked closer to her. Starla didn't quite know how to respond to this, but the figure still began to talk regardless.

"Well, look at that. It looks like all the promises that have been made will be followed through, and this time next week, I'll be Prince Saros' wife. I've waited for that long enough." She smugly announced to the peach colored bean.

"Uhm, wait- do you know Saros too...?" Starla hesitantly asked, not quite knowing what any of this was all about.

"I sure do!" The stranger cheerfully boasted. "I am to be in a fated marriage with Prince Saros, as per King Ogron's appointment." Starla was still as confused, if not more, as she was before the stranger walked over to her and started tattling on things she had very little idea about.

"... w-what's a fated marriage?" Starla asked, her visor was glistening with confusion and worry over the situation. "All I wanted to know is more about these elemental crystals..."

The stranger frowned a bit. "You... Of all the things, why that?" They asked, with a slight bit of disappointment in their voice. "Well. You outsiders are strange."

As the female figure stood there, wandering in their thoughts, Starla mustered up the courage to stand up, walk over to the cell bars and tried to start some small talk. "My name is Starla. What's yours?"

The unknown bean gave a silent hiss to herself before giving in and introducing herself in return. "My name is Avah, if you want to know. But you'll eventually be back to where your little outsider home is, and by that time I'll finally be married, so... you just keep dreaming. In fact, what exactly do outsiders like you do anyway? Bothering people about hidden pasts?"

Starla was about to respond, but she felt the answer fall away when Avah called her out for bothering the people of Zudak, but she didn't know about the extent of it. Looking down to her feet and circling her toe on the ground. "Well... I go on adventures all over the galaxy along with my mother and father. I help out sometimes, but I got into trouble when I ran off to explore an old temple with a friend I made on Walderan once."

Avah scoffed at the meager explanation Starla gave of her daily life, but Starla chimed in with additional explanation as she wandered back to the bed and sat down.

"... I miss my mom and dad. They'd always been there for me. So was Uncle Pitch and Saros, even when they were arguing. I just want to go back home... This place is scary..." Tears began to well up on Starla's visor and she curled up and hid her face from the world. "I just want to be with my family again... it was foolish of me to just run off..."

This confession struck Avah as peculiar, but somehow, something in the way Starla spoke about things with such emotion and longing. The deep plum witch didn't even have it in her to give a half-hearted reaction. It was puzzling how this youngling outsider had such regret in leaving her home... Never mind, she'll get her promised family soon, her mind mumbled aloud as she turned away, also hiding her own visor, which somehow felt a bit wetter.

Both beans, from either side of the iron bars, continued to stay, even if they had nothing to say. And while they searched for an answer, above in the fantastical mansion of the wizard king, Ogron stormed through the halls to his courtyard, waiting for the shuttle to land.