Princess of The Elves Ch. 01

"Hello there," said a female voice in the Southern Common tongue. Languages had been one of the few things that I'd picked up from my tutors, but this speaker had a strange exaggerated drawl that sounded right off the dirty streets of Peltest.

I turned to see that the speaker was a tall she-elf with red hair. Her ears were long and pointed and her hair was short for a woman, and plastered into a wild vertical mass with mashed berries and gods knew what else. Her green eyes were as inviting as they were frightening to me. She said, "Did you lose your nerve, darling? Those older men could run." She pointed off into the distance and laughed. "Look," she said. "A few are still going. Good for them."

I bolted up from my place on the ground, and started off in the direction that she pointed in. A foolish decision to be sure, but I was all out of options. I could hear her laughing at me as I surged away. My muscles were on fire. The wind suddenly cold against my flesh in a cold sweat of fear.

I ran with more force and effort than I had ever moved. I was reminded of growing up: running against my brothers in the yard of my father's castle. I'd always been the slowest back then. Left in the dirt with a skinned knee and intolerable frustration. That had been my life for so long. Yet in this moment it was different. I could do anything. Move better than I ever had. Be the version of myself that I always wanted to be. A golden-haired god like out of the songs.

And it wasn't meant to be.

The she-elf had not been lying. I could see the sailors running off into the distance. Two had been killed, but the others kept going. To where? Who could say?

I pumped my legs so hard to join them. My veins and muscles were burning.

Suddenly my vision went sideways. A great force rocked my whole body, and I was sent tumbling unto the earth. Shock. Pain. I didn't know where I was for a time. I blacked out. I woke up when I hear her laughing at me again.

I saw her peering down at me like I was a bug at her mercy.

"You run like a girl," she said. "That was embarrassing. Especially because you insulted me by running."

I searched my waist for a knife on my belt, but I'd lost it long ago.

"No," she said. "No escape for you. You're mine."

"I'll fight you," I said feebly.

She smiled. She had a slightly crooked but oddly cute big-tooth grin. She threw off her bow, quiver, and other weapons. Her clothing was odd. She had a pair of old white vests over a simple tunic, and over these and old ship Captain's jacket. The elf girl set the jacket on the ground with reverence. She said, "Thank you for this treat, darling." Then she was on me. Grappling. Striking. Rubbing herself on me. Her breasts mashed against my chest. She stuck her tongue in my ear. Then she had me pinned, and she mashed her lips against mine and forced her tongue into my mouth.

"Resist, my love," she said. "Resist harder."

I struggled against her. Throwing my very heart into it, yet I was so weak after my doomed journey. As I struggled, her big green eyes swallowed me up, and the big grin beneath them sealed my fate. She had a small up-turned nose that I somehow found endearing even though I wanted to break it.

"Help," I cried out to the sailors. "Help me!"

I hoped that maybe something would compel them to turn around and rescue the prince that had been among them, but the world had become too dark a place for that. I cried out as the last of my strength left. Then I was nothing against her. I yelped as she viciously seized my balls with her hand. She kissed me. I offered no resistance.

"You're mine," she said. "I'm your mistress now. My name is Jericka."

Jericka studied me there on the ground for a moment. She said, "Your clothes are ragged, but were very fancy. What are you?"

"I'm a prince," I said. I tried to sound strong, but I sounded so weak. "My father will learn of this transgression and he'll be...quite wroth."

She laughed. "Oh darling, Daddy will not help you out here. Be loyal to me though. You'll live well with me. We'll have fun. Be warned though: if you anger me, I am wrath. I am the angel of death and pain." She squeezed my balls again until I started sobbing. "But you know that," she said with a smile.

Jericka stood me up and shoved me against the rock. "Don't be stupid now," she said. "You're so close to going home with me. Killing you now would be a shame. We've already wasted enough of you men today."

Jericka bound me in leather straps and hempen rope. She was the equal to or even the superior of the most skilled human sailors when it came to knots and rope. I would learn that this wasn't unique amongst her group. After catching my breath, I considered trying to escape again, but I was already bound and two other she-elves soon joined us.

"Not fair," said one of the elves as she approached us. This woman had the dark complexion of the southern empires. Her long black hair was done up in several tiny braids that she had pulled back to keep out of her eyes. I recognized the ornate curved knife at her side as being from that region. My father had received such gifts from the southerners in the lead up to our trade agreement.

The woman continued, "This one is pretty. Those cheek bones and that light blonde hair. And tall. Is he..."

"A Northman," said the third she-elf. "A couple of the sailors were as well I suspect, but not as cute as this one."

Jericka pulled me close to her. She pressed her mouth fiercely against my neck and sucked until she gave me an intense "love bite."

"He is mine," she said. "I trust that you ladies will respect my claim. I will share him of course. I was taught well."

The other elves looked me over. Poked me, and felt me through the tatters of my once proud clothing.

"He's starved," said one of the girls. To me she said, "Were you a big and burly Northman like in the stories? No. you were not."

"Yes, but we could feed him and put him to work for us. Imagine what he could become."

They each took turns groping me through my tattered breeches.

"Don't be foolish," said Jericka. "We all know how this will end."

"What are you going to do to me?" I demanded. "I am not due such treatment from a group of elf--" I stopped myself. Realizing the hole that I was digging.

Jericka yanked and my restraints. "Elf what?" she asked. "I thought that I warned you already."

"Please," I said. I was wrapped up in a cold sweat despite how hot it was on the island. I was already extremely dehydrated so it wasn't doing me any favors. I was light-headed as well.

The third elf-girl narrowed her eyes at me. She was the most boyish of the trio. Her dark sandy hair was cut short and partly covered with a sailor's bandana that was decorated with seashells and beads. There were tattoos up and down her arms. I'd seen such marks on the bodies of sailors. I didn't make the connection at that time.

She said, "He seems a little off. Maybe he drank the salt water."

Jericka pinched my cheek. "No, no," she said. "This one is special. Ladies, I present to you..." She whispered into my ear. "What's your name?"

"Sindri," I whimpered. Hoping that maybe this would personalize me enough to them to get better treatment. That was a fool's hope.

Jericka made a grand flourish with her hand. She said, "This is Prince Sindri."

The other girls laughed, and then took turns mockingly bowing before me. Offering me their tongue-in-cheek apologies about their lack of manners.

Jericka kissed me again, but this time there was something mysterious and tender about it.

She said, "You belong to us now, Sindri. You'll grow to appreciate it. Better that than to be dead like the others."

Jericka let that sink in for a while.

Then the girl with the bandana said, "Well...actually, a couple of those blokes survived."

"Truly?"

She nodded. "I don't know where they found the strength. Especially that old man, but they went back into the sea and started swimming. It was quite the sight."

"They'll likely be dead by nightfall," the dark girl offered. "Like the others who flee."

"It's still a risk," said Jericka.

"Almost no one lives on these islands. We're safe."

"I hope so."

"Maybe it's too dangerous to keep your prince around then."

"It won't be a problem for long," said Jericka. "Won't even have to change his name. 'Sindri' is cute enough."

I didn't understand what they were talking about, and I wasn't given the chance to ponder on it. The she-elves had me bury the dead men. They wanted each body buried under a tree. This was very important to them, and they were willing to wait until I completed the task. I offered a silent prayer for each man. These were not my friends, in fact I barely knew them, but we had struggled together if ever so briefly. When it was done my captors marched me away towards the unknown.

The she-elves took me deeper into the island. The strange tropical trees were much thicker there and at least offered some shade against the unrelenting sun. I was grateful for the shelter. My skin still felt raw and on fire. In the shade of the trees the elves had build their encampment. A few old and worn sails, I assumed from various wrecks, had been stretched and tied up in the trees to allow for even more shade. The other remains of various ships were easily apparent. I recognized many kinds of wood from various regions cobbled together. Some as planks and other as drift wood that had been rudimentarily shaped. The she-elves had created what looked to me like a simple long-hall as their main building. There were private lean-tos and smaller outbuildings dedicated to different tasks in their community. My education reminded me that my own people had risen from similar humble roots. Some people in the world still considered my people to be a bunch of up-jumped barbarians that got lucky in war and trade. Technically: this wasn't far from the truth, but after so many years of struggle my people didn't like to be reminded of it.

Still, the climate was so foreign to me that I found the whole seen to be captivating.

Jericka attached my leash to a tree beside her lean-to. Then she hung her Captain's jacket carefully from the structure as well. I noticed the suspicious holes that were in the front of it. I imagined that the previous owner had met his end from several arrows.

"Please cooperate," she said. "I don't want to have to bury you."

Jericka and the others were welcome by five other she-elves. Theirs was a small group, but I would eventually learn that there were others throughout the region. They were a rare and secretive people. I had no idea what fate had dragged me into.

The elves set about their normal business. They prepared what would be their evening meal. This was primarily taro roots boiled and mashed. Mixed with the milk of coconuts, and topped with the flesh coconut smoked over a low fire. Simple faire to be sure, and even considered to be bland by some, but it was filling and the she-elves had enough to feed everyone. There was also a small number of fish and crabs cooked over the same low fires.

I leaned against the tree that I was bound to. Staring at the food. Inhaling as much of the wonderful smells as I could. My stomach threatened to rip itself out of my guts and crawl its way over to the food. I wanted to start begging for the slightest morsel of it, but I was so weak and frightened. All the stories of cannibals came back to me. I wondered if these tempting dishes were not just side-dishes to a slab of roasted prince.

Dinner was served, and the she-elves ate leaving me against the tree. Often, they would point at me and make some comments that I couldn't discern. After a time, Jericka came over to me. She held a drinking gourd to my mouth and told me to drink. I drank like a man wanting to drown.

"Slowly," she said. "Slowly. I know that you want food, but if you gorge yourself, you will die. I've seen it before. You've come to far to die like that."

After Jericka spent much time rehydrating me, she stripped off the pathetic rags that had been my clothes. I futilely tried to cover my nakedness.

She laughed. "Don't bother, Sindri. It's nothing that I haven't seen before. You'll get used to being nude around us. I assure you."

While unsettling to me, Jericka's intentions were not sexual then. She examined my body thoroughly. According to her I'd been fortunate. There was a crab native to this part of the world that burrowed into people's skin and laid its eggs inside. People could literally be eaten from within.

"Not that they'd have much to eat on you," she said with a laugh. She took my golden necklace in her hand--examining the axe-shaped medallion. I expected her to painfully rip it off me, but she gently let it fall back to my chest. Jericka seemed to consider it for a moment, and then nodded at some conclusion known only to her.

She then cleaned me thoroughly with the help of the other women. After that was done, Jericka opened a coconut to reveal that it was a container for a salve that they made. I screamed when she began rubbing it onto my raw skin. She looked at me, and I shut up--not wanting to test her. At last, she fed me what amounted to a thin gruel, which according to her was safer for me to eat. Even then she only let me have so much of it.

"Three days," she said. "If you don't die for some other reason then you should start to get better by then. We'll do our best to be gentle with you."

As the sun went down the elf-girls turned in. Jericka tied my leash to her waist, and curled up spoon-style behind me. She said, "If you make me chase you, I promise that you won't be spending your nights so comfortably."

I didn't doubt her word.

In my mind: I grumbled, I raged, I swore up and down cruel and terrible vengeance against the she-elves. I had it all planned. I'd spot a passing ship, and I would swim out to it. Once my fellow men welcomed me aboard--because of course they would, I'd regain my dignity and station. I would have the she-elves arrested and...

Who was a I kidding?

I had no power. I was now their dependent. Eventually my exhaustion won out. Being in Jericka's arms somehow felt comforting. During the night, I felt something hard poking into my backside. At the time it didn't occur to me what it could be. I mean: these elves were clearly savages, but they were still women after all.

I gave into weakness and comfort. I slept peacefully for the first time in what seemed ages.

I lived in a haze of uncertainty for days. Jericka nursed me back to health on coconut water and the gruel. Twice a day she put the salve on my skin. Every night I slept in her arms. A pattern and a habit were forming. Eventually she stopped tying my leash to her waist and shortly thereafter there was no leash or bonds. I was her creature and we both knew it.

While I did get accustomed to being naked in front of them, the she-elves did give me a rough-spun tunic and a straw hat to protect me from the sun. However, this wasn't simply them being generous. Once I was healthy enough, I was put to work. And what work there was. Water was the primary concern. The ladies had a large collection of waterskins, gourds, and even buckets that looked to have been taken from wrecked ships. I filled and carried them back several times a day from a spring in the forest. The taro roots grew in patches all over the island. I dug those up for them. There were also coconuts to gather and break open. All of this work and effort went into keeping us all alive. From time to time, Jericka or one of the other girls would stop to educate me as to what I was doing and how to do it better.

The women kept to the shade during the hottest times of the day, but eventually work drew everyone out. They all served each other's needs.

"We survive together," said Jericka. "That includes you. You are a prince in name only."

She got no argument from me.

The two other elves that I'd first met after my capture were Ericka's main friends. The tall dark-skinned girl was named "Imani." I recognized her as a warrior--obviously her roots went back to the southern empires. I tried my skills at diplomacy. Mentioning to her that I'd met two of the southern emperors. The look she gave me made me shrivel away from her sight. I wasn't sure why but she was not amused.

I had more luck with the boyish girl with the bandana. She'd grown somewhat warmer to me. This was "Riley." She was a sailor or at least she aspired to be one. She asked me many questions about the ship that I was on and how far it had traveled. There were many other technical questions. I did my best to answer. The other women in the group were hesitant to accept me. I was Jericka's property. Her authority over the group was palpable.

I thought that I'd be kept and ransomed off. I considered offering Riley a ship for all of them. My father had hundreds of captains and ships bound to his name. Surely, I could get one of them as a ransom booty. I was a prince after all.

I truly didn't know what I was in for. Sindri, the prince, wasn't going to be something to last in these circumstances.

It happened when I'd started to feel comfortable with them, which made sense given what the Goddess of Fortune had in store for me.

One afternoon, after completing my day's labors, the she-elves brought me back to the camp. I was fed more generously than before. They started letting me eat real food by then, and I had taken to it quite well. I was sated beyond belief after that meal--happy if that was possible.

Then I received a "treat". The she-elves had a cache of rum. Now, I was familiar with the drink of the sailors. When you're stuck so long at sea you will find ways to adapt. At sea we were typically served "Grog" though, which is a diluted concoction given out as a ration.

Jericka served me a bowl filled with a dark syrupy rum with a little coconut milk added to it. Otherwise, it was at full strength, which was often not served. There was also something else in that drink. Something somewhat floral, that I could barely taste, but the effects would be strengthened with the rum. It was designed to make me feel happy.

"This is for being such a good boy for us," said Jericka. "You deserve to enjoy something. I know that you want to."

For a moment of time, I was nervous, but deep inside me had been a hunger for drink. I'd been without alcohol for so long. Gods, she was cruel for offering it to me. Men in my family grew to be notorious drinkers. I took it of course and drank greedily. My brain was starting to swim with alcohol when she gave me another one.

Her expression was soft. Her voice was soothing. She said, "I know that this has been hard for you. Relax. Let your worries go. You're safe with me."

I wanted to. I wanted it all to be true. How could I not want that? It was so much like being close to death again, but my alcohol-addled mind couldn't discern it from just another good time.

I drank more. Then Jericka suggested that I should strip naked and thus be even more comfortable. I laughed. I had little to argue with that. I was quite used to it. Once I was naked, the other women approached me. Each held a small coconut bowl. They dipped their fingers into the bowls and painted various strange designs upon my body. All I could think about was how cold the paint was and how their fingers tickled me.

Jericka gave me yet another drink and all I could do was laugh.

"Is this some sort of party?" I asked in a drunken slur.

"Oh yes," said Jericka. "It's your party. A special day for you, my love."

"Did you say 'my'--"

Jericka planted her lips on mine fiercely in reply. She'd kissed me before. She was not shy about doing so, but this time it felt different. There was something more behind it. I should've been thinking about that, but fool that I was: my cock took over, and all I could think about was being able to fuck after what had been a major abstinence. I desperately wanted an orgasm.