Trigger warning!! ⚠️gore, blood, and fighting⚠️
Soobin and (Y/N) exited the room, being led by the kings servants. As the hall turned to an open area, the rogues eyes wandered. She looked through the elven kingdom that was so open, and something caught her eye. The dungeon cells. She couldn't see all of her group members, but she could see Yeonjun. She was sure Yeonjun had not seen her though. Yeonjun had been put in similar garments to Soobin, save the colour. Whilst Soobin was dressed in white, Yeonjun was dressed in a blood red that was accentuated with gold.
Soon, she could see the dungeons no more as they were led to the kings quarters. The large doors were pushed open and there stood the king, looking regal as ever in his fancy garments.
"Ahh. I told them that the gown would be too simple," he hummed as he looked over the rogue.
"Too simple?" Soobin asked, turning to look at the gown once again, wondering if his eyes had deceived him.
"I suppose it is too late to begin a new garment. That one will suffice," he sighed, as if the garment was a tragedy.
"What is the meaning of your kindness?" The rogue asked immediately. She wished for an answer to the question she'd had ever since she met the elven king.
"Your entire lives, you've been greeted with suffering and exile. Not only humans, but elves too have been nothing but cruel, showing you swords and pitchforks rather than warm welcomes. I wish to show you two half elves the hospitality that you have never been shown before." As the elven king explained, a warm hospitable smile made its way on his face. One that the two had never seen before.
"Truly?" Soobin asked, breathlessly.
The warm smile that had previously adorned the elven kings face had dropped in an instant and it was replaced with a sneer of resentment, and his eyes that seemed to previously look at them with pity, had turned to a cold glare.
"No. You see, a mere blink ago, I knew a pair of elves who had been brought to me. My men told me that they were fraternizing with humans. Now, imagine my disbelief when I was told of two half blood children were on the way," the king sighed, his voice growing colder with each word. "Never before had the world seen half elves. And never again will they see them. You see, since I cannot remove the human from you, I will strip you of any elven heritage you still have," the king smiled as he moved closer to the two. "It seems you have already begun." He drew close to Soobin, bringing a hand up to his short hair, moving it down to the point of his jewelled ears.
"My men have been looking for the two of you for a long time. I suppose it was fate that you accidentally crossed into these lands," the king smiled smugly.
"What is the point of giving us lavish rooms and beautiful elven garments if you wish to strip us of our heritage?!" The rogue asked, beginning to move forward. Her hands were grabbed and restrained behind her by an elf she hadn't noticed standing by the door.
"I'm going to make a show out of it, darling. I've invited every elf in my kingdom with promise of a show. Certainly you know of elven resentment towards you. Before that wretched king of Eboncross arrives for his fool of a son, I will allow those in my kingdom to rejoice as you are stripped of that which makes you an elf. They shall celebrate and listen to your cries of pain as we cut off those nubs you call points," he sneered. "Those lovely braids of yours will be cut off, and then we will strip you of your height. You shall be cut out of those ridiculous garments and humiliated. It is all very simple. We merely wish to erase the weakness of those who have created you." His voice was cold as he spat these insults and told them of his future plans. "Let us not forget of your knowledge of Sindarin. You shall soon forget how to speak in our tongue. Guards, take them to the dungeon."
Soobin was seized and the guards led them through the open areas into the dungeons. This allowed them to look around the area more. Nothing in particular caught their eye until the rogue spotted a set of keys dangling from a hook at the entrance of the cellar. (Y/N) took a deep breath and began to mumble and invisibility spell under her breath. Surprised at the apparent disappearance of the half elf he had been restraining, the guard removed his hands from her wrists. The rogue began to run for the keys, moving as silently as possibly, confident that she could not be seen, but her arms were soon seized again and she was held tighter than before.
"You are nothing but a conjurer of cheap tricks. An invisibility spell is nothing," the guard spat. His eyes glowed a brilliant blue, allowing the rogue to realize he used a cantrip to detect magic to find her.
She, along with Soobin, was shoved in a cell right next to those of the others who were in their company.
"Why have you been brought here?" Taehyun asked, once the guards were long gone.
"That bastard of a king plans to torture us," the rogue growled, still not visible from the cell bars. The spell would wear off eventually, but for now, she would remain invisible.
"We must find a way out. They plan to begin before the company of Eboncross reaches these lands," Soobin told them. He was greeted with silence.
"These are no poorly made dungeons. There is no way out, not even magic itself could get us out. We must wait until we are let out. I have a plan. I will not discuss it here but you must trust me," Taehyun answered.
"You have my trust," the rogue told him. It was followed by a chorus of agreement from the others in the dungeon.
The cells were made of dirt and reinforced with stone and some sort of magic. The metal bars seemed old and worn with time. Taehyun was definitely right. There was no escape from such dungeons.
It felt as if they were only in there for moments before they were let out. Guards once again restrained them, the rogue now visible again, and brought them back into the open area, through a hall which they'd never seen before, and into a large open room. It was brightly lit and in it were hundreds, maybe thousands, of elves, all in their fanciest garb, waiting for the show that the king had planned.
Not only the two half elves were brought, but all of the company was brought. The hall room was a change of scenery. It was brighter than the dark dungeons. The guards who led the other four had released them but were sure to stay close. This was not the case for Soobin and (Y/N). They were brought to a small incline, on which the king stood, his robes fit for a king.
"My citizens!" He called, his voice carrying, silencing the crowd. He began to speak of the past, bringing up the two elves who had the audacity to fraternize with humans. It was a speech that the two half elves wished not to listen to. They looked to their company in the crowd and they seemed to listen to the story with horror. The two half elves were then presented to the crowd who began to whisper horrible insults.
"It is now time for them to be stripped of what makes them elvish," the king sneered, holding out his hand to a guard. Into his hand, the guard placed an extravagant hand knife made of a precious and pure metal, the handle marbled with gold. The restraints left the rangers hands as he was brought to the centre, right in front of the king. The knife was brought to his jewelled ear.
"Me first!" The rogue yelled from the side, straining her voice in panic.
The king blinked slowly in surprise as he looked to the rogue that struggled in his guards hold.
"Very well then," he said, releasing Soobin back to the guards care. "Who am I to deny such a valiant request?" He chuckled as (Y/N) was brought into his hands. Soobin watched in horror, unable to offer himself again out of fear. He wished to do the same thing the rogue had done, but the feel of the cold metal against his sensitive ear had caught the words in his throat and choked them back.
The king took his knife and began to run his hands through the rogues smooth, braided hair. A comfortable smile made its way to his face as he grabbed a chunk of her hair and cut it off, just below the shoulder. It was not very short in the big picture, but for an elf? It was torture. He allowed the rogue to maintain a small amount of her hair, for he was not a monster.
As the rogue felt her hair fall from her shoulders onto the floor, she bit her cheek, willing herself to keep her eyes open, staring straight ahead into the audience of elves who watched as this half elf was stripped of something of great importance.
Soon enough, the kings knife stopped and all that was left was uneven strands of hair that fell just above her shoulders, brushing the tops of them lightly. The rogue took a deep, quivering breath in. It was then that she had felt the cold metal pressed against her ear and she shivered. It stayed pressed there for moments, building the anticipation. The crowd leaned forward, but the company of the half elf watched in horror, each and every one of their voices choked in their throats, unable to stop what would happen next.
Agony tore through the rogue, such as she had never felt before. It was blinding and stripped her of her senses. She cried out a blood curdling scream as the sharp knife tore through her flesh and cartilage, rounding out her right ear. Her own scream hurt her ear drums. The pain was throbbing as the blood rushed out. Tears filled her eyes as the air began to attack her newly formed wound. She choked back a sob just in time to hear the small thud of what used to be her ear, hitting the floor. Her hair fell to the bloody rounded edge of her ear as blood dripped to her shoulder, sullying the dress. The cold, now bloodied, edge of the knife pressed to her other ear, leaving no time for anticipation as it tore once again through her ear. She no longer had the voice to scream, but she only had the will to cry in pain as she, and all around her, heard the popping and breaking of her cartilage. She felt the knife tearing through, and then suddenly, she didn't. She hadn't the will to open hear eyes again until she felt comforting hands placed on her blood and hair covered shoulders.
"I'm so sorry," Taehyun whispered.
Her eyes opened and she, along with the other members of her company, were back in the village they'd first visited.
"How did we get here?" Beomgyu asked.
"One of my spells," Taehyun choked out. "Teleportation. I had to move us further than I thought so it took two minutes for me to cast. I tried to be fast, I really tried," he stammered, his eyes not being able to move from the bloodied, uneven, open wounds on the rogues ears.
He heard every noise. He had willed himself not to open his eyes, and to continue casting his spell, for if he were interrupted, he would have to begin again, forcing the rogue to endure more torture. His hands felt shaky, even as they were placed firmly on the rogues shoulders.
"We must move. Not only will the kings guards be looking for us, but the royal company of Eboncross is to be here soon. We haven't any time to wait. We will find safety and then tend to our rogues wounds. Can you endure?" Yeonjun asked, his eyes soft as he looked to the rogue, who had tears unwillingly flowing down her cheeks.
She only nodded, still feeling unable to use her voice. She winced as she felt the tip of her ear sway with the movement of her head. She closed her eyes once again, willing herself to move on.
They all began to walk, Yeonjun keeping an eye out, listening for any sound. Never had the company seen him this serious.
HueningKai still hadn't looked at the rogue. He didn't have the heart to. He could have done something, anything. But rather than help her, he closed his eyes, unable to think of any spell to cast to get them out of that foul place. He felt queasy, like he might vomit at any moment, and seeing the rogue would not help that.
Soobin hadn't been able to watch either. The words were caught in his throat. The apologies and thank you's were stuck behind the lump in his throat caused by fear. As they moved, he wished to say something, but no matter how much he wished to say something, he couldn't push the words past the lump in his throat.
"We must get out of elven lands. Once we cross back into human lands, they cannot take us. We are right over the ruined kingdom of Bleakwick. We must continue south. We should be out of elven lands by dawn at the earliest. We've no time for rest," Beomgyu told the group, standing by Yeonjun's side.
"Have we the time to change?" HueningKai asked, his voice wavering slightly.
Amidst the panic they all felt, each and every one of them had forgotten of their current attire. Each of them wore coloured garments, easily visible from far distances.
"Yes," Yeonjun muttered.
They stripped themselves of their elven garments, revealing their old clothing, save the coats they had been forced to remove. They discarded them in the nearby bush. All except a single half elf, whose clothing had been left in the lavish room she was provided.
"I hadn't thought of attire," the rogue croaked, her voice returning to her. "Nor weapons." She looked down to the sculpted dress she wore, knowing that it was not fit for travel, nor battle.
"Worry not," Yeonjun started. "We shall find something on our adventure that is better suited than a monster made garment." His voice was soft as he tilted his head to be able to look in the downcast eyes of the rogue before him.
"I must have a spell for this," HueningKai mumbled, his voice distraught. If he could not save her, he could at least find some spell that could help in such a situation. He mumbled a few words under his breath and in his hands appeared simple clothing. He continued keeping his eyes clothing, mumbling small words until another thing appeared in his hands. Her cloak. "I know it meant a lot to you. I used a simple summoning spell. I could not obtain the rest of your things, for they weighed to much. I figured you would not miss them," he stammered as he handed her the garments.
She pulled him into a hug, careful to not old too tightly, for she was still covered in blood, and her ears still bled onto her shoulders.
"Thank you," she whispered, taking the offered garments and moving into the bush to change.
They could hear small whimpers as fabric touched her ears, causing her to wince, though she came out of the brush with a small smile on her face.
"Before we begin again, let us treat her wounds," Soobin suggested, saying the first words he'd said since he was in the dungeons.
"With what?" Yeonjun asked, gesturing to their situation.
"I took some salves when we were presented with them. Salves and gauze. There are also spell casters amongst us. Please. Let us lessen our rogues pain, for she has felt enough pain and grief in her life time," Soobin begged, pulling out the salves that he had hidden on him.
"Be quick of it," Yeonjun muttered, still looking out for any sign of the elven kings men.
Soobin applied the salves as she winced under the pressure and the stinging of the healing paste. Soobin cringed at the feeling of the torn cartilage, but he forced himself to keep a calming smile.
"I have a spell," HueningKai suggested once again. "One to regrow missing limbs. Perhaps it could work if you wish to try."
"You are too kind, my dear bard, but I think I prefer this. Wounds tell a story, do they not?" She asked, a pained smile on her face.
"Indeed they do," he replied, unable to think of anything else to say.
When Soobin finished applying the salves, he looked to Yeonjun who's eyes watched them with great pain. Yeonjun's eyes hardened as he felt the company's gaze turn to him.
"We go on."