"You're a bad influence on Lizzie," Gael said as he crossed his arms, the afternoon sun glinted off his black hair.

Mani shrugged and leaned her elbows on the counter of their parent's kitchen. "Lizzie isn't quite as innocent as you believe she is, Gael."

He rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms, letting them rest at his side. The symbols engraved onto the breastplate of his armor displayed the crest of Minervah, the human realm.

The house of Hexin contained an interesting mix of children. One lieutenant of the human army, one roguish mercenary, and one impressionable artist. They only occasionally met up during holidays and family reunions and the house was almost never quiet with them around.

To say that Gael wasn't very fond of the idea of Mani being a mercenary leader was an understatement; he wasn't very quiet about his opinion on it either.

"Mani, exactly how many times have you had a run-in with the law this week?"

"I would never! Under your diligent guidance, I would never break the law, my dearest brother."

"Mani."

"Okay, maybe ten or could be eight but who's counting?"

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Gods, what if Lizzie starts rebelling because of you?"

Mani shrugged again. "Don't worry about it. She looks up to you more, not me."

He remained convinced. "There is still a possibility."

Mani idly traced her thumb across the dagger in her hand, deep in thought about his words.

"Don't be so serious, Gael."

"You're fortunate to be my sister. If you were just a common criminal, I'd personally escort you to the dungeons."

“Ma would never let you, and besides there's no concrete evidence that I actually did break laws, hm?"

He raised a brow. "You confessed just a moment ago."

She shrugged. "I could have been lying to look cool."

"There is nothing 'cool' about breaking the law."

"Gosh, so uptight."

Their conversation was interrupted by Lizzie as she skipped into the room. With a two-year gap between each of the siblings, Gael was the eldest, and Lizzie the youngest. The only distinguishing feature they shared was Mani's crimson eyes, while the others had black ones.

"Whatcha' all talking about?" Lizzie said as she leaned on the counter next to Mani.

Gael's gaze softened, he ruffled Lizzie's hair and chuckled. "Nothing too serious, Liz."

Mani straightened up. "Just about how Gael's got a huge stick up his as—"

Gael bumped Mani on the shoulder with his fist. "Mani!"

Mani winced and rubbed at the spot. His armor made the hit harder than it should have been. Lizzie giggled and didn't probe further. She was about to say something when a gruff voice interrupted from another room.

"Kids! Stop talking and help your Ma set the table! The guests are almost here!"

"Yes, Pa!"

***

The early rays of the sun hit Mani's face as she awakened up from the dream. A mix of a groan and yawn left her lips as she sat up. The elves were already going about their day while she was still trapped in the cage.

Right... Gael would be so disappointed if he saw her right now. He would say something like 'I told you so.' The chains on her wrist clinked as she wiped the sleepiness off her face.

She wondered how her family was doing right now. Gael was undoubtedly at the forefront of the ongoing war, and Lizzie would likely be with their parents. Poor Ma and Pa, having to worry about two of their children since they chose their respective lines of work.

Callon brought Mani her breakfast. Having learned his lesson, he refrained from engaging her in conversation. He placed a plate of bread near the cage and scurried away.

When Mani took the bread and started eating, she noticed the two soldiers she burned limping around. Looks like they're getting better, they might be heading out to Fejuhn sooner than she expected.

Aerendil had donned one of the soldiers' armors, an attire that gave him a more dignified appearance, although she hesitated to admit that he looked rather handsome in it. Mani couldn't help but wonder if Gael and Aerendil would get along, given their strikingly similar personalities. But then, a human and an elf rarely found common ground.

Shaking the thought out of her head, she continued to chew on the bread.

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"Delicious, isn't it?" Elanor's voice caught Mani's attention and caused her to look up.

Elanor continued, "Oh how I missed Aeren's cooking. Or baking, in this case."

Mani just looked at her in silence as she chewed slowly.

"Aw come on, I saw you being chatty with Aeren so I know you aren't a complete mute."

Elanor crouched to Mani's eye-level with a smile.

"You'll get to bathe if you talk," Elanor said, attempting to negotiate with Mani. Curses, Aerendil probably told her that Mani hated being dirty. She didn't make the fact a secret when she was living with Aerendil.

"Seriously?" Mani raised an eyebrow.

Elanor nodded. "Of course. Say, I haven't had a nice wash in a while. How about I join you and we can talk there? There's a lake nearby."

Mani shook her head. "No thanks."

"Hm, no?" Elanor tilted her head to the side. "Why not?"

"I'm not a complete fool. You only want to see the mark Aerendil told you about."

"Oh." She chuckled lightly. "You can see right through me. Yes, I would like to see it. The symbol of the extinct royal family... I would be mad if I didn't want to see it!"

Mani didn't expect her to just admit her intentions outright. She sat there staring at Elanor with a wide-eyed look. "Uh..."

"Now, we're both girls so it shouldn't matter too much. Besides, someone has to watch you while you bathe, I'm sure you wouldn't want it to be one of the men? Though I'm sure they would love to if you prefer."

Elanor definitely just talked way too much.

Mani cleared her throat and shook her head. Well, they already knew about the mark on her back so there was no point in concealing it. She would love to wash herself after days of not being able to.

Elanor's smile never wavered. It's almost eerie.

"Hm, still hesitating?" She glanced around the camp at all nine of the soldiers including Aerendil and the two burned ones. She snapped her fingers as an idea popped into her mind.

"How about you, me, and the other girls? I'm sure they would love to take a break."

Mani scrunched her nose in confusion. "You assume I'll be more comfortable with more of you? The ones who kidnapped me?"

"Oh? I assumed you were uncomfortable with me only, considering I am the sister of Aeren."

Mani shook her head. "Don't worry, I hate you all equally."

"Ah." She chuckled but showed no signs of giving up.

Mani finished the last of her bread and swallowed. "Will the shackles be taken off?"

"You know we can't do that."

"Fine."

Elanor clapped her hands excitedly as she stood up. She pulled out a key from her pocket and started unlocking the cage.

"Sister! What are you doing?" Aerendil called out, jogging toward Elanor and putting a hand on the lock to stop her.

"We talked it out, the girls are taking a relaxing bath in the lake. Don't tell me you want to join us?" Elanor swatted his hand away and unlocked the cage door.

Mani snickered at the look of horror on his face.

Aerendil shook his head. "What? I would never—Ugh, that is besides the point. Why are you letting the human out? What if she makes a run for it?"

Elanor brushed his worries aside. "Oh please, there's three of us watching her. She's not going anywhere."

"Still—"

"Still nothing. This is my call. If you want, you can watch over us to make sure?"

"...Elanor."

"That's what I thought."

Mani playfully stuck her tongue out at Aerendil, who rolled his eyes. Even though Elanor was one of her captors, Mani couldn't help but admire the way she put Aerendil in his place.

When the door was unlocked, Mani's ankle shackles clinked as she walked out. She looked up to the sky, smiling at the taste of 'freedom.' Elanor ordered Aerendil to gather the other female elves and he did so without any other complaints.

The brunette elf and a red head walked toward Mani and Elanor.

"Aerendil says you called, Captain?" said the brunette one as she glanced at the freed Mani with a puzzled expression.

Elanor disregarded her confusion and explained, "Yes, we're all going to take a nice and relaxing bath. Mani, this is Freya and Olfina."

She pointed to the brunette and then the red head respectively. Mani glanced at the two but didn't bother to introduce herself. They only looked at her too. It's not like they haven't been briefed about her.

Elanor clapped her hand on Mani’s back, causing her to wince. "Well then, let's go!"

Mani caught Aerendil watching the four leaving out of the camp's forcefield with furrowed eyebrows.

"So... No one is going to mention how weird this is? Why are we doing this, Captain?" Olfina questioned as she skipped beside Elanor.

"Because why not? We all need a break." Elanor replied, flashing a smile at Olfina. They seemed close.

"That's not a great reason, Captain," Freya remarked, glancing over her shoulder at Mani. She was the one holding onto Mani's chains.

Mani didn't say anything as she glanced around the forest. A change in scenery was like a breath of fresh air.

They walked for a few more minutes as their footsteps permeated the quiet air. They reached a lake in a clearing and the view was beautiful. It's not too far from the camp and it's small. Elanor didn't say anything more as she stripped her armor off, and the others followed her example. Mani surveyed the area before shifting the chains on her wrists and ankles to get out of her clothes.

Once they were all in the lake, Mani let out a soft sigh as she felt the dirt washing away from her body. Her hands brushed on her skin as she removed the grime she accumulated ever since her capture.

She made sure to stay away from the others with her back against the edge of the lake.

Elanor, of course, was the first to make her way toward Mani.

"Mani! Join us, will you?"

"No thanks."

She sighed and to Mani's dismay, the other two made their way over. There was an awkward pause when they arrived before Olfina spoke.

"So... It's nice to have a dip in the lake," Olfina said as she used a handful of water to wash her face.

Freya leaned back on the edge of the lake right next to Mani which made Mani move away a little. "Yeah, but if you ask me, the best thing about this is getting some time away from those men. We've lived together for way too long."

"I agree. It is nice to have some girl time," Elanor said.

Mani's eye twitched in annoyance. Why the hell were these elves acting like they didn't just kidnap her? They're acting like they were all friends.

"Mani. Tell us about yourself. We're curious." Elanor directed the focus onto Mani. Mani looked away awkwardly.

She splashed the water a little. "Nothing to say that Aerendil hasn't told you all about."

Olfina sputtered and Freya closed her eyes. Elanor's smile didn't waver at all.

Elanor chuckled. "Really? Would you like to hear about what Aerendil has told us about?"

"Captain, we shouldn't!" Olfina protested.

"Nonsense. It's not like she doesn't know information about herself, also this information isn't classified." Elanor said, brushing off Olfina's protest.

Freya cut in with her own protest, "That's not the point, Captain. How would Aerendil feel about this?"

Olfina switched up at the mention of Aerendil and a smug smile graced her lips. "Oh~ Of course you'd be worried about Aerendil's feelings."

Freya's face flushed and she shoved Olfina bashfully. "Shut up."

Mani raised an eyebrow and glanced between the two. Elanor was doing the same but with a smug smile instead.

"You must have missed Aeren, Freya," Elanor chimed in.

Freya seemed to have had enough as she swam away without another word. Olfina and Elanor laughed at her as she retreated.

"Anyway, back on topic," Elanor said, both Olfina and Mani glanced her way, "Let me tell you about what Aerendil has informed us."