He didn't answer but he didn't run away either.

He could be thinking about his answer which was the only reason why Mani hadn't lashed out just yet. She held onto the thread of hope that their time together could have actually meant something to him.

"That's none of your concern," he finally said after a few minutes.

"Are you fucking serious right now? How the hell does this not concern me?! You must be mental!" Mani slammed her fists on the cage's bars in frustration and rage.

If he was surprised, he didn't show any signs of it.

Mani continued when he didn't say anything else, "How could you be so cruel? You say we were not friends but did our time together mean absolutely nothing?! Nothing at all?!"

The chains on her body all clinked aggressively as she slammed the bars repeatedly. The fuss got the attention of the brunette elf, and she made her way over.

"What the hell are you doing, human?!" She unsheathed her sword and slipped it through the gap of the cage, the tip stopping inches from Mani's already cut throat. Mani didn't flinch.

Her glare stayed locked on Aerendil.

"Just comply with us and you won't be hurt, human," Aerendil said as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Won't get hurt for now," Mani hissed with disgust.

The brunette elf glanced between the two before she sheathed her sword. She turned to face Aerendil.

"Captain wishes to speak with you, Aerendil," she said as she gestured over to the largest tent in the camp. For some reason, she couldn't look Aerendil in the eyes.

He nodded and left without another word, causing Mani to yell one more insult at him.

"You fucking waste of oxygen!"

The brunette glared at Mani and Mani glared right back. "And fuck you too."

She scoffed and left without another word, leaving Mani alone once again.

***

It's boring.

So very boring.

All Mani could do was watch the elves go about their day and that wasn't entertaining at all. When she wasn't watching the elves, she's watching the clouds go by which wasn't any better.

A sigh left her lips for the umpteenth time. She saw the freckled elf walking past her cage and she straightened up to get closer.

"Hey, you," Mani called out to the freckled elf.

The elf stopped in his tracks and glanced over at Mani. His expression was timid as he looked over.

"Yes?"

"So, you all took my earring. It's an item with a lot of sentimental value for me, you know? I understand if you can't return it but please tell me if you got rid of it or whatever its fate was." Mani pleaded in the sweetest voice she could muster.

"...I can't tell you, sorry," said the freckled elf and he seemed remorseful.

"Really? Aw man, Ma's going to be so mad I lost grandma's earring. And it was such an important family heirloom too..." Mani said as she sniffled. She brought two hands up to her face to cover it, hiding the fact she's actually not crying.

"Ah—Please do not cry," the freckled elf pleaded, making Mani fight the urge to snicker at his naivety.

"It was the only thing I had left... At least let me see it once more. I know you're not like your other comrades. I've seen how kind you are." Mani's voice trembled as she 'cried' into her hands.

The freckled elf seemed nervous as he glanced around the camp. The internal conflict playing out on his face was a little bit pitiful. Mani hated to be so manipulative, but she had to do anything she could right now.

"Oh... I uh..." The freckled elf gulped and looked around the camp nervously, "I guess... I guess I could—"

"Callon!" A familiar voice cut through and caused Mani to roll her eyes. The freckled elf flinched at the noise.

"What do you think you're doing?" Aerendil asked angrily as he stood next to the freckled elf, Callon.

"I uh... I was just–I mean, the human... She just—" Callon stammered. Mani felt bad for him, she could tell he's kind if not a little too naïve. Mani brought her hands down and watched the interaction with a bit of annoyance.

"You should not concern yourself with the human," Aerendil interrupted before he could finish.

Callon nodded nervously. "U–Understood."

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Callon scuttered away after, leaving Aerendil to watch him as he did. Aerendil turned to look at Mani and she's looking at him, unamused.

She rolled her eyes and leaned back on the bars. "Jealous I'm talking to another elven man?"

"Hardly."

"Doubt it."

Aerendil walked closer to her cage and crossed his arms. He stared down at Mani sitting in the cage.

"Don't play your trickery on them," he chided.

"I learned it from you," Mani shot back her reply.

"You—" Aerendil cut himself off with a sigh.

He looked around the camp before his gaze landed on the soldiers sharing a meal. Mani and Aerendil noticed Elanor waving him over enthusiastically to eat. Mani looked away and crossed her arms. Aerendil didn't stay with Mani any longer as he walked over to join Elanor.

As much as Mani didn't want to admit it, the sight made her feel left out. The sounds of their laughter permeated the quiet night air of the forest. They didn't even have the decency to celebrate her capture somewhere outside of her view.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. A small sniffle escaped her as she closed her eyes.

She's lonely.

Not only that, but the chill in the air was not the most pleasant company to have. She could only dream of being at home with her friends and family. Soon.

With nothing else to look at, her gaze wandered to the group of elves in her view. Callon seemed as timid as ever while Elanor swung her bottle of ale in the air. The brunette one tried to calm Elanor down while the others laughed at their antics.

There's an ache in Mani's heart as the sight reminded her of her own friends.

Aerendil sat on one of the logs with a soft smile as he watched as the chaos unfolded in front of him. She could tell he missed them. She wondered what his life was like before being captured as a slave. She wondered what happened to get him captured in the first place.

Her thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly glanced over at her. She quickly looked away, embarrassed that she was caught staring.

It's even worse when she thought about how pathetic and miserable she must look right now. The wound in her ear stopped bleeding a while ago but there was still a subtle throbbing pain. They didn't think to patch her up.

She rested her forehead on her forearm and her gaze dropped to the ground; she cursed herself for staring. A moment passed before someone spoke to her.

"Here."

Her head snapped up and her confusion quickly turned to annoyance. Aerendil stood outside the cage door holding out some bread on a plate and water in a flask.

"I'm not hungry," she muttered as her head fell back to its original position.

She could sense his eye roll as he crouched down to her eye-level.

"Really?" he asked.

"Ye—" She's interrupted by the loud grumble of her stomach. Of course, her body would betray her too.

She cleared her throat before continuing, "Yes. Just leave me alone."

"I made the bread."

"So?"

"Are you not worried that it might be poisoned or something? That is why you won't eat?"

"So, you assumed if I knew you made it then there wouldn't be a chance of it being poisoned?"

He's left speechless at his own assumption and that's the only confirmation she needed. He cleared his throat. "No, I assumed if you knew I made it then there was a guarantee that it tasted good," he said, attempting a save.

"Cut the bullshit, brat."

He sighed and sat down near the cage's door again. "You should eat."

"I said I'm not hungry."

"We both know that isn't true. Stop being stubborn."

She didn't move or look up. "Maybe I'm trying to starve on purpose."

"That's not going to happen."

"Wanna bet?"

"No."

He groaned in frustration and set the plate down right outside the the bars. She made no moves to pick it up. When he didn't leave after, she furrowed her brows in confusion and looked at him.

"You're missing the party there."

"I'm not the type to party," he said as he looked over at the celebration.

"Uh huh, so you're the type to hang around the woman you betrayed?" Mani said sarcastically, she was not going to let it go any time soon.

"It would be much more preferable if you shut up and ate the food," he said, and Mani huffed in annoyance. "And don't act like you hate my presence."

Mani scoffed at his last statement. "I hate you."

"And understandably so, but not my presence."

Mani opened her mouth to debate but closed it right after. He was right. She grumbled and reluctantly took the bread through the bars. She took angry bites as she looked away from him.

"Isn't it ironic?" he started and then paused to look at her, "It's like when we first met but our positions are switched."

"Don't reminisce with me right now," she said as she chewed.

"Right."

Finally, he noticed her wounds. He totally forgot about it, and it made him feel a bit bad.

"Come here," he said as he motioned for her to come closer.

She only scrunched her nose in disgust at him. "Ew, no," she replied after a second.

"I didn't mean it like that. Just come here so I can heal your wounds. Is it still painful?" he asked, squinting his eyes to get a closer look.

"I don't need it," Mani said as she took another angry bite.

He looked at her expectantly "Mani. Let me help you."

Her ears perked up at the sound of her name. He sure knew how to catch her attention. She couldn't remember him ever actually calling her by her name. She turned to him slowly and swallowed down some bread.

"Say that again."

He raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Mani clarified, "My name."

"Don't be ridiculous—"

"I said say it again or I won't do as you say."

He rolled his eyes then looked away. "Mani, allow me help you."

Mani's heart skipped a beat at the way he emphasized it. She's unsure why it had that effect; before she knew it, she was in front of him with only the bars to separate them.

"Fine. What am I supposed to do?" she asked, sitting on her knees.

He straightened and held his hand out. "Give me your hand."

"Is that necessary?"

"Unless you want me to touch your ear instead."

Mani didn't want that other option, so she stuck her hand out to him. He grabbed it and closed his eyes. She didn't know what else she should do so she did nothing but look at him. She got a good look at his face since they were so close.

He was quite handsome by human standards. The majority of elves were attractive, so they held a higher standard to appearances. Still, he looked above average—maybe even for elven standards—She caught herself staring and glanced down at their hands instead.

There was a soft golden glow that emanated from where they connected. The glow spread throughout her body and towards the many wounds she had accumulated, even the small scratches from before their fight.

Before she knew it, it was over.

"How do you feel?" he asked when he was done.

"Better, thanks," she mumbled, not wanting to thank him at all. She looked off to the side with a pout.

"That's good."

There was a moment of silence that followed. When she glanced over at him again, he's looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, looking away.

Mani's gaze then fell on their hands still holding onto each other. She cleared her throat, and it caught his attention. His gaze followed hers and landed on their hands. He quickly let go of her hand as he cleared his throat too.

"Sorry," he mumbled, the tips of his pointed ears tinged with red.

He stood up and dusted himself off. "Goodnight."

Aerendil walked away without waiting for her response and she's left alone again.