Saevel woke to the faint taste of copper in his mouth. Running his tongue alongside the top row of his teeth, he came in contact with a sticky dried mess. He opened his eyes to find that he was lying in a pile of straw, which was what his blood had dried on. He could tell from the smell that it wasn't fresh and he shoved himself up to get a fresh breath of air. He felt his wings brush up against something above him as he rose and glanced up. He was horrified to find that he was in a cage on a wagon. He sat down and curled his legs up so he could clutch them to his chest with both arms before his body started quivering in terror. There are few things an Avariel fears more then a cage. He could hear orcs all around him shouting in their brutal language and realized he was a prisoner. Suddenly, some of the straw in the corner started moving and Saevel whipped his head around in fear.
Instead of the orc he expected, Saevel saw a woman's head rise up and look at him in surprise. She had golden blonde hair, emerald green eyes, and lightly bronzed skin. For someone who had been lying in a pile of straw for who-knows-how-long she looked amazing. Saevel's jaw dropped at her beauty and he felt himself blush. She noticed his blushing and averted her eyes, her cheeks deepening as well. As she finished crawling out from under the straw, Saevel saw she was wearing a suit of finely made Elven leather that molded itself to her body like a second skin, making him turn an even deeper shade of red.
"I see you're awake," she said nervously, "I was afraid your injuries were too great for you to survive."
Saevel glanced down and saw that his robes were ripped in several places and he could feel sore parts all over his body. He carefully felt his wings and was overjoyed to find they had suffered no damage.
"How long have I been unconscious?" he asked.
"Two days," she replied softly, turning her head to look at him again.
"And how long have you been here?"
"A week… I was captured while traveling through Damara. There were too many orcs for me to fight," she said angrily.
"Where are you from, and what's your name if you don't mind my asking?" Saevel asked.
She nervously bushed a hand through her hair, and Saevel's keen eyes barely glimpsed a pointy ear hidden beneath it.
"She's an elf too!" he thought excitedly.
"My name is Vestele Amalith, I'm a sun elf from Evermeet," Vestele said shyly, speaking in Elven.
"Evermeet!" Saevel exclaimed in shock, also speaking in Elven now, "The sacred elven isle? Why are you so far from home?"
"I was on my way to the Aerie, bringing a message to your people inviting them to come live with us. We seek for all the elven races to be united once more. I was sent as a messenger because of my… sneaking abilities," Vestele replied.
"Sneaking abilities?"
"I'm a rogue," she said, slightly embarrassed. "Both my parents are wizards along with all my ancestors but I never found magic to be interesting. The daring involved in picking locks and disabling traps excited me since I first head stories of famous rogues. My parents call it thievery, which is why I was so glad to get away from them, I hate that word. I don't steal, I acquire," she finished mischievously.
Saevel raised his eyebrows slightly and let out a slight chuckle before telling Vestele all about himself.
"My parents must think I'm dead," Saevel finished miserably, a tear trickling down the side of his face.
"Don't worry! Together I'm sure we can escape these stupid orcs, you're a wizard right?"
"Yah, I am. Are you serious about escape? Think we really could do it?" Saevel responded energetically.
"Sure we could! You just blast out some fancy spells, take care of these bars, and then fly me away!" Vestele said excitedly.
"I have to memorize my spells from my spellbook every morning, surely you know that with wizards as parents," Saevel said in confusion. "Besides… even if I did have my spellbook I'm afraid I don't have any powerful spells that would help us," he said, ashamed.
"I wish I could impress you by getting us out of here, Vestele, but I can't" he thought dejectedly.
"Oh," she said quietly, "I'm sorry I forgot… Your spellbook is in the wagon ahead of us… looks like were gonna have to go wherever they're taking us."
"Looking back, the wagons weren't actually heading for the Aerie," Saevel said, thinking back to the day he was captured. "They were headed southeast… Where do you think they could they be taking us?"
"I have my suspicions," Vestele said, leaning closer so she could whisper into his ear. "You see the black tattoo of a demons head wreathed in flames on that orcs shoulder?" she asked, pointing subtly at an orc walking alongside their cage.
"Thay!" Saevel gasped in horror, recognizing the sigil on sight.
"Exactly, I see you've heard of them. They are evil wizards who use their powers to control an entire nation with slaves to do their busywork. When we arrive they will put you in a cage and study you until you die. Avariel are rare and they won't let an opportunity to study one slip by. As for me… all I can expect is to be used as a sex slave," she finished in a soft moan of despair.
"No Vestele! Together we will manage to escape somehow!"
Before he could continue, however, the orc walking next to the cage growled and smashed its ax into the cage bars.
"Lnet ep ltepad yszyl! Ri tosk ar mogy! Cy met ijj phyttu vargl aj uie ri lnet ep!" it shouted out in Orc.
"You don't happen to speak Orc do you, Saevel?" Vestele asked hopefully.
"Actually I do, I'm not sure, but I think he said, 'Shut up stupid elves! No talk in cage! Me cut off pretty wings if you no shut up!' Maybe we should stop talking and just enjoy the view…"
The two of them settled down on the opposite side of the cage from their guard and stared out in the direction they were heading, each trying to figure out where they were. An owl flew overhead, its wings gently beating the air. Saevel smiled sadly and wished that he were free to spread his wings like the owl. The cool night air's fresh smell was ruined by the scent of the torches the orcs lit to allow them to travel through the night. They kept occasionally glancing at each other nervously and blushing when they saw the other person looking. At one point, Saevel stretched out his wings as much as the cage would allow and accidentally brushed them against Vestele's shoulder. She jumped slightly at the soft touch and let out a small squeak, scooting back a little in surprise. Saevel blushed and quickly withdrew his wings, folding them behind him again.
As night fell the two elves scooted closer and started whispering in Elven again.
"Did you see the woods on the horizon ahead?" Saevel asked.
"No… I didn't…" Vestele said in surprise. "You must have really strong eye sight!"
Saevel smiled at the complement before continuing. "Since we've been heading southeast for three days now I think that forest might be the Forest of Lethyr. Supposedly there is a large druidic conclave that lives in that forest. Perhaps if we are lucky they will ambush the orcs and free us!" he said happily.
Vestele smiled at his cheerfulness and gently patted his shoulder before walking over to the middle of the cage and settling down to sleep. Saevel decided that he too wanted to stay away from the edges while asleep, so he quietly lay down next to her, being careful not to brush into her again. He could tell that she was already asleep by her slow breaths, and he allowed himself to gaze upon her face.
"So beautiful…" he thought.
He noticed she was shivering slightly from the cold night air and gently draped one of his wings over her before falling asleep as well.
A/N: I love where this fic is heading :) I got the Orc language from doing a double encryption of Al Bhed, a language from Final Fantasy games. So it's sorta mine and sorta not :) I hope your enjoying the story, please respond if you are so I can know!
