"Whaaaaaaat?!"
I shout, my head spinning.
"Ufff... calm down, lady," Mr. Omahorn says, rubbing his ear.
"How can I calm down when you are saying that a War—a fucking War—started because of me?!"
I take a few steps forward, my hands shaking.
"It doesn't make sense! Yesterday I was about to be raped, and today I started a war? What the fuck are you talking about?"
My legs give out. I squat down, clutching my head, hyperventilating.
"It's okay, calm down... take deep breaths," Omahorn says. He squats down too, placing a heavy hand on my back.
Around us, the crowd starts whispering.
"You all, leave," Omahorn commands without looking up.
"Seems like the lady can't handle crowds. I will tell her about the plan myself."
SHUFFLE... MURMUR
The soldiers and mages file out of the tent, casting curious glances back at me.
Once we are alone, Omahorn helps me up and guides me to a chair.
"Here, drink this." He hands me a cup of water.
I drink it greedily. After five minutes, my head finally stops spinning.
"You alright?" he asks, pulling up another chair to sit beside me.
"Yes... now please explain."
"Well then, let's start from the beginning." He leans forward, looking directly into my eyes.
"Do you know what you are?"
"Yeah. A human female."
"That's where you are wrong. Didn't you hear me yesterday? You are an Elfen daughter."
"No... that... doesn't make sense." I shake my head. "My parents weren't elves."
"Those parasites weren't. But your actual parents were."
"Wha—how do you know that?"
"High Elves like myself can easily identify other elves," he answers smoothly. "When you were a child, your human parents stole you from your real family."
'What is he talking about? There's no way I am an elf. I don't know magic. I don't know any arts. I don't even have long ears.'
"Putting that aside," I say, pushing the identity crisis down for a moment.
"I still don't understand how a war could've started because of me."
"Wow. I expected more of a reaction after finding out your real identity," he chuckles. "Well, let me tell you the full story."
He stands up and unfurls a smaller map on the table.
"You know what this village is called, right?"
"Yes. Solvesetso."
"Do you know which Kingdom it falls under?"
"No..." I feel embarrassed by my lack of knowledge.
"The Xinyth Kingdom. Ruled by the Xinyth family of the Human race," he explains, pointing to a large red section of the map.
"And the one neighboring this is the Great Empire of Brenniterra," he says proudly, pointing to the green section. "Ruled by the Brenniterra family of our great Elfen race."
"Now that you know the players, let me tell you where you fit in."
Over the next few hours, he explains the history of both empires. The hatred. The border skirmishes.
[It will be explained later, for now, its not important to this story.]
"I still don't understand," I interrupt. "Where do I come in?"
"Well... you are the casus belli," he says. "The reason for war."
"Due to the alliances between all the neighboring kingdoms, dynasties, and empires, the Brenniterra Empire couldn't attack the Xinyth Kingdom without a justifiable cause. So... we made one."
He points a finger at me.
"You."
"The kidnapped daughter of a Duke. Forced into slavery. Tortured by humans. That is more than enough reason to justify a war in the eyes of the Alliance."
"I am... a daughter of a Duke?" I ask, shocked. Hope flares in my chest. Maybe my real parents are powerful.
"Oh, not at all," he laughs, shattering my dreams instantly. "That's just how you are going to be presented."
He leans back in his chair.
"A few weeks ago, a High Elf merchant visited this place. He sensed an elf in this village—you. He didn't make contact, but he inquired about you from the villagers. He reported everything to me in the nearby town of Ogstad."
"I told my superiors. And then... this plan was made."
I stare at him. I feel cold.
"So if I wasn't an elf... what would have happened to the plan? And to me?"
"Well, we would have just thrown the body of a dead elf here, or used one of our own
trained soldiers as a fake victim," he answers casually. "And as for you... I think you already know."
I would have been raped. And killed.
"So what happens to me now?" I ask, my voice trembling.
"Nothing bad," he smiles. "You are going to live a good life. Sometimes you will have to tell your side of the story to the people of the Alliance. But don't worry, we will give you the script."
He stands up and gestures toward the tent flap.
"Now, rest. You have a big role to play."
That was the last time we talked.
For the next six years, I lived a "good life."
I was trapped in a tower like Elizabeth from the stories. I had to recite my fake story to officials from the Alliance. And countless times, I had to disrobe and show the marks of my abuse to male workers to "prove" the cruelty of humans.
I wasn't taught any magic. No skills. No self-defense.
The only thing I learned was the Elfen language.
After six years, I was kicked out.
Forced to live in the same village—Solvesetso. But now, it was a ghost town with less than fifty people.
The reason?
The Brenniterra Empire lost the war against the Xinyth Kingdom.
How? No one knows. Whoever went to find out never came back.
After living in the ruins for a few years, the village was attacked again. This time by slave catchers.
I was captured easily.
"And after that... I met you," I say.
I look up at the man in front of me.
My Prince Charming.
My eyes glitter with tears and hope.