"I could use another woman for my 'collection,'" he said with a laugh. Isallia did not find it so amusing. "Yes, I've never had an elf among my women. Quite frankly, I've never seen one this up close before."
He stepped down from his spot at the head of the table and came close to examine her. She refused to meet his gaze. She was not some wild animal to be gawked at so. The king circled around her, like a wild cat watching his prey. This greatly unsettled Isallia. At first she assumed him to be a child-like fool who was only amused by the newest "toy" to his collection. The look he was giving her now told her there was something darker behind that gaze.
"Yes, very charming features," he said, completing his examination. "You know, I imagined them a little shorter, but this one's actually quite beautiful. A little bony, sure." He pinched her side, which caused her to bolt around, and give him a fierce look. "But she'll be presentable in a couple months," he finished, chuckling. "I like the fire this one's got in her eyes. She'll be a real treat."
"You so much as touch me again, and you will find limbs ripped off," Isallia spat.
The king seemed hardly fazed and laughed again. "Oh, yes, quite a bit of fun indeed. However, I think it's time you started getting used to the rules around here, little elf. From here on out, you will address me as 'your majesty' or King Roland. Are we clear?"
"Damus has a special place for people like you when you die."
The king's friendly demeanor shattered as he grabbed her by the throat. She never realized how quickly his personality could turn around. She suppressed the urge to quiver with fright. Only now had she come to realize what a dangerous situation she was in.
"I have guards here, a great many actually, who would love nothing more than smashing your pretty body bone by bone. I'd watch how you speak to me. Now then, I imagine these fellows here have not properly taken care of you on your journey here. You must be tired. My servants will show you to your chambers." He tossed a small bag of gold to the hunters, who greedily snatched it up.
Isallia was meanwhile halfway down the halls, following the servants. While it would have been easy to overpower them, she knew the king was right, and that with his masses of guards, she had no hope of escaping...yet. She would take the time to figure out the layout of the castle and plan her escape from there. It was not like that would be hard. With her only being a member of his slew of women, she'd probably get free range of exploring the castle. Plenty of opportunities to watch guard shifts and figure out the best time to make her leave.
The bed chambers she was given were quite elegant, she had to admit. She was a little surprised with how big they were. It made her wonder if the king treated all his women this well, or if this was only small lodgings and there were grander rooms for his favorites, or even the queen, if there was one.
Still, she had to admit, she was tired. She climbed in to the massive, but incredibly soft bed. She was a little disturbed by the animal fur blankets. Not that she was unused to having animal hides for coverings, but just not this much of it. She wondered how many animals had been slaughtered to make something like this to cover a bed this big. Still, the castle was much more drafty and cold than her snug hut in the forest, and decided that beggars could not be choosers. Isallia did not realize just how tired she was as she almost instantly drifted off to sleep.
She awoke to a cheerful voice greeting her. "Ah, did I disturb you, miss?" the serving girl said as she set down the last of several trays.
Isallia sat up to find that a more than hearty breakfast had been set out. More like a small feast, she thought. Something like this could've easily fed all the elders in the village back home. The girl must've noticed her wide-eyed look. "Oh, no one expects you to eat all this," she said, "at least not yet. No, his majesty just didn't know what sort of things you would like. We've never had an elf before."
She slowly got up to survey all that they had brought. One thing she immediately noticed was the overpowering, and sometimes conflicting smells of all the flavors. "There seems to be an awful lot of meat just for breakfast," she said.
The girl wilted a little, feeling as though she had done something wrong. "Oh, a thousand apologies, miss. Do elves not eat meat?"
"No, it's fine. We sometimes do," Isallia said, trying to make her feel better, "just not so much at one time. It seems like an awful waste to kill so many animals for that."
The girl nodded. "Noted. I'll let the cooks know by this afternoon."
Isallia sniffed at what appeared to be a familiar smelling berry smell coming from what looked like some sort of gelatinous spread. She began to put some of it on a piece of bread. She had to admit, she had never eaten this well back home, and for the odd assortment of human cuisine, it wasn't all that bad. Plus, her captors had practically starved her for the past few days. Anything would’ve tasted good at this point. "Will there be anything else, ma'am?" the girl asked.
"Oh, uh, no I guess, uh..."
"My name is Tevi, miss."
"Uh, Tevi. No, I plan on looking around the castle some."
The girl's eyes went wide, thinking that was the silliest thing she had said. "Oh, no, miss, you're not allowed to leave your chambers."
Isallia's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
Tevi shifted nervously, trying to find the best way to explain. "Well, you see, miss, the king entertains a great many lords and such from neighboring lands, and he is very particular about showing off to these visitors. Since you're one of the new girls, you're well...not suitable to be seen yet."
Suddenly, it seemed to register. The other women she had seen, the food, it all made sense now. "He wants to fatten me up, doesn't he?"
"Well, his majesty does clearly have a type, miss. Oh don't worry. It isn't all bad. Some of the girls really do like being here, and the cooks are excellent. If it's boredom you're worried about, I can make some arrangements. Do you like sewing? Reading? Wait, can elves read?"
As the girl babbled on, it was all Isallia could do not to vent her frustrations in the slew of curse words she wanted to say. That bastard was smart, smarter than she gave him credit for anyway. It was a perfect way to keep her from escaping. Keep her locked away in here until she was too big to really get out. Hm, she'd have to get more creative if she was going to get out of here.
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