Maelui heard Veassen open the door and it woke him slowly. Maelui opened his eyes and saw Veassen's silhouette enter the room and walk over to a basin. Something dripped off his slender hands and soon he washed whatever it was off his hands. Veassen's shirt and leggings Maelui heard hit the floor and Veassen opened a chest and got out something to sleep in: leggings made of a very soft material.
When Veassen sat down on the bed Maelui shut his eyes quickly. Veassen leaned over and gave Maelui a hard hit on his hip where the burnt V was. Maelui yelped.
"Sleep Maelui." Veassen ordered gruffly. "And don't hide it if you are awake." Veassen said as he slid his feet under the blankets, ignoring the little moan Maelui made when Veassen's feet gave him a kick.
The next morning Maelui awoke and got to work. First he dressed himself, and once dressed he looked at Veassen. Veassen was clutching a lock of black hair that was tied together with a piece of string. Maelui touched the piece of hair and attempted to pull it from Veassen's hand, but as soon as he made the smallest tug, Veassen sprang up and glared at Maelui, immediately smacking his slave across his face.
"Don't touch my possessions!" Veassen snarled. Maelui quivered back.
"I just…"
"You just WHAT?" Veassen asked, frowning, clutching the lock of hair tighter and closer.
"Well… I just was fascinated… I wanted to know what it was."
"It is hair, Maelui. You have hair, I do…"
"I know sir, I'm really sorry, just, and I wanted to know whose." Maelui whispered.
"That is my business and not yours!" Veassen snapped. "Now get to work or I will cut off all your hair." Veassen glared.
"Yes sir, sorry sir." Maelui rushed out of the room.
Veassen sat back down, still holding the hair, once Maelui was gone. Veassen shut his eyes as he squeezed the lock of hair. Veassen knew whose hair it was very well, he was little when he got it but the story he could remember, his father told it to him sometimes.
It had happened when Veassen last saw his mother and Locien together, the last time he was ever happy, the only time he had ever been happy. It was probably a bit after his and Locien's first birthday. Their mother had everything she needed and had not seen their father since the two learnt to walk.
They where happy, all three, and Ammoniel never expected to see her husband again and hoped not to. When their father did show up Ammoniel was not suspecting it and so when he wanted to grab and take both children Ammoniel had no time to save them.
Ammoniel grabbed only one, Locien. Veassen was being dragged away by his father, and he reached out for his twin brother. Veassen was crying out for Locien, screaming his twin brother's name, and he attempted to grab Locien. Veassen grabbed Locien's hair and did not manage to get away, but got a handful of hair.
The lock of hair Veassen held now was the very same hair he held as an elfling being taken away from his family. Veassen was not crying, he had not cried since he was an elfling, and he would not start now, but Veassen knew well that he was sad.
Veassen always reassured himself, he always reminded himself that what he did was right, and that what he did was normal. But Veassen knew that his life, at the moment, was useless and worthless. Veassen had never been to school and he lived in an isolated cave with no family. Veassen did not want to die this way, Veassen had chosen to take an elvish path not long after his father's death, but he could not live an immortal life alone. Veassen did consider capturing a lady elf, a maiden, not an already married elf.
Veassen really hated his life when it came down to it. Veassen would not mind having a wife, but he was a murderer, and he could not be loved. Veassen tried to change his thoughts right away before he cried.
Veassen was about to reassure himself but all his thoughts stopped when he heard Maelui screamed. Veassen realised Maelui must have saw Florien.
Veassen left his room, wrapping a housecoat around him as he did. Maelui was standing still, mouth gaping open as he looked at Florien's cell.
"Why are you not doing your tasks?" Veassen asked, pretending to take no notice to what Maelui looked at.
"Florien… What… What happened to him?" Maelui asked.
Florien lay on the floor to his prison, his blood spilt across the floor. Florien was badly hurt, marks all over his body and his tunic covered in blood.
"Oh, Florien? Well, I had a word with him, but he refused to answer." Veassen said.
"What did you ask him?" Maelui asked, looking at the young elf's hurt body.
"Well, I wished to know why the men did not buy any elf. He would not answer, but after a couple hours of torture Florien told me exactly what you said that made them leave." Maelui saw the anger and backed away quickly.
"Please, my lord, I'm sorry, I just could not watch them be taken away!" Maelui began to back away in worry, but Veassen approached him just as fast.
Maelui looked over at Florien. He was not sure how to feel about the young elf. Florien had told Veassen what he had done, and it was Florien's fault that now Veassen was furious, but Florien had also withstood hours of torture before he actually said anything. But thinking of Veassen, there were chances that that was all fake and that Florien was asleep with fake blood covering his body or that it was just a doll made to look like the red-haired elf.
Maelui slid beneath Veassen's arm and attempted to get to Florien's cell, planning to unlock it and see if the wounds where real. Before he could even touch the door to Florien's prison, Veassen had his arms around Maelui's waist and had pulled him away. Maelui gave up with no fight; Veassen was too strong for him.
Maelui was carried off and brought in front of the torture room's door, the same door Florien had been taken in by the night before. Veassen, before bringing in Maelui, shackled the elf's hands behind his head. Even though Veassen was the same age as Maelui, Maelui had lived with a poor family and Veassen had worked most of his life so Veassen had muscle and Maelui was much weaker.
Maelui began to shake and cry softly when Veassen reached over with one hand holding Maelui, opening the door to the torture room. Blood was on the walls, some old, but there was also new blood, Florien's blood.
Maelui cried as he was pushed into the room. Veassen took a quick look at all his devices but had a tough time decided on which would be best for his poor little slave. Veassen picked up one of his leather whips, one of the hardest, most painful ones at that, and forced Maelui up against the wall.
Maelui did not put up a fight; he knew it would turn out worse. Veassen raised the whip and Maelui trembled against the wall.
The whip fell, but not onto Maelui's back. Veassen had dropped the whip, purposely. Veassen put it away. Maelui turned his head to see what Veassen was doing, and Veassen saw that Maelui was looking at him.
"I have changed my mind." Veassen told Maelui, who was barely at ease at that, wondering now what would become of him.
Maelui's wrists where unshackled and he was taken away from the torture room. He was now a bit at ease, but still, anywhere in the cave Maelui knew Veassen was able to do harm to him.
Veassen unlocked Florien's cell. Florien still lay unconscious and did not move at all when the door was opened and Veassen grabbed Maelui by his shoulders.
"If you want to protect them so much then you can stay with one of them until further notice." Veassen forced Maelui inside, and because of his force he sent Maelui across the cell and nearly would have hit the floor headfirst if Florien had not been unconscious on the floor to break his fall. Veassen locked the cell and Florien woke up startled from the sudden impact. Florien moaned as Maelui attempted to get off of the wounded elf.
"I'll come see you later Maelui, though I cant promise you that I will be taking you out." Veassen said as he turned and left the room.
Maelui got off of Florien and crawled to the door of the cell. He wanted to be let out as soon as possible; he did not like the loss of freedom. Florien stayed in a corner and whimpered most of the day.
Maelui was mad at Florien, blaming Florien for being the cause of his own imprisoning, but Maelui had a better way of being angry at Florien that did not involve saying it/ Maelui ignored Florien when he wept and when Florien would scream because he had attempted to get a piece of glass out of his flesh.
Maelui finally turned around to see Florien later on. Florien had taken his tunic off and was trying to clean some of the cuts with a bit of water, and he was failing. Not only was he not able to reach the wounds but also he was not doing a proper job at washing them.
Maelui crawled over to Florien, seeing all the wounds better now. They where gruesome, but Maelui still could not sympathise for this elf had gotten him into trouble.
"Would you like my help?" Maelui asked. Florien looked at him sadly and nodded his head, turning around so Maelui could see his back properly.
Maelui tore a piece of his tunic off and dunked it in water, then used it to wash the cuts. As he washed he could feel the pieces of glass embedded in Florien's skin.
"You have glass stuck in your skin, how did this happen?" Maelui asked.
"V-Veassen th-threw a w-wine gl-glass a-at me…" Florien said in a shaky voice.
"Look, I have to get the glass out, alright? It will hurt you…" Maelui put his fingers on a piece of glass. "I'll do it fast." He added.
"Alright…"
Maelui pulled out the piece of glass, making Florien yelp. Maelui eventually had gotten each piece of glass out and left it on the floor before treating the wounds.
Once Florien was cleaned Maelui used his tunic to bound Florien's injured back. Turning Florien around, Maelui saw that Florien was crying.
"L-Locien… I'm n-never going to see m-my ada a-agin… Am I?" Florien asked softly as he cried.
"I don't know, Florien…" Maelui pulled Florien into his arms and felt horrible for him. Maelui cradled the red-haired elf and rocked him as Florien thought of Tonus and Yáviel.
To be continued… Aranna Undomiel: Well, it was a very pretty room. As for the torture room, well…Mistopurr: Veassen could not hurt his own twin that badly.
NuEvil: You where too late… But Florien appreciated the kiss.
Bberry06: Very nice guess Bberry, you got it!
Haldir's
Heart and Soul: Finally, someone hates him!
CapriceAnn: 34 days!