The male suddenly shouted when his body was abruptly tossed across the cave, making a reverberating impact with a nearby wall. Vines slithered out like snakes around his sides till they were practically strangling his body against the rocky wall. He released another scream that echoed throughout the cave when several thorns penetrated his skin. Gerda swallowed a lump in her throat; trembling as she stood up while cautiously looking around. She stilled when she caught sight of an enraged Borra with vivid, glowing yellow eyes and a vicious sneer on his face. She was somewhat relieved when she realized for the first time Borra's anger was not directed at her. Instead, it was aimed at the dark fey creature who was now focused on Borra with pleading eyes.
"Perhaps I should remove your hands since you clearly lack control of them. " Borra maliciously said with a growl.
"I just wanted to have a taste of what the human has to offer. Forgive me...i-it won't happen again." The horned fey carefully answered.
Borra then slowly approached him until he was several feet away. The entire cave was quiet as onlookers observed the scene unfolding before them. Gerda silently admired the effect Borra had on his people. Usually, only the king represented such an epitome of authority when it came to his subjects.
"So you took it upon yourself to forcefully have your way with her even after she slaughtered your people?" Borra calmly asked with an eerie tone.
"I swear that I only intended to threaten the human but her sweet scent lured me in and I–" The cowardly creature attempted to explain but Borra bluntly interjected.
"You are not permitted to lay a single hand upon her. She belongs to me and I do not like to share what is mine." Borra sharply commanded as if Gerda represented nothing more but property.
He then turned around to face the rest of the fey with his smoldering eyes intensely staring at them with an intimidating presence. She had yet to see him this vicious, which only made her wonder how many layers of anger he was capable of posessing.
"I'm warning each and every one of you...if I find that any sort of harm is afflicted upon this human, you will be punished. I will not allow you to contaminate yourselves by attempting to breedwith her either. Let's not forget that this filthy human committed unspeakable crimes against our people." Borra shouted both threatening and lecturing his people.
Gerda felt deeply offended by his description of her but also relieved knowing that she was not at risk of being ravished by the idiotic creatures. The fey then bowed their heads down in a submissive manner and without any protest began to slowly disperse. Borra motioned for his guards to take the male fairy with them, most likely to receive punishment. Once the cave was clear only Borra, Celtra, and Gerda were still occupying it. Borra then focused his attention on Celtra with anger in his eyes.
"Now where were you when the human was being touched by those fools?" Borra asked in a low rumbling voice.
"I-I was busy being entertained by Qin...I'm deeply sorry for not staying by her side." Celtra shakenly said in a tiny voice.
"I selected you to be in charge of her care but instead of doing your job you were preoccupied with other men. Next time this happens there will be consequences for disobeying my orders." Borra warned with narrowed hard eyes.
He then turned to Gerda and approached her with a cold expression. Once he stopped in front of her he reached out and tightly gripped her chin forcing her to look up at him. Her breathing quickened with her mind pondering on what he would do next.
"You made quite the fool out of me today...don't think I forgot about your little outburst earlier. Tomorrow expect to pay the consequences." Borra lowly said with a clenched jaw before briefly sniffing the air.
"Take her to her cell and heal her wounds...the smell of her human scent is making me sick." He said with a strange, animalistic glint in his golden eyes that slowly shifted into a deep amber.
He then harshly let go of her chin and flew out of the cave with some odd urgency. Gerda stared off into the distance as his body vanished into the night. She was rather curious about where he always leaves off to. She wondered where most of the fey went because clearly none stayed within the cave other than Celtra. Her mind continued on deep in thought as she followed Celtra through the familiar passages in the cave.
Perhaps there's more to their world that she had yet to explore. She was beginning to grow bored of being confined to her cell all day. If anything at some point it would drive her madder than she already was. She sighed in frustration once she entered her cell. Celtra then motioned for her to sit so that she could begin to heal her. A rather inquisitive thought came to mind when she thought about what the disgusting male fairy said about her earlier. It was strange how he reacted more predatory after inhaling her scent which almost resulted in her being ravished.
"What did that vile creature mean when he spoke of my scent earlier? I was under the impresson that your kind found the smell of humans to be repulsive." Gerda asked, somewhat anxious to get an answer.
There was a brief moment of silence as Celtra kept her attention on Gerda's wounds. It was as if she was gathering her words or debating on whether she should answer the question. She then sighed and finally spoke.
"Well...us fey have heightened senses compared to humans. He could smell that your body is going through its heat cycle and that you are highly fertile. Most fey mate around that time and if they are an imprinted pair they might produce offspring though it's very rare." Celtra responded while focusing on healing Gerda's cuts as a distraction.
"Our kind typically find the smell of humans to be quite plain and highly unappealing. Though to the surprise of many, your scent is very captivating." She continued with her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Oh." Gerda simply muttered feeling both baffled and vulnerable by what she learned.
She had no idea that her body was currently going through such a phase because she felt no different than how she felt when she first arrived. It was all intrusive to know that the fey was capable of sensing the changes in her body. She desperately wanted to stay within her cell until her body was done but knew it was impossible.
Borra stated that she had consequences for her behavior which meant she more than likely will be forced to exit her cell tomorrow. Despite it all, she felt much safer after he demanded that none of his men lay their hands on her. For that she was grateful. Celtra left shortly after she finished healing her and only then did Gerda fall asleep.
"Finn! Where are you Finn?" A young girl with burning orange hair called out as she ventured into an open field with tall, fading grass.
She searched around until she heard the sound of a young familiar boy crying by a tree. Her feet quickened their pace towards the sound. Of course, he must've once again gotten himself into trouble per usual.
"I'm over here Gerda...I had fallen from the tree." The small boy yelled out in a shaky voice.
A young Gerda sighed once she reached him preparing to either scold or help him. She noticed her young brother sitting on the ground cradling his ankle indicating that he injured it from his fall. She instantly ran over and wrapped her arms around him in a protective manner.
"Are you hurt? What happened?" Gerda asked, feeling guilty for not keeping a proper eye on her baby brother.
"I tried climbing the tree pretending to be a bird and fell. Please don't tell mother, she will be very angry if she finds out I once again hurt myself." Finn pleaded but Gerda knew she would have no choice but to tell their mother though she would be the one to blame.
"I won't...but you have to be careful Finn. You could've gotten yourself killed!" Gerda said feeling terrified at the thought of losing her little brother.
"Sorry Gerda, I will be more careful." Finn sadly said with downcast eyes.
"It's okay, I promise to always protect you no matter what." Gerda said feeling guilty for raising her voice at him.
Gerda was rudely awoken by the sound of Celtra loudly opening and closing her door. She wondered if such a manner like knocking existed among their kind or perhaps they were too primitive for manners. Gerda noticed that the sky was the color of mulberries indicating that it was far too early to be up.
"I'm sure you're aware of why I'm here this early in the morning." Celtra tiredly said.
Gerda rolled her eyes and forced herself to sit up on her bed while suppressing a yawn. She brushed her teeth followed by bathing and combing her hair. It was questionable as to why Borra had her bathe so often but she just assumed that he wanted to remove as much human scent off her as possible. If only it had worked yesterday because apparently, the male fey were disturbingly entralled by her scent. She had the urge to somehow thank him for ironically saving her with his strict rules he had set in place for his people. Had he not been there in time she might've endured the worst scenario.
"Time to head down." Celtra said after Gerda's hair was thoroughly combed.
Gerda silently followed behind Celtra feeling fatigued from being woken up so early in the day. The passages and tunnels they took were very similar to the ones from yesterday; an indication that they most likely were returning to the same cavern. A sigh of irritation escaped her lips when she noticed the mess laid out before her. She quickly figured out what the purpose of her return was.
"You are instructed to clean up the mess left behind by the others. Once finished there might be more duties for you to complete." Celtra said, gesturing towards the mess.
"So I'm assuming my entire day will be spent here? Perhaps I should simply say no and refuse to do anything he says." Gerda replied with stubbornness and narrowed eyes.
"You do that and I could almost promise you'll receive a far worse punishment than this. Borra is allowing you out of your cell for once. I advise that you prove to him you're capable of following his orders. Don't disappoint him." Celtra said before heading to a chair in the corner and sitting down.
Gerda thought over her words and realized that this might be one way of earning his trust. If she shows that she's an obedient slave then perhaps over time he might allow her some freedom. She was eager to see what lies beyond the cave; it had been a while since she walked on grass let alone spoken to a human. Instead, she was locked away with the comfort of beasts and stale bread as company.
She immediately started cleaning up the scattered mess around her while pondering over how life used to be back when she had power over those beneath her. Her heart tugged when she realized how much she deeply missed her old life. Now she was held prisoner by a grosteque, hideous looking creature who was clearly far stronger than her. He could easily snap her neck or even hunt her down for sport. Judging by his unsightly appearance, his skin carried the resemblance of scales yet substantial as marble. His wings alone were sharper than the tip of any blade she had crafted. He was indestructible in comparison to her pathetic small form.
She continued on with her work till the sun slowly started rising from the distance. The sight alone was enough to leave her staring in somewhat awe at the natural beauty. Her blue eyes were memorized watching the rays work their way toward her decorating the sky with pinks and purples. Her usual red hair brightened into the shade of ripe tangerines once the sun reached it. After a while of gazing at the scenery, she finally pulled her eyes away and focused on the tasks that was assigned for her. Within the next hour or two her stomach began to grumble. Her brows crinkled together when her stomach started to feel more like an empty pit.
"I'll let the guards know to fetch us some breakfast." Celtra tiredly said as she stood from her chair and headed out of the cave.
Gerda's instincts took over and she quickly searched the cave for any sort of object she could make a weapon out of. She searched until she grew frustrated when nothing showed up. Her eyes then landed on the vines that Borra created when he pinned the creature on the wall. She darted over to them and was full of glee when she noticed they contained sharp long thorns on them.
Her teeth gritted together in frustration when she struggled to pull one off due to how secure it was on the vine. Gerda desperately glanced around until she noticed a hand-sized rock nearby on the floor. Without another thought, she snatched it up and began smashing it against the thorn until it cracked off. She currently had nothing to conceal it in so decided it was wise to hide it somewhere in the cavern until she crafted some type of holster to store it in. She tucked it in a small crevice on the floor that no one would think of looking.
She swiftly went back to where she was standing when she heard the sound of footsteps. Several seconds later Celtra appeared with another female behind her. The new fairy seemed a bit bulky in size with light brown wings and auburn hair. Despite her size, the horns on her head were quite small.
She openly glared at Gerda as she set down two bowls of food on a table. Celtra followed after by setting down two mugs beside them. The creature left shortly after, not bothering to say a single word. Celtra then motioned for Gerda to join her at the table. They ate in peace until Gerda decided to break the silence.
"So I take it there's a kitchen here. Is that all this cave contains besides this cavern and my cell?" Gerda asked with hopes of receiving a straight answer so that she had more information that would aide in her escape plans.
Celtra studied Gerda for several seconds almost as if she was debating on answering or ignoring the question. Gerda kept her expression blank hoping to appear like she was asking a simple innocent question with no hidden motives. Her hands picked apart her bread and proceeded to dump the piece into her bowl of soup.
"Yes. However, they are heavily guarded along with every other exit and entry to this cave." Celtra responded almost as if she was warning Gerda.
Gerda simply nodded her head as she chewed her food while masking her irritation at the answer she received. Somewhere in this cave had to be an unguarded exit. Otherwise, she would have to be more creative and go over other ideas of escaping. Borra clearly underestimated her when it came to locating some form of a weapon. She noticed how the thorns penetrated the male creature yesterday so perhaps it was capable of doing the same to Borra.
"What are your thoughts of my people and our ways? I'm sure you have quite the opinion after yesterday's events." Celtra unexpectedly asked causing Gerda to briefly falter with confusion.
"Why do you care about my opinion in regards to your kind? You know my answer judging by the supposed horrific crimesI committed against your people. Yesterday's events only proved what your kind truly are. Savages." Gerda hissed with narrowed eyes as she pondered over the treatment she endured since becoming Borra's slave.
"Would a savage keep his slave well fed, bathed, and protected? We differ from your kind in many ways and interaction is one of them. I apologize for the behavior that you received after I left you unattended. I'm sure Borra has had him punished by now. Our kind typically despises the idea of laying with a human but your scent sparked their interest ." Celtra replied with her hands tearing apart a piece of bread.
"You expect me to believe that my scent is the cause of almost being defiled by that beast yesterday? There are enough women for him to fulfill his needs so I find his lack of self-control inexcusable." Gerda quickly retorted with a glare.
"We have plenty of beautiful women but none of that beauty matters if they can't ensure offspring. It's nearly impossible for us to reproduce unless under perfect conditions, which explains our low numbers." Celtra informed her with serious eyes.
"What does any of this have to do with me?" Gerda asked with an irritated expression.
Celtra studied Gerda for a brief moment before sighing and setting her cup down on the table. She then glanced around the room with her eyes landing on the dirty floor. It was clear that she was not going to answer Gerda's question.
"It's time you get back to work." Celtra stated as she signaled for the guard to take their plates and cups.
Gerda stood up giving Celtra a final glance before heading back to sweeping. She was fortunate that was all she had left to do which meant she might have a chance to rest. After some time she had finished sweeping the entire cave and with a sigh of relief, she turned to face Celtra.
"Is there any more tasks that I'm assigned to do?" Gerda asked with a hint of impatience.
Just as Celtra was about to answer her eyes suddenly focused on something off in the distance behind Gerda. She immediately stood up from her chair and folded her hands behind her back in an obedient manner. Gerda clenched her fists when she had an idea of who exactly it might be that caused a change in her companions behavior. She turned around to face the opening of the cave and spotted a familiar set of large tanned wings gliding towards them.