Captivity (butterfly0408/Liam45)

Ai was proud of her troops. They had all fought valiantly to their cause and their king. It had been an honor to fight by their side. She only hoped whomever had stepped up to take her place, now that she was in chains, a prisoner of the enemy, would lead them to victory as she had time and time again. This last battle had not been one of those times.

It had been her own fault she had been captured. Hell, she knew it would happen when she made her choice. She sacrificed herself for one of her young solders, injured, caught in the crossfire, to escape. And now she found herself locked up with others of her race, being taken to the enemy stronghold. Would none of them see their homeland again? Would their loved ones know they all had fought bravely for their cause?

Loved ones... Ai thought of her father. She prayed he would not be upset with her choice. May he be proud of her. If he was, then she could look into the face of her death and smile.

The cart they had all been packed into came to a stop. A moment later, the back of it opened, spilling light into dark space, stinging the warrior woman's eyes a moment before she was pulled from the cart by her chains. Each of them was lined up and looked over from head to toe. If the enemy decided they were no more then a common solider, they were sent to the dungeons. No doubt it was packed with many young men and women. As for her though, one look and it could be told she was different from the rest of the lot. Other then she was the only woman. Her clothing was different. Armor someone of rank would wear. It was bulky and hid any trace of her real form underneath. "You!" one of her captures said, pointing to her. She was pushed forward by someone behind her. "What is your name?"

She held her tongue.

"I SAID... WHAT is your NAME!" he yelled in her face before giving her a solid slap. It had to hurt his masculinity when a woman nearly a foot shorter then him did not even flinch from his attack.

"What do you care for my name?" she replied. "You will not call me by it even if I give it to you. Therefore there is no reason to reply. I will just tell you want your question was to be. I am a warrior of Freil, a captain of our kings army."

"Captain?! You! A woman! A little, thin, weak woman!" her took her chin in his hand, forcing it up at him. He paused a moment. She was a beautiful woman as well. Eyes as blue as the sky. Strong, fearless eyes. His mouth instantly went dry and he looked her over once again. He wondered what her armor hide of her form. "I should teach you your place, but the king will want you in one piece for questioning." He pushed her back into the hands of two waiting solders, "Take our little captain her to the prison tower. Oh by mark my word my dear..." he drew close again, taking a lock of her long black hair between his fingers and leaning close, "Once the king is through with you... we will meet again..."

"We will meet again," she replied, "for I will be the one to kill you."

"Take the bitch away!" he yelled. Off in one direction she went, while he to another. Right to his leader, the king. Kneeling before him, he delivered his report of battle, "Your highness, we have brought a dozen Freil prisoners from the field of battle to fill our dungeons. One of them claims to be a captain. By the look of her clothing, I would not doubt her claim. I had her placed in the tower to await questioning..."

To be King was still a new and odd thing for Audric to experience. True, he had been King for the past year, after the elves had killed his father, but it still felt odd. Having a man kneel before you and tell you about a captive, and expect you to do something about it was a kingly duty. And one that Audric knew that he had to be up for the challenge. Yes, people did respect him. But only because of his title, not who he was. He still looked boyish, despite the jagged scar beneath his left eye that proved he was not, but instead a warrior. Or had been before his father died. He was barely 25 and the kingdom believed him to be unseasoned, despite how many times he had proved himself.

Audric had once been the first man to step over onto enemy land, leading the King’s men into battle. This had stopped of course as soon as his father had died and he had been called to be King. However, Audric believed that this did count for something. He had saved many lives, risking his own many times as was proved by the many scars that adorned his torso as well.

“I am guessing the captain is a woman then?” Audric asked dryly, amusement in his dark blue eyes as he rose from his chair. He motioned for the man to get up, pacing back and forth a bit. “I will speak to her soon. However, I want you to spread the word that nobody is allowed to speak to her, touch her or so much as look at her. I do not want any problems like that on my hands. Now go, and let them know if they break what I have said they break the law of my word and I will deal with them myself” he ordered, and the man scurried off.

Audric left his study and moved quickly up the stairs to his bedroom, going straight to his wardrobe. He changed into simple clothes, a red tunic and black pants, which he then tucked into polished black boots. He buckled on his sword, and then grabbed a tunic and a cloak from his wardrobe. The tower was uncomfortable enough, and he was sure he woman was in her armor still. True, she was a prisoner, but Audric believed that women should be respected, even this elf woman.

Soon he was at the tower, his eyes going to the two guards that stood there. “Step aside” he ordered and then men looked at him doubtfully. He didn’t look very kinglike at the moment, in casual clothing and his chronic messy brown hair. “Need I repeat myself?” Audric asked, and the men scrambled to the side, one reaching out and opening the door for him.

He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him gently. His eyes took in the elf woman for a moment. Her clothing did show that she was a captain, but the way she held herself said it more. She looked proud. And beautiful he couldn’t help but notice. “These are for you” he said, moving closer and holding out the clothes, waiting for her to take them.

The cell she had been placed in was one of only a few in this high tower. Three cells, made comepletely of stone. The only light a shining down into the room from a small, high, window. More like a slit in the bricks then a window really. A small stone bench was the only thing in the room, besides the prisoner of course. She sat near that stone bench, her back against it though she sat upon the floor.

At first, as he entered, speaking to her, offering her the clothing in his hands, she only stared back at him. She started to make assumptions over who he was and what his intent was. The first thought in her head was that his man, casually dressed, offering to make her more comfortable, could not be the king. Then again, he was the right age she supposed for the young, inexperienced king she had heard about. The second thing she thought, was the only reason these clothing were offered to her now was because she was a woman. And third, he was not all that bad looking, for a human.

After making these three conclusions, she at last spoke, not an ounce of fear in her tone. "I will accept no special treatment from you or your king simply because I am a woman. I am a warrior for Freil first and a woman second. I ask to be treated no differently then any other warrior of my race would be treated. And besides..." she held up her hands, still chained together with a short chain that only let her raise them a few feet from the spot at the foot of the bench where she was tethered to, "My leash it far to short to reach." She would not even be able to stand or sit without being hunched over the chain was so short.

He watched her for a moment, a slight smile on his lips. Insecure. He knew it. She probably had to act very strong to be in her place, being a woman after all. But then again, he had no idea how the elves treated their women. All he knew was that this one was treated as an equal. Audric moved closer, pulling a ring of keys from his pocket. He unlocked her, releasing her from the short chain.

"You need to know a few things" Audric said, hunching down so he was at her level. "I am the King. My name is Audric. And you are recieving these clothes because you are a captain, you are respected by your people so we can show you a little respect as well. If you would prefer to be in this, then go ahead" he informed her, motioning to her armor. He then sat down completly, crossing his arms. This really was an odd situation. He really should have kept her chained, but he really didnt see a reason to. She wouldnt hurt him, he just had a feeling.

"Now...would you let me know something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "I would like to know your name. I told you mine, and I would like to address you properly."

She kept a close eye on him as he came forward, undoing her chains. He was either very confident or very stupid. While she made no move, the point was, she could have if she wanted. As they sat together on the stone, cold floor of her cell, she two was thinking this to be an odd situation. Especially after learning he was indeed the king. She had never pictured the leader of these human being willing to lower himself to her own level. Literally.

Sitting across from him, she rubbed at her now free wrists. The metal left them a bit raw from rubbing against her skin on the journey here to his fortress. "You don't think I am a threat to you. Again, because I am a woman and your prisoner. But I just want you to know, King Audric, that if I could have ended your life just now. You play with fire getting so close to your enemy and showing them such mercy. But it would have been unwise of me to kill you, so I did not. I am after all deep in your stronghold and would not be able to fight my way out. The point is, I still could have."

With a sigh, she leaned back against the stong bench, still rubbing her wrists as she seemed for the first time to relax the slightest hint. "As for my name," she started, "as I told your head of the guard, while I doubt you will care to use it... you did give me yours. I am called Ai." It was a common name, especially for and elven woman. "And I am a loyal warrior of Freil. If you wish for me to give you secrets of my people to help you win your war, you will not get what you wish from me."

Audric shrugged his broad shoulders, "I know you could have, still could. However, I do not underestimate you and you should not underestimate me. You do not appear stupid to me, so I knew that you would not try anything. And what makes you think I couldnt fight back? I was a warrior before I was ever King" he explained, keeping his eyes on her's the entire time.

"Ai" he repeated when she gave her name. "I have never heard that name before, we dont have it here" Audric informed her. He then scooted back a little, leaning his back against the stone wall. "As I said a moment ago, do not underestimate me...I may look stupid but I can promise you am I not. You are obviously a captain, which means that you had to do something to prove yourself. Besides, I didnt come up here to ask about your peoples' secrets. Not yet anyway" he told her.

Truth was, Audric was tired of the war his father had started. Very tired. But he could not call it off, especially after the elves had killed his father. He would be overthrown. His people wanted war against the elves, there was no way he could stop it. "So, are you going to accept these or not?" He asked, nudging the tunic with one of his boots.

"I will accept them, if only because they will keep me warmer then my metal armor will." She didn't know if it was appropriate to tell him thank you or not. He was her capture after all, but she still have manors. She parted her lips and a melodic word seemed to float out, a word not of his language, "It means thank you in my land."

She reached her hands to pick them up and hold them in her lap, then she glanced up right into his dark blue eyes with her bright blue ones. A color impossible for human eyes to be. "I can't exactly change into them with you here....... or is that the real reason you have given me these clothes?" She was only playing with him of course, a smirk on her face.

He was surprised when she spoke in her own language, the confusion showing on his face until she told him what it meant. He repeated the word. "I'll remember that" Audric told her.

He laughed at her words, shaking his head swiftly. "No, no. You can change after I leave" he said, his eyes then going to the window. "It will be dinner time soon, so I should be going in just a minute. Any food requests?" He asked, "you will be recieving food soon as well" he added, just in case she thought she wouldnt.

He then got to his feet, dusting off his pants. "I am sure you have heard things about humans...and I am sure most of them bad. I will not say that they are all untrue, but I can promise that you will be treated fairly here" Audric promised.

She shook her head a little bit, "We shall see if you humans prove the things I have been told about your kind to be true or false. Just as I am such I will prove the things you have heard of elves to be true... or false. And as for... food requests, I say again. I want to be treated the same as any other prisoner in my situation would be. I doubt those who have resided within this cell before me were given a menu to pick and choose from. I expect the same they were given."

He was going to find Ai to be a stubborn sort. Proud, yet unwavering in her beliefs.

"Well, seeing as this is the first time this cell has been used while I have been alive, I have no idea what they ate. I will just have the cook give you extras of what we are eating downstairs." He said, moving to the door. "I will be back. Maybe tonight, but most likely in the morning" Audric said, pulling the door open. "Enjoy your dinner" he said, shutting the door behind him.

He was soon in the kitchen, telling the cook to make sure that Ai recieved something to eat. He then went to the dining hall to eat his own dinner, brushing off all questions that had to do with their new prisoner. After dinner, we went to his room and pulled off his boots and tunic, getting into bed. He would go see Ai in the morning, it was best to leave her alone for now, right? He then groaned softly, annoyed with himself. He actually wanted to go see her again. She had been so beautiful. He pulled the blankets back and pulled on his clothes again, going up to the tower.

The guards had been replaced, this time with men that actually jumped out of his way when they saw him. Audric unlocked the door and stepped in, turning to shut the door behind him.

As he re-enter the cell, he found first the pile of Ai's battle armor and clothing near the door, along with a plate that her dinner had been served on. It was empty, with only a few small bones left behind. And then across the room, there was Ai.

She had changed into the clothing he had given her and she lay at first on floor, her arms curled under her head to act as a pillow and the cloak he had given her acting as a blanket. She had been asleep, but her senses were strong and the moment he entered, she seemed to just know. Waking, she sat up. It was hard to see in the darkness of the room, but her eyes were strong enough to know it was the king once more. "To what do I owe this last night visit King Audric?"

The room was dim, but she lay in the only beam of light the window allowed into the room. His clothing was a bit big and baggy on her feminine body. She had to poke an extra hole in the belt with her teeth just to keep the clothing from falling off. Without the armor, more of her true shape could be seen. In battle, she was a warrior, but in normal clothing, it would be hard to believe. She looked like a delicate flower without her armor, even in men's clothing. And young. Younger then him perhaps from the looks of her. Perhaps it was a trick of her race, but she looked like she couldn't be much older then 20 years. Her hair, which had been held in a bun before was now cascading down her back. It was black, luscious, and long. Very, VERY long. If one did not know she was a captain in the elven army, one would never guess it in a hundred, thousand years.

Audric did not answer her question, his eyes widening a little as she sat up, the cloak falling down to reveal her form. He had thought her beautiful before, when she had still been in her armor. Now she was beyond that, with all of that long hair, and even though his clothes were baggy on her, he could still make out her form. She had a body that would make any man drool. He opened his mouth to speak to her, but all that came out was a wordless stammer. He took another few steps closer, trying to clear his mind. She was just a woman and he had never let one effect him like this before.

"I'm sorry, I didnt mean to wake you up" Audric said, finally finding his voice. His eyes never left her face as he moved a bit closer, finally allowing his eyes to rove over her body again. "I see the clothes are a bit big" he said, reaching up to run a hand through his already messy hair. "Guess you are a lot smaller than I thought, the armor through me off" he explained, lowering himself onto the floor to sit across from her.

"It's better than nothing," she said with a shrug as she moved to hug her legs against her chest, her back against the wall. "Not many think a warrior could look like this under all that armor. Just as many that see me like this could not believe me a warrior. I am use to it happening. And you have not yet answered my question King Audric... why have you come here to see me? I meant what I said earlier. I will tell you nothing. The time of night has not changed my mind. Which leads me to wonder your true intentions for visiting a prisoner in the middle of the night."

He knew what she was hinting at, and that was not the reason why he had come. Of course he would like nothing better than to have her, but that would not be right at all. He laughed softly, "I have no idea why I came, actually" he admitted. Audric didnt like the fact that he felt as if he had to see her. "It was like I just found myself coming up the stairs without even knowing it" he said, shrugging lightly. He got to his feet, crossing his arms loosely and leaning against the stone wall. "Would you like me to leave you to sleep, Captain Ai?" Audric asked.

She shrugged a little, "It matters not to me. If you leave, I get to sleep. If you stay, I will have someone to talk to. Both result in positive outcomes for me." Feeling a slight chill, she grasped the cloak and hugged it around her legs, warming herself. "I do not know what we will speak of it you stay..." There was not much she could think of to say to her enemy. Especially since if she said to much, her life you be in grave danger.

"Well then, will you just help my curious nature along a little?" Audric asked. "I swear I'll let you sleep soon, but I have a few questions about elves. Your kind is never talked about here, for obvious reasons" he told her. "One, are you all really as young as you look? Can you really do magic? And are all of you beautiful?" He asked, his eyes lowering a little at the last question. A lot of humans didnt find elves attractive. They thought them too exotic. However, Audric thought them very beautiful, especially Ai.

She raised an eyebrow at his questions. Especially the last one. Not exactly the questions she had expected to hear him ask her. "One, while elves can grow old in age but not in looks, it only begins to happen around the age of thirty and not for ALL my kind. We age normal for a little more then a quarter of our lives before the aging process begins to slow. Depends on the blood in your veins depends on how you age. Some families blood is more powerful then others. For example... I will age close to that of a human like you. My father's blood is pure, as it that of my brothers and sisters. But my mother is not the same as theirs and her blood was not pure. One cancels the other. I will be lucky to live to a hundred and twenty when others can live three hundred years."

"It is also the reason of my mixed bloodlines that magic is not strong with me. Small things, yes I can do. No, I will not show you. Don't worry, none of my magic is strong enough to break down these walls for me to escape. However, some elves can be very powerful with their magic skills and do things a human like you would not believe. Not even if you saw it with your own eyes. As for beauty..." she smirked a little, "Well... that is in the eye of the beholder. A phrase I believe you humans use just as we do."

"Very interesting" he mused as she answered his questions, trying to keep up with what she was saying. It was odd, he hadnt thought that the answers to his questions varied on the elf. Audric smiled as she answered his last question. "Well then, I guess that it is safe to say that all of you beautiful" Audric told her. "Wish I could say so for all of my kind. You probably think us hideous" he ventured to guess.

"Most of you are, yes," she said without a second thought of it. "I have not seen enough of your kind to give a definite answer, but enough to have an opinion on the matter at the very least. You for example," she tilted her head a bit, as if studying him, "You are not a bad looking human. And you do not seem to have an ugly heart either. Your head guard on the other hand is ugly. Not only in face but inside as well. Many of your humans may look fair on the outside, but are wrinkled and deformed on the inside."

He smiled a bit wider at her comment on his looks. Glad that someone as beautiful as she would find him good looking. His eyes clouded in confusion as she mentioned his head guard. "Bayard?" He asked, sitting down again. "Did he do anything to you?" Audric questioned, his face turning slightly red with anger. He had never liked Bayard much, but had never had reason to withdraw his rank. Audric believed that his father had given Bayard the title as head guard for a reason, and it would be unfair to take it away just because he disliked the man.

"Not yet," she said, thinking about this threat that he would come back to her and teach her a lesson if he ever had the chance, "but I have seen him in battle. He does not fight fair. He is a man without honor that does not fight, but kill. There is a difference to my people. To fight is to only kill when there is no other way. Bayard kills in battle for the sake of killing. One of my warriors was wounded on the lines between our two fronts. He was unarmed and defenseless, trying to crawl his way back to safety. Your Bayard walked up to him and ran him through without even giving him a second look. No mercy for a defenseless boy."

Audric lowered his eyes to the stone floor as she spoke, not liking what he heard. Of course this would now give him a reason to get rid of Bayard, but it still didnt look good on his part. "Thank you for telling me" he said, then lifted his eyes to her face again, reaching out he touched her arm gently. "I am sorry that the boy had to suffer like that" he said honestly. "What Bayard did was murder, and that is not tolerated in my kingdom" he assured her. "I will have him recieve full punishment for the crime." Audric told her. He felt very guilty.

"No you won't," she said shaking her head a bit, shrugging her arm away from his hand. "The word of an enemy prisoner verses the word of all your men. Not one of them would testify against him. He killed an elf. What do they care? That is the point of your war is it not?"

He moved his arm back to his side. "For one, I am the King and I can do almost anything I want. Nobody will be given the chance to testify against him. Another thing is that this isnt my war, it was my father's war. He started it because your king insulted him in some way, not a very good reason, I know" Audric said. "Since your people killed my father, I have to keep going with the war or risk the safety of my people and the safety of my throne. I will protect both by whatever means necessary. And if that means continuing this war until my death or somehow we make peace, so be it."

"My king... insulted... you father..." she repeated slowly, looking shocked. "That is what you think? That my king INSULTED your father?!" That statement set her off. She rose to her feet then, looking down at him, anger in his eyes. "Your father started this war because the king of the elves refused to give one of his daughters to your father to take as his concubine! THAT is the "insult" you speak of! When the king would not turn her over to him, your father declared war on my people!"