--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heldon shivered softly in the darkness, pulling vainly against the shackles that held him attached to the wall. The young elf felt the rough stone against his back, his bright blue eyes well visible in the shadows. His figure was slim and his skin a dusky color, fully visible since the only thing he wore was a white loincloth. Black hair fell down about his shoulders, his delicate pointed ears rising from its strands...
With a sigh, Heldon closed his eyes, thinking back on what had happened to bring him here....
When the word went out that a truce had been called between High Elves and Dark Elves, no one at first believed it. The war between those two kindreds had lasted for ages, and had grown so bloody that most were certain they would end up by obliterating each other. But the leaders had finalyl seen sense, and soon after, a peace treaty was signed.
No one was as everjoyed by the news as the Sylvan Elves, whose forests lay between the realms of their light and dark cousins. They had suffered the hardest, caught in the war's crossfire. But they rejoiced too soon.
Under the treaty, some Sylvan Villages went from High to Dark Elven dominion. At first, the Sylvans cared little whom they paid tribute to. But the Dark Elves proved to be much harder masters... they oppressed the woodland folks, and as sylvan women were of legendary beauty, rape became common in those places. The High Elves did nothing to intervene, not wishing to endanger the new treaty.
From one such rape, Helian was born. Yet his mother, unlike others in that situation, did not dispise the hybrid, and instead nurtured and cared for him. Thus Heldon grew up knowing love, sharing a clsoe bond with his half brothers and sisters... but knowing suspicion or hatred from both sylvans, who saw the dark strain in him, and dark elves who were revolted at seeing such a hybrid, they who believed in the purity of their blood.
One day, Heldon's village was attacked by an unofficial raider party, made up mainly of dark elven slavers. Heldon's family was slaughtered, and he was dragged off with many others... back at the dark elven stronghold, the women were dragged off to the brothels, and the men to the arena... but Heldon was stripped to his loinclth and brought into a dungeon, his arms shackled to the wall.
Now he waited in the cold darkness, his young and quite handsome features distorted with fear... he had heard terrible stories of dark elven slavers... and the women were said to be more cruel still than the men. Suddenly he heard the sound of stone grinding against stone, and his body tensed...
Heldon shivered softly in the darkness, pulling vainly against the shackles that held him attached to the wall. The young elf felt the rough stone against his back, his bright blue eyes well visible in the shadows. His figure was slim and his skin a dusky color, fully visible since the only thing he wore was a white loincloth. Black hair fell down about his shoulders, his delicate pointed ears rising from its strands...
With a sigh, Heldon closed his eyes, thinking back on what had happened to bring him here....
When the word went out that a truce had been called between High Elves and Dark Elves, no one at first believed it. The war between those two kindreds had lasted for ages, and had grown so bloody that most were certain they would end up by obliterating each other. But the leaders had finalyl seen sense, and soon after, a peace treaty was signed.
No one was as everjoyed by the news as the Sylvan Elves, whose forests lay between the realms of their light and dark cousins. They had suffered the hardest, caught in the war's crossfire. But they rejoiced too soon.
Under the treaty, some Sylvan Villages went from High to Dark Elven dominion. At first, the Sylvans cared little whom they paid tribute to. But the Dark Elves proved to be much harder masters... they oppressed the woodland folks, and as sylvan women were of legendary beauty, rape became common in those places. The High Elves did nothing to intervene, not wishing to endanger the new treaty.
From one such rape, Helian was born. Yet his mother, unlike others in that situation, did not dispise the hybrid, and instead nurtured and cared for him. Thus Heldon grew up knowing love, sharing a clsoe bond with his half brothers and sisters... but knowing suspicion or hatred from both sylvans, who saw the dark strain in him, and dark elves who were revolted at seeing such a hybrid, they who believed in the purity of their blood.
One day, Heldon's village was attacked by an unofficial raider party, made up mainly of dark elven slavers. Heldon's family was slaughtered, and he was dragged off with many others... back at the dark elven stronghold, the women were dragged off to the brothels, and the men to the arena... but Heldon was stripped to his loinclth and brought into a dungeon, his arms shackled to the wall.
Now he waited in the cold darkness, his young and quite handsome features distorted with fear... he had heard terrible stories of dark elven slavers... and the women were said to be more cruel still than the men. Suddenly he heard the sound of stone grinding against stone, and his body tensed...