Captured

Chapter One

"Your much too impatient Leif. The power must gather a little in your hands before you realize it." Laughed High Elf Deedlit. She was training her young apprentice in the cover of the woods, looking at nature and pulling their own power from it. "Take a deep breath."

Leif frowned and breathed in deep.

"Your still much too tense. They will only come if you are calm and peaceful." As if to prove her point Deed splayed her hands and a gust of wind blew right by blowing her long blond hair, and teasing them around her pointed ears. "You must be calm or the sprites won't come."

Her apprentice narrowed her eyes. "I'm trying Deed, but I simply can't do it. You know I'm not the best at magic like the others. Why did you choose me, I'm no good."

Deed put her hand on her pupil's head. "I chose you because your strong willed, and you don't give up. Although you've proven me wrong just today. Just give it a try...no wait...lets try this. Think about something that calms you, it can be something your mother sang to you as a young child, or it can simply be a good memory. Linger on it."

Leif did just that. Her shoulders relaxed and Deed grinned.

"Good. Now, what I want you to do is will the wind sprites to come."

Leif thought hard, she felt little feet brush up against her out spread palm. Suddenly she threw out her hands and opened her eyes and saw that the canopy of a tree overhead bristle with the new breeze. "I did it Deed!!!" She threw her arms around her master and smiled. "I really did it. I made the wind blow."

She twirled about her tunic rising a bit. She fell to the ground her back landing upon the soft green moss. "Do you do the same thing to move water, or earth?"

Deed nodded. "Thats the way. See your getting better already." She joined Leif on the moss and put her hands under her head. "Soon you will be stronger than even I."

The girl propped herself up on her arms. "Your kidding right? I mean your the strongest one in our Village." She began picking at the moss and flinched when she saw a fairy come out of the greenery. "I'm still not used to seeing those things pop out everywhere. My magic abilities only started."

"Believe it or not, you are a lot stronger than I was when I was your age." She grinned when Leif gave her a surprised look. "I was chosen by Master Needen to be his apprentice. My parents were shocked because I showed the least bit of strength in the entire village but after some time the old grumpy elf actually made me stronger. As I will teach you."

White fluffy clouds floated over head and the two remained there enjoying the solemn quietness of the forest. Finally after a moment Leif spoke up. "Do you really think I will be a good High Elf? Because so far I haven't been doing so well."

"Only one week Leif. Its only been one week and your already judging yourself." Deed grinned. "Don't be so hard on yourself. In due time you will get stronger, and we will get off the basics. Why I learned about the sprites when I was twice your age. Believe me the basics last for a good long time." She held up her palm and watched as a fairy pranced about on her palm. The tiny creature's head turned suddenly and Deedlit looked up. "Somethings happening."

"What do you mean?" Leif asked standing up. She brushed moss off her leggings and boots and watched as Deed rose out of the bed of moss becoming more alert by the second. "Whats happening?"

"Come on!!" Deedlit started running off into the forest, she ran faster than Leif had ever seen her and Leif struggled to keep up with her teacher. They dodged trees and went this way and that. Deedlit did not slow down in the least keeping the lead her hand remaining slightly on the hilt of her sword as if expecting trouble to leap out of a bush and attack then and there. It frightened Leif. She had never quite seen her teacher act so frantic before. Always Deed had a cool head.

They burst into their village in time to see some of the homes on fire. Elves ran in all directions avoiding the attacking men.

Deed grinded her teeth. "Slavers."

"What?" Leif watched frightened as an elder was struck down by one of the men's swords. "What are Slavers."

"Bad news." Deed told her apprentice. "Now stay hidden in the trees. You're too young to do battle." Deed raced off down the hill and drew her sword out of the hilt. She struck one of the men in the neck and a burst of blood sprayed from his half cut off head. Deed continued to ravage the troops and Leif watched amazed.

She hadn't known that Deed could do that. She had only seen Deedlit's beautiful face framed by calmness, and fairy light.

"Well what do we have here?" A voice came from behind her.

Deed raced through the village after a second and did a double take when she saw that everyone had been gathered and no one left

Leif spun around and found a human standing over her.

"Your a pretty little elf. Probably will catch more than a few thousand."

"Duck Leif."

Leif instinctively ducked down and Deed's sword flew above her head landing right in the heart of the man. He slumped over and Leif's gaze turned to her Master's arm. "Your arm's bleeding." It had a jagged cut that was dangerously deep, and her once forest green attire was now crimson and stank of blood.

"Let one of the scum bags get a slice of me. Come Leif. They have gathered the village already, if we stay we will be taken too, like lambs to slaughter." Deed and Leif took off into the trees. Deed held her sword in her right hand the blade was poised and ready if anything happened.

"Whats going on? What are slavers?" Leif asked

"They're men who steal elves from villages and force them to work. Basically you become a slave which means you become someones property." Deed told her pupil without bothering to stop running. "Its really bad to be taken by them. Some elves don't even live that long while living with the humans."

Leif was confused. "I thought you said humans were kind creatures, and that we could trust them."

"They are. Its just like with our village compared to dark elves. Think about it, are all elves evil creatures?"

"No. Just the dark elves."

"Its the same way, there are good people and bad people."

The small elf nodded and picked up the speed, noticing that her teacher was slightly faltering. Finally her legs buckled and she fell to her knees clutching her arm. She swayed a bit and swatted at the air pushing Leif forward. "Keep going."

Leif stopped. "No! I'm not leaving you!" She screeched when Deed threw a hand out and shoved Leif's head down. An arrow whizzed above her head missing it by inches. She picked her head back up in time to see men crashing through the trees.

"Hold your arrows. We can't sell something thats dead, besides the taller one has had too much blood loss to fight." The obvious leader stated making his way through the brush.

"What about the smaller one."

"But an infant." He grinned showing yellow stained teeth. "She couldn't hurt anything, her powers most likely have just popped up."

He came up towards them and lifted up Deed's drooped down head. "High elf, this one will rack a lot of money. She's a beauty and the strongest one that I've collected."

"How did you know she's a high elf?" Leif asked pushing his hand away. She flinched as his beady eyes raked across her undeveloped body.

"I've collected for a long time. Every time we kill the High elf and its apprentice because they fight too hard. Luckily we only wounded her this time. The reason I knew is because of the band you and your master wear across your forehead. Its the official symbol in any village." His men came forward, one even an elf. The elf picked up Deed and clicked his tongue inspecting the wounds.

"Very deep. Could kill her. You must place her in the back cart separate from the rest." The elf told the man. The man looked into his scarred partners face and nodded. He jerked his head toward Leif as well then walked off through the trees. "He means for you to come with me as well. You two together will fetch a generous price."

Leif glared at the elf. "Why do you help them?"

"They promised that they will leave my village alone if a strong elven man helped attack other villages. My family is there in the village so I had to offer." He nodded sadly. "I am sorry." He started walking through the trees and Leif followed at his heels.

"Where are we going?" Leif asked.

The elf grunted. "Our destination will only be four hours away. But you wont be sold on the block with the rest. The Master has plans of his own for you two."

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Parn frowned. "Ok, ok, practice is over." He bent down his armor weighing him down. Resting his hands on his knees he looked up at his young partner. "I swear you have a lot more energy than I have." He watched amused as Spark danced around.

"What it's over already?" Spark frowned breathing heavily. He sheathed his sword and looked at Pan. "And your supposed to be he hero from the last war." He chuckled and plopped down on the ground of the tent. He watched as Parn walked wearily over to his desk and sat down flipping through tactic papers.

"Free Knight Parn!" Came a cry.

"You can't come this way sir."

"But I must speak to the Free Knight Parn."

Parn sighed. "Tell the men they can let the man through."

Spark looked up surprised. "But you don't know who the man is. It could be the enemy."

"I know him by his voice but he is no villain. Let him through."

Spark stuck his head out the tent flap. "You can let the man through." The men grudgingly let the man go. He was bald and wore two stubby short swords at his waist. He motioned for the wagon to come forward and the horses struggled to push it forward.

The man himself presented himself alone in the tent. "Lord Parn, do I have an offer for you." He grinned and flourished his hands.

"Didn't I tell you Adolt that I was not interested in owning a slave." Parn said calmly. "And yet you persist that I need a lovely bed mate, and the extra slaves for the force. I'm not interested."

"Well what I have with me can actually be useful. Not only for bed, but tactical wise for your little war against Marmo."

Parn looked up. "What is it?"

The man's watery eyes widened, and he gave a nasty yellow tooth grin. He rushed to the tent flap and disapeared through it and returned with a large elf carrying something limp, and dragging something behind with a small rope. In his arm he held a beautiful young elf, her long blond hair scraped the ground and her cloths were crimson with blood, obviously her own. Following on the trail of rope around her waist, came a younger elf but not quite as formed, she had crimson on herself but probably from the elder elf.

"I show you a high elf. Just taken hours ago from her village. Obviously she is fully trained, and she has taken on a young, new apprentice." He waved his hand over the two girls. "Not only is she strong and powerful she also has great beauty, nice good bed mate if thats what you desire."

Parn actually looked over, his eyes caught on the elf. His mind seemed to be turning the facts in his head, probably thinking that a high elf would help. "Very rare catch. Don't you usually kill the high elves during the short resistance?"

Adolt grinned. "That is true."

"The woman's condition troubles me. That is quite a lot of blood staining her cloths and even her own apprentice, and the only healing it seems you did was tie a dirty rag about the wound." Parn said standing up and placing his hands on the makeshift desk.

"Well Lord Parn, surely you have a healer. She could become healed by your own grace." The man's grin grew wider. He knew he had snagged Parn in a trap. Either he could send Adolt away and let the high elf die, or pay the amount.

The smaller elf struggled a little and finally lifted her eyes a fraction from the ground.

Parn gave a grunt. "How much?"

"Thirty gold pieces." Adolt said with a grin that went all the way across his face.

Grumbling Parn reached underneath his desk and dragged out a purse. He counted out thirty pieces and dumped them in a bag that Adolt had produced quite quickly from under his shirt.

The slaver bared his yellow teeth, bouncing the pouch in his hands, he grinned, if possible, even wider when he heard the gold jingle about in his purse. "Where would you like her." No one in the tent may like him but he was thirty gold pieces richer. And boy did he know what he was going to use that gold for.

Parn came forward and held out his arms. The big elf set the high elf gently in his arms, in a ceremonious fashion, and turned to follow his master out the tent. He dropped his grip on the length of rope and was gone with only the tent flap moving as proof they were ever really there. All three stood silently listening to the wheels of the wagon drive off.

"Damn Adolt knows me too well." Parn said gritting his teeth. He set the high elf on the small cot in the corner. He took the rag off from around the elf's wound and grimaced. He turned to Spark, who had remained silent this whole while. "Go get Etoh. Tell him that I need him now, and theres no time."

Spark nodded and after a glance at the elf, and was gone.

Parn dragged over a bucket of water, that had been placed not too far away from his desk. A damp, clean rag (possibly for his own wash) sat on the edge of the bucket, and he dipped it into the bucket, and wrung out the cloth before wiping it along her arms, cleaning the blood off from around her wound. He used careful, gentle movements, and Leif only observed as he dipped the rag back in and left it in the water. He stood up and pulled off his armor and set it down. He made his way over to Leif, who immediately grew fearful as he drew out a knife from his belt.

The knife was inches away from her stomach, and then all she felt was the rope around her waist fall.

"Sorry if I scared you, but I didn't think you would like to have that rope about you any longer. He put the knife away and bent back down at the cot, much more comfortably without the armor. He drew the rag out of the water again and started washing the high elf. "So do you two have names, or did Adolt have to give you some?"

"Wh- What?" Leif sputtered.

"Oh good! I was afraid you couldn't speak." Parn turned and smiled kindly at her. "I asked what your names are."

"Leif..." She finally stated after a long while of thinking.

He looked back down. "What a lovely name. And what of you friends?"

"What?"

"Your friends name."

Leif kicked at the ground awkwardly. "Oh...Deedlit."

"Lovely. Deedlit." He dragged her name out longer than most would, and when he uttered it, it sounded more like a purr. "Two lovely elves with two lovely names. What a lucky man am I."

She strayed a little closer. "Is she ok?"

Parn looked over, and Leif examined his eyes. They were kind. They were both of the deepest brown, and if you looked into them you felt as if you could tell this person anything, and he wouldn't utter a word or betray your trust. "Is she ok?" Leif repeated with a gulp.

"She'll be fine once Etoh comes." Parn said. He glanced at the flap impatiently. "If he ever does come."

"Who...who are you?" Leif asked. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and sat down on the ground next to Parn using the water to wipe off some blood that had gotten on herself. "And why are you being so kind?"

He grinned. "I'm the rare kind of human that actually is good."

"If you call rushing a priest around." Came a voice outside. The tent flap moved a little and a chubby face came in the way. Dark hair brushed downward into his eyes, and the man wore white priestly robes. The second man at his side wore brown robes, and carried a twisted staff. Leif could feel strong magic within both of them.

"I have an injured elf in here." Parn said. "Only your magic can heal her. Slayn, you don't have to help if you don't want to."

Slayn nodded, and both went over to the cot and looked down at the elf. "You actually bought two slaves!"

"It was either have the one perish, or pay the price." Parn shrugged rising to his feet. "I'll show Lief here a bathing place, and get her a change of cloths, as well as a pair for the elder."

The two nodded and Parn placed a hand on Leif's shoulder. "She'll be fine here, why don't we get you cleaned up and into some clean cloths."

She nodded reluctantly and allowed herself to be lead outside.

(A/N: Ok, what do you think. If this should not continue say the word and it wont!!!)