Beg him to stay with me.

"Please don't go," I burst.

He crouched down and lifted my chin. "Hey, you'll be fine. They're too scared of you to approach you. If anyone tries to hurt you, don't hurt them back, just call out for me."

"But if I can't hurt them back they could do a lot before--"

"Akira, you'll be fine."

"Please, Master, just stay here with me."

"You know it would be terrible for my reputation. Sleeping in the hay next to you just to keep you safe would send mobs my way."

"Then come back once it's dark, I'm begging you."

He nodded. "Alright, fine. I'll be back in a few hours, once everyone's asleep or drunk. "

He kissed me on the forehead and walked away.

I smiled a little, despite the situation.

Searching for a comfy position for my neck, I watched the sun go down, waiting for Master to come back.

.

~ ~ ~

.

*Warning: temporary super dark shit*

Footsteps approached, and a lamp illuminated the stables. But they weren't Master's footsteps; they steps were hard and heavy, unlike the light-footed glide I was used to.

The innkeeper, a wrinkled, bristled man, peeked in on me. "So you're a Moonlight Elf, eh?"

I swallowed.

"I can tell from the horns." He knelt down a few feet away from me. "Last year, my son joined the war against your kind." He set the lamp down. "He never came back."

He brandished a meat knife.

My breathing quickened, and I curled my legs up so I could be as far from him as possible.

"And by the way, I put enough jasmine in his majesty's tea for him to sleep until sunhigh, so it'll be just you and me for a while." So I had until sunrise, not noon.

"Please don't hurt me..." I begged. If I injured a human, the King would make a big deal out of it.

"My son probably said the same before he got sliced open."

The moonlight didn't reach me. If this man intended to kill me, he could wound me bad enough that as soon as the moon went down, I'd die, though I'd be immortal as long as the moon was up.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked quietly.

"Haven't decided yet, but probably."

I glanced around rapidly for anything I could use as protection. There was nothing but hay and horseshit.

"Rowan!" I screamed. "Master!" Anything he'd respond to.

"I told you, he can't hear you," the innkeeper said, and held the knife to my arm. "But I heard they tore my son limb from limb."

"Elves follow the mercy code, anyone who makes a slow kill is brought before the court of--"

"Shut up. I do the talking here." He sliced into my arm, and I winced as deep purple blood blossomed from the cut. "I could saw your horns off," he thought aloud. "Then you'd just be an elf."

My horns had nothing to do with my moon magic, but they _were _threaded with nerves. Bumping my horns on doorways was always a painful issue, but I could always feel wind speed from them. They were so sensitive, I could sense an arrow cutting the air towards me from a yard away. It would be incredibly painful for them to get sawed off...

"Unfortunately I didn't bring my saw or axe." He put another slice into my arm, much deeper this time.

I groaned, teeth grit, as blood spurted out from the trail the knife made.

"So the Prince thinks he can tame you?" he chuckled. "He needs to be more focused on destroying the North."

"Master didn't have any say in whether he got me or not," I snapped, "and he knows there are better ways than destroying the North."

He punched me right in the nose. "Really, so your 'Master' is a soft spot for you?"

I breathed hard out of my mouth as my nose dripped.

"I really hope you end up killing him before his coronation, that is, if you're alive in the morning. He wants to make peace with the North. He doesn't know what he's talking about, because he's a spoiled brat who's never done anything that his father didn't tell him to."

I thrashed against the chains, hoping to startle him.

He chuckled. "Wow, have you gotten attached to him? You really are a pet. He's slain thousands of elves, you know. He's been in the front lines more often than any other soldier, but all he ever wants to talk about is peace. His life is total irony. He loves to ****, hates to kill."

"His father forces him to do that," I hissed.

"Does his father **** him to **** elves? I figured he was torturing you to ****, just like how my son wrote that he did to captured elves, but it turns out you're just a prized ****."

"He wouldn't do that," I burst.

"Yes he would, and yes he did. If he really cared about you, then why are you just a ****? Why'd he leave you chained in the stables where anyone could get to you?"

"H-He knows I can defend myself."

"He wouldn't want you to defend yourself. He probably told you not to," he laughed, "Cause he'd be under public scrutiny."

"He already is," I insisted.

"Most people love that he's keeping an elf locked up. They think he might be finally changing his mind about peace with the elves. I've heard that he whipped you, **** you, starved you-- all that good stuff."

I looked away, knowing I wouldn't help the Prince's case by defending the idea that he treated me well.

"So why are you traveling? Just out of curiosity."

"To give doctors samples of my blood and saliva to heal people."

"Oh, so he's having you revitalize his army against the North?"

I went silent.

"You know, that's a good idea, I can get on board with that. But we can still have some fun tonight, can't we?"

He traced the runes on my shin with his blade. I did my best to hold as still as possible, and didn't call out.

He hummed, picking up some rope.

I struggled against him as he tied my ankles, wrapped the rope around a post, and pulled until I was stretched out. He knotted it, examining his work.

"That's better."

"Master!" I screamed.

"Were you not listening to me? He's asleep. And even if he were awake, he'd probably watch this through a hole in the wall just to watch you hurt, knowing he could still retain your loyalty."

I shook my head.

"It's true. Admit it." He made a slice down from my chest to the bottom of my dress, cutting off my clothes. "I should gut you for what happened to my son," he muttered, and plunged the knife into my thigh as I squealed like a pig. "Go on, scream for mercy," he hissed, "but you won't get any."

He intricately traced the runes on my stomach.

"I wonder if he'll still like you just as much if I cut these off," he said, circling my breasts with the knife, "Or stuck you right up here." He pointed it between my legs.

I started to cry a little.

"I could carve you a brand new hole. Maybe here," he pointed to my hips, "or here," he moved to my stomach, "or here." He pointed it right between my eyes. "Somewhere new for him to fuck."

I trembled, shaking my head, unable to speak.

"I can cut your feet off, and see if you can try to run away from me. Or cut off your hands and see if you can win a fistfight."

"Please don't, no, please--"

"I may very well cut your tongue out. You'd be much better silent. The only sounds you could make are those **** moans of him fucking you."

I went back to crying, not wanting to lose my tongue.

He chuckled, and cut my bottoms off. "Damn, elves have tiny little pussies."

I tried to squirm away from him, but he gripped my thighs tight.

"I'm surprised you haven't gotten split open yet, I'll bet I could hardly fit a finger in there."

I thrashed like crazy. There was no was I was going to let him touch me. It was bad enough he'd seen me like this, that people in the castle had seen me naked, but touching was for Master only.

"Ugh, what, you think I actually want to put a finger in there? What, so you can bite it off?"

Finally, that vaginis dentis rumor is in my favor.

"I could chop that crazy hair off. Pull your fingernails off. Stick a knife down your throat." He sighed, smiling. "I can do whatever the hell I feel like doing. This must be how the Prince feels every day."

"Master! Prince Rowan!" I screamed again.

He kicked me in the jaw. "Shut the hell up, bitch, or I'll send you to hell where you belong."

He stood up, turned around, and picked up a horse whip.

Before even being struck, I squealed again, bawling.

"If you don't shut up, I swear to god I'll feed you your own toes."

I went silent, bracing myself for a flogging.

He whipped me, and I grunted, keeping my mouth shut. Clearly he wanted to hear me make noise, because after that he only hit me harder.

My whole body was on fire after only a few hits. Purple lines traced my body, rug-burned and oozing blood.

"I wonder if those horns are sharp enough for me to hammer them into a post," he said. "Dangling in the air, begging for your life, that sounds exciting."

He grabbed a sledgehammer and untied my legs.

"No, please no--"

"I said shut up!" he yelled, and slammed the sledgehammer down on my knee.

I screamed as he blew my kneecap out.

I groaned as he grabbed me by the horns and unlocked my chains. I was light, so he had no problem hoisting me into the air by my horns.

I was like being dangled by your hair-- it hurt just as much, but instead of straining the skin on your head, it strains your bones right into your skull. Moonlight Elves weren't meant to be dangled by their horns, just like humans weren't meant to be dangled by their toes.