Captured by the Elves Ch. 04

Author's note: Happy to be back with this story. Your response has been very encouraging. I wish I could post here more often than I do, but life and work do take their toll. All the characters involved are over the age of 18 the elves even more so. Considering this is the fourth part you should know what to expect in this story. If that stuff offends you why are you reading stories in this category? Look at the story tags. Please vote and comment.

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The walk back to the bathhouse was the longest of my life. I couldn't believe that Brendan had been in the village the whole time. There had been an ally there to plot an escape with, but that was likely a moot point by then. Brendan had been transformed right in front of me. Yes, he had resisted up until the end, but it still happened. He wasn't the same. Was he even my friend anymore? I had watched as he agreed to be what they wanted him to be. It was as if he had died all over again. Perhaps worse.

At some point my journey took me to the perimeter of the settlement. While some portions were open to the great forest, others were walled up with carefully grown briar patches. Just getting close to them looked painful. I imagined Braith getting angry and pushing me into one. That would be a bloody and painful lesson. In other places there were actual walls and towers. The constructs were of a simple forest make being wood and earth, but they were there. I could see some of the sentries in their roosts. The guards had regular shifts after which they replaced each other. I knew this because several of them came to the bathhouse following their time on duty. I knew what each liked me to do and when to expect them.

I saw Katania up on the wooden tower. The night was wearing on to the birth of morning. Katania was a blonde of average build for the elf women. I remembered her mostly because despite her beauty she always looked displeased even when she was happy. She usually took a meal after she was off duty, and often arrived quite early to Braith's expecting me to please her before she went home. I watched her slump against the rails of her lookout. She was tired and almost done.

Near where the briar patch met the wooden wall was what looked like a gap. Most of it likely from years of rain and the burrowing of small animals. Barely enough room for the average man to squeeze through. I looked down at my much leaner frame. It didn't seem like an impossible fit.

There was a choice to make. Did I want to stay and see what happened? Living with Braith had appeared to be the safe route, but that was now a pile of tinder once Teagan and Landa got involved. Perhaps I would end up taking Brendan's place in that ruin. Kept confined until I was either transformed or killed. There was no escape from either outcome. The gap called to me. I recalled my earlier vision of an escape attempt and the tragic ending that I believed it would produce. How would I know unless I tried it? Was there anything to lose?

I watched Katania up in her lookout. She was fading. I saw her lightly slapping herself to stay awake. No doubt she craved her meal and sit in the tub. She was possibly already planning what she wanted me to do to her or her to me.

I didn't run, but walked over, and crawled into the space. The briars bit into me immediately, and I clenched me teeth against the pain. Blood flowed from the scratches. I went lower into the mud and leafy debris. Digging into it like some forest creature. I put every I had into it, and after much struggle and pain nature finally relented: I was outside the wall and into the uncertain darkness of the forest beyond.

I'd not been outside since the elves first brought me home, and that had been during the day. The farther I got from the settlement the distant torch-light failed my eyes. While the moon was out I could barely see it through the forest canopy. Pure desperation drove my feet as I continued forward. I struggled to maintain my footing along the always changing and pliable forest floor. The instinct to get as far away as possible was there, but I also knew that only a fool went stumbling into the forest in the dark—especially in a hurry. The elves maintained a decent path out from their village, and it was the only sign of habitation in the area. My mind was utterly convinced that I could still be seen even in the dark.

Keep going, I thought. Nice and steady. With some time and luck, I could get far enough to see a mountain or a large hill as a landmark and use it. When the sun rose, I'd know where east was, and could adjust my course to the opposite way. There was also my previous idea about the river the loggers would be using. That was just another option. My escape from the elves was finally happening.

The forest was more frightening at night than during the day. Every insect noise made me uneasy. Things scuttled about in the shrubs. Twigs snapped seemingly of their own accord. I was a shivering mess of nerves stumbling around in the dark. I cursed myself for not actually planning this escape. I could've had a touch to light the way and maybe some food. Instead I had neither. My feet were the other issue. The elves had taken my boots when they took my armor. Braith allowed me to wear some simple foot coverings made of burlap. I didn't see those lasting that long.

I told myself that none of that mattered. The entire thing came down to the will to escape and survive. If I had that then anything was possible. My long dead commander had said similar things during our months of desperation. I randomly thought of my cousin back home. He and his close friend Jonah had thought Brendan and I were so invincible when we were leaving. If I made it home, I'd educate them about the horrors of the outside world. I just hoped they hadn't been inspired by us and volunteered during the next muster.

I'd been traveling for some time when I noticed a pungent odor. Not entirely foul, but something off: a plant smell that made me look around and wonder. There were several smells in the forest at any time. Frequently the fertile, dark earth itself permeated the air, but the new odor was unsettling. At some point while lost in my thoughts I'd left the trail maintained by the elves. My eyes opened wide. My breathing quickened. How had I managed to do this? It was so simple to follow a trail. The smell was a lot stronger then.

I heard something moving out in the dark. It didn't sound like wolves or any animal that I knew. As a child I'd been taught what animals could be out there hunting us. At least in the human lands anyway. I remembered the strange creatures I'd seen with my fellow soldiers during our desperate flight through the woods: things that were like wolves but had scales like reptiles. Poor Thom had met his end by them.

The world flipped over on me. I struck the ground. My eyes suddenly looking up at the forest canopy. My mind tried to make sense of what happened, and only then I realized that something was on my leg. It coiled around my left ankle like a snake might, but this was no reptile. It was covered in dirt and debris like a tree root but was also an animated thing that had me in its grasp. I tried pulling it off, and it responded by yanking me away.

I was dragged across the forest floor. My hands desperately sought to grab anything that might stop my progress. I even tried reaching down to the knife I used to keep on my belt, only to realize that my knife and my belt had been gone for a long time. That me was the armed soldier, and he ceased existing on that day the elves captured me. I hadn't even been all that capable back then, and I was a very different person in that moment.

As I was pulled closer, I heard something digging itself out of the ground. Finally, my eyes made it out: it was a monstrous plant-like creature. Something composed of a large mouth melded into a tree. There were other vines around it also seeking out food. I just happened to be another morsel brought in from the forest.

I screamed. There was no play-acting at being a manly hero. I was far too weak and much too terrified. It wasn't like in the stories where the brave hero somehow manages to save himself. I was going to die. It was quite simple. At least, I thought: Brendan or some version of him had survived. One of us would go on.

A blur moved passed me through the dark. There was gleaming flash of steel that was answered by a scream from the monster. I stopped moving. The vine on my leg had been severed from the beast. I struggled to move away and rolled over to see one of the elf girls fending the creature off with a familiar looking sword. When the blade didn't appear to be working, the elf dropped it, and retrieved one of her spears. The two opponents squared off. The elf girl danced about the creature and try as they might the vines couldn't grab her. It was during this frantic combat that I finally saw who my rescuer was: it was Yanitza, the guard that had been outside Landa and Teagan's house earlier that day.

She was smaller than most of the other elf women, but she defended me with a ferocity I couldn't fathom. After several minutes, Yanitza found an opening, and she plunged the spear deep into the center of the creature's gullet and leapt away. The beast filled the night with a painful wail. Seconds later the pixie-haired elf girl spoke some incantation that turned the spear into a pillar of fire that grew white hot. Try as it might the plant-like beast could only survive for moments before it burned from the inside out and collapsed into a pile of its own ashes.

The night was silent.

I stared at the whole aftermath with my mouth agape—unsure how to react.

Yanitza brushed her sweat-soaked hair back with her hand. She took a moment to ease down her breathing, then she retrieved the sword and came over to me. I was about to thank her when she suddenly had the blade a hair's breadth from my throat.

"Recognize this?" she asked. "It used to belong to you. It's quite well-made."

"Glad you like it."

Not only was Yanitza much more petite than many of the other women, but her voice matched her frame. It sounded like I was being threatened by a young girl.

"I should be very angry," she said. "Not only did you do something stupid by leaving, but I had to kill that poor creature to save you."

"Poor creature? It was going to eat me."

"And if you were safe in the village that would never have happened. It was one of the forest guardians. We don't like killing them. I'll have to spend a long time in prayer and penance now thanks to you."

My old self cried out to make her kill me with the sword. At least I would go out like a soldier then. My old commander would approve. The problem was that I knew that I couldn't do it. After Yanitza had saved me I was left with the sad truth that my life still meant something to me. I wanted to live.

"I'm sorry," I said. "If you want to kill me then do it."

"Why?"

"I tried to leave because I was desperate. I just watched my best friend destroyed and who knows what will happen to me? I don't have control over any of it."

Yanitza gave me a puzzled look.

"No," she said. "I meant: why would I want to kill you?"

She lowered the sword and smiled.

"You owe me now," she said. "Want to guess where you're going next?"

"Into some pen somewhere?"

Yanitza laughed. "Stop being so depressing."

She pulled me into a tight embrace—her eyes focused on me and her perfect lips so close to my mouth. I was already getting turned on by it.

"We're going home," she said. "You and I have some business now."

We made it back to the village without further incident. Katania was leaving her post by then, and another elf was taking her place. They noticed us as we entered the perimeter again. Yanitza waved at them and they returned the gesture. Katania looked absolutely stricken that she hadn't noticed me get passed her. She started defending herself when Yanitza silenced her.

"I won't say anything to Teagan, but you owe me a favor again. I'm just racking them up today."

We left without another word.

Yanitza slept in a small wooden structure back by one of the walls. It was isolated compared to some of the others. I noticed that she had painted the outside of it with some mixture that offered it the slightest hint of being like a human dwelling. Her home was small, but very cozy. It was filled with all manner of trinkets: many of them human and others I couldn't identify. The whole thing functioned more like a storeroom than a home. Her bed was the primary object. She put away my former sword shortly after we entered. I noticed that she had all manner of weapons in the corners.

"I trust that you won't try anything else," she said. "If someone else finds you they might not be as forgiving."

I nodded. I'd been lucky, and I knew it.

Yanitza went to a shelf and retrieved a jug. I recognized it as some of the mead that Braith kept in her private cupboard for herself. She claimed it was different than the rest that she happily gave out. Yanitza noticed my interest.

"I like to collect favors from people," she said. "We don't have money here, so it's the closest thing I can get. Braith didn't like giving this out, but she owed me. Sit on the bed."

I did so while she drank two horns of mead. When she was ready she put the jug of mead back up and turned to me. Yanitza had her legs wrapped around me in moments. I felt the growing bulge of her cock against my stomach. The silken panties could only hold it back so much. Even fully clothed she was getting excited. She had the cutest smile, and her bright blue eyes demanded mine.

"I should probably go," I said, laughing nervously. "They might wonder where I am."

She shook her head.

"I caught you. If you were some other captive I would've beaten you down or I could've let the animals finish you, but it was you. Just the man I wanted to see."

"I think I'm the only man here."

She stroked my face with her fingers. During our time in the tub Yanitza had said she liked the idea of me having stubble. Even if it was minimal at that point.

"Maybe I should've cut you loose," she said. "If you were smarter you could live in the forest and get all hairy and dirty again. I'd keep you for myself."

"I'm not sure I'll be 'manly' all that much longer."

Yanitza sighed with disappointment. "That's true. We all give in eventually. You're stronger than I was."

I moved to kiss her, and she was eager to respond. Her lips were sweet on mine. It was different than being with Braith. Yanitza let me have so much control.

"What do you want to do?"

Our faces were close enough that any words were the most intimate between two people. There were no boundaries at that range.

She said, "No one has let you fuck them, have they? They love to take the new arrivals, but not to receive them."

I thought about those long moments with Braith in the tub when I had my fingers in her. She had been considering it for a moment, but her hesitation had won out.

"Braith said she'll consider it after I've changed."

I didn't add the "and we're married" part.

"It's hard to imagine her doing that," said Yanitza. "She's very dominant."

"What about you?"

I thought that if I was making a mistake I might get slapped or worse, but Yanitza had proven to be gentle with me before. I'd enjoyed our time in the bath immensely.

"I'm different than Braith. Different from most of them to be honest."

I said, "You like me the way I am. That can't be a popular opinion."

"The change effects everyone differently. I changed physically very quickly, but I've held on to some of who I was."

"I thought everyone forgot."

"No. Many do, and the chieftains repeat that because they want us to forget the past. It's easier, but I remember. I liked men before I changed."

"I didn't know that."

"How would you? It was a long time ago. I'm from Peltest."

"The capital?"

"See? We're countrymen," she giggled. "I worked in the brothels. It kept me fed. A good-looking boy that is willing is especially enticing to wealthy visitors. I got older though and didn't attract as many clients. The owner had me do the cleaning, and eventually taught me how to keep the ledger. That's most of what I remember."

"How'd you get here?"

"The owner died. His sons had no use for me, so I ended up on the streets for a time. Then I joined a group of fools who were setting off on an adventure in the east looking for fabled treasure or some nonsense. They got us lost of course, and the scouts found us. We tried to flee, and my new friends injured my leg, so I could be captured while they ran away. I'm pretty sure they died anyway, and I was brought here."

"Kind of like me," I said.

"That's right. There's something else...I... know what you've been through. I belonged to Braith too. She's the one that converted me."

"She did?"

"Yes. I worked in the bathhouse as well. I still remember some of the lessons about herbs and massages."

"I heard that she has a history."

"That's true. She's looking for a real companion."

"And that wasn't you?"

"No. We were not on bad terms, but I just drifted elsewhere. I still feel for her. The one that changes you...you'll have a connection with them forever. I think she really likes you though. She's very protective. Oh boy, just think: that might be another reason that I like you: because she does."

I couldn't disagree with the part about Braith being protective.

"I don't want to make her mad," said Yanitza, "But I..."

I kissed her, and we were there.

Yanitza was smaller than Braith: skinny compared to Braith's thickness. But, just because she didn't have my captor's muscles didn't mean she wasn't dangerous. Yanitza had proved that in the forest, and she hadn't even been a soldier in her previous life. That was a testament to not only the martial training of these women but their innate physical nature. She was like a spring coiled around me—full of dangerous energy.

I explored her body with my hands. It was lithe and firm—crafted by physical strain. I could imagine her chasing intruders away from the settlement. Killing them with her spear or my old sword. She was a dangerous woman like they all were, and I had grown to like it so much. Our foreplay didn't last long before Yanitza demanded that our clothes be off, which I was eager to do as well. We enjoyed each other's bodies. Her breasts were small but felt perfect to me. She was in many ways the elf that reminded me the most of being with a human woman. Even if she did have a cock like the rest of them. As we writhed together our cocks met between us. Yanitza rubbed them together, and the feeling was like fire. We were both leaking pre-cum—anxious with our desire.

I waited. After living among these women, I learned that they were always in charge. Even if Yanitza was different from the others in some ways she was still one of them. I could never be an equal unless I was made to be like her. Yanitza untangled herself from me and went to her back. She pointed to a straw pillow, and I bunched it underneath her back. I couldn't believe it was happening.

"If you want to do this," she said, "I have certain requirements."

She explained everything she wanted to me in detail for several minutes. Since the first day she'd seen a man was in the village there had been a desire in her for a certain fantasy. It was something that the other women didn't approve of for obvious reasons. We were going to be providing each other with something that we each wanted and couldn't get. I had to play my role for her and was the only one that could do so.

I did my best to recall how my own father had sounded when he scolded me and brought all of that into my performance.

I said, "You're a disgrace to your family."