Genevieve's Tale: A Nutcracker Retelling

Chapter Ten: The Dungeon

Vi barely noticed her surroundings as her mind remained numb with shock. It wasn't until a foul odor filled up her nostrils that she was able to pull herself out of her daze. She heard the sound of dripping water in the dark room; the torches on the walls barely provided enough light for her to even see her hand right in front of her eyes. The air was thick and damp, making her squirm. Occasionally she heard scratching and squeaking sounds moving around the dungeon floor.

Are they planning on locking me up in here?

The captain grabbed a torch off the wall, approached the closest cell, and brought the torch up to the cell door.  "Come to the door. I know you are in there." His tone showed no emotion.

Vi heard someone muttering under their breath then the scuffling of feet; whoever was in the cell took a long time to approach the door. Her breathing shortened when she saw two furry hands grab the bars and the defeated expression on his face. "What do you want?"

"I brought you a visitor." He turned to look at the other guards. "Go guard the door and alert me if you hear anyone coming."

The others guards nodded slowly. Vi couldn't see their expressions clearly, but the way they turned and cocked their heads at each other suggested that they didn't fully understand the captain's instructions, but they weren't going to argue with him.

The captain turned to look at Vi. "Talk to him. You weren't given the opportunity to hear his side of the story. You won't have much time before we take you to your room."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. I thought the captain was disgusted by this rodent. Why is he wanting me to talk to the creature now? Then again, it is only fair for me to hear why the creature helped me. I want to know why he helped me, whether his intentions were selfish or honorable.

Once the captain moved away from the cell and lit the torn next to the cell door, Vi saw the rodent's face scrunch in embarrassment as he hesitantly looked Vi in the eye.

"Do you remember me telling you that I would explain everything once we arrived here?" he asked, dropping his voice to an almost inaudible whisper.

"That's right. With so much...confusion, I forgot. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Vi. I don't blame you for losing your trust in me." He pushed his face as close to the bars as possible. "I still don't understand why you've been nice to me after you saw..." He stopped mid sentence. "That's not important now. Will you allow me to earn back your trust and explain my reasons for helping you?"

Can I trust him? Is he telling me the truth or is he trying to manipulate me?

Vi said a silent prayer to herself and waited for an answer. After a minute or so, she felt the answer in her gut and heart. "Yes."

He nodded his head as his facial expression changed. Turning his back to her, he retreated into the shadows of the cell. When he returned to the door, he held a small blue orb; the orb appeared as delicate as glass. "Hold onto my hand and don't let go until I tell you to do so."

Then he threw the orb onto the ground and the two of them were enveloped in blue smoke.

Word count: 586