Chapter Text
“Well, now, now,” the auctioneer drawled as Elvis was dragged closer and closer to the stage, struggling all the way. “We’ve had a good run tonight, folks. Lotsa wood elves, lotsa lycans, lotsa money flowing. But! Now, it’s time to end on a high note.”
His lips curled up as Elvis was brought the very edge of the wings, waiting for the right moment.
“As you all know, dark elves, now they are hard to get yer hands on, and their little’uns... suffice to say, it’s not easy. But, tonight, there will be one lucky esteemed patron out there, because we’ve got one special specimen today to feast your eyes.”
Elvis was shoved out, and the auctioneer grabbed her by the arm, dragging her struggling self in front of him.
“It would seem that six years ago, a little halfling was born into the world, all alone!” he roared, and the crowd exploded as Elvis stood there in a bare tremble. “And she’s not just a halfing, just take a look. As we all know, the best dark elves are the ones with those glimmering ruby eyes, and what a looker we have here. Young enough to be trained, guaranteed to be strong, and the dark elves don’t even know she exists! A guaranteed safe investment!”
He grabbed Elvis’s hair by the fistful, yanking up blonde strands to show off her angry red eyes.
“Her ears ain’t got much of a point, but ain’t she a pretty little thing?” he cooed, and lifted his head. “Starting the bids at a million jenny!”
Elvis couldn’t see the crowd from through the blinding lights. She was only vaguely aware of them. Paddles were going up, and the auctioneer was rattling off in response, the money ticking up, up, as she stood up on stage in nothing but tight little boy shorts and a tube top, to show off how ‘healthy’ she was for those uninterested, and worse for those that were interested. Her anger was clear on her face, but it was only making the crowd more rabid.
What sort of bullshit female lead—
She almost didn’t catch it through the noise of the crowd. A pop and a hiss, but her eyes darted, and she caught the sight of smoke rising. Her heart leapt in her chest, and screams rose up as someone noticed.
“GAS! THERE’S GAS!” someone screeched, and the gas floated towards the stage, towards her, and the auctioneer reacted swiftly, throwing her halfway across the stage.
“Take it!” he roared at the ‘trainer’ just off the wings, and the man reached for her, but there was a flash of black across the stage, and his arm flopped to the ground before Elvis could even fully see what just happened. It took a beat longer for blood to spray, but she was swept out of the way of the blood splatter by a dark cloaked figure that pressed her face to his chest.
“You’re alright,” he murmured in lightly accented Imperial, and the sweet scent of the gas reached her nostrils. “Just close your eyes, it’ll be over soon.”
Someone said something in a language she didn’t know, and she was vaguely aware of the screams from below, but her head was starting to spin. There was the jingle of keys, and the shackles were pulled off, and then she was wrapped in the black cloak he’d been wearing and lifted up. The world was hazy, but she caught sight of a man, no, a male elf just behind the man holding her, a wood elf, she thought. With pale skin and beautiful white hair, and the two exchanged words as she got a half-decent look at the man holding her.
Dark brown skin like hers. Pointed ears, and blonde hair like molten gold, just like her. And... red eyes. Just like her...
Then, her head started spinning in earnest, and she went limp. Sleeping gas, her brain recognized. So, that’s why everyone was wearing masks that went all the way over their noses. She couldn’t really see their faces... How frustrating...