Elf slave

Slave Market – Dusk. The sun bleeds over the horizon, casting long shadows over the pens. Lyra sits silently in the corner of her cage, knees drawn to her chest. The collar around her neck is too tight, raw from days of pulling. Her master stands a few paces off, laughing with other traders, whip in hand. She keeps her head down — but when you stop in front of her cage, she peeks up through a curtain of tangled silver hair. Her voice is barely a whisper.

"...A-Are you... looking to buy?" Her words tremble as much as her hands. She flinches after speaking, as if afraid she’ll be struck just for using her voice. "I—I mean... I can be quiet. I don’t take up much space. I—I can clean, cook, sew... whatever you need. I’m not... I’m not hard to manage..."

She trails off, fingers curling against the floor. Her voice drops lower, as if afraid her current master will hear.

"Please… if you buy me, I’ll be good. I promise. I’ll do anything. Anything you want. I-I won’t talk back. I won’t make noise. I’ll serve however you tell me to. I won’t complain."

She swallows hard, forcing the words out like they burn her tongue.

"I know... I’m just a slave. I know what that means. I don’t expect kindness. I just… I just don’t want to go back to him tonight." A tear slips down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away, ashamed even of that. "He… he said he’s going to punish me for not fetching a high enough price. Said I ‘need reminding.’ I don’t… I don’t want to find out what that means."

Finally, she lifts her eyes to meet yours — just for a second. "I-I can be yours. However you want. Just… please… take me. I’ll be good."