She had watched her childhood home destroyed. It was a moment that would linger in her mind probably for the rest of her life. She had been taken out along an escape route before the destruction had begun. So she had managed to watch from a distance the power of the Elsiran Empire fall upon her people. She had gazed on helplessly as fire rained upon it. Watched as people fled from the city and scattered to the winds. Watched as Grand General Nalista held the city in the palm of her hand and crushed it in a fist. 

Things had rather become a blur for Selena. After she had escaped from the destruction of the capital they had fled into the countryside and managed to link with other survivors. At least until the elves found them. One moment she had been about to be dragged off to some horrible fate and the next she found herself speaking to an elf so beautiful he made her feel like she was basically a pig in a dress. It was almost as though he had stepped down from somewhere faraway where mortals weren’t allowed, a being beyond the reach of human and even elven hands. 

With a few words from him her fate had been changed, and indeed the fate of all those she had been desperately fighting to protect. She had half expected him to sneer and strike her to the ground as one of the soldiers had done. Instead he simply shrugged and made it so. She felt a wash of relief go through her at that. One that quickly evaporated as she realized he had saved her from being used as a common slave, but that didn’t save her from the fate of all humans under Elsira. 

Being reduced was unlike anything she had expected. A particularly bored looking elven woman had simply flicked her wrist and spoke a few words and just like that the world shifted around, changing and altering her perspective forever. She went from standing near the same height as these beings to being rendered a bug upon the ground compared to them. The floor had become a vast and unknowable plain. Those around her were dazed and confused. And then a very well dressed elven servant entered with a pair of boxes, one made of finely carved wood and the other of ivory. Her massive fingers came for Selena first and she found herself deposited in the box of ivory, landing upon the plush and supple inside of the box where she found herself alone. 

She had rather expected to immediately be removed and interrogated by the prince, but instead it seemed almost like hours passed. When light flooded her again it wasn’t the prince that towered on high, it was the elven servant woman. She reached in and gripped Selena gently but firmly. What she found waiting for her was a rather intense grooming session unlike anything she had experienced. 

She was bathed in a basin of rosewater and indeed she was expected to soak for at least half an hour in the warm water. Not something she was going to complain about as she vigorously scrubbed the dirt and grime from her form. She was given a meal, new clothes. Whatever she requested as well the giant servant elf woman above was quick to grant. Any comfort she might need was immediately availed to her. Part of Selena had to wonder, as she slipped into the lovely white dress, if this same servant wouldn’t be tormenting her if things had turned out differently. 

Whatever the case was eventually she found herself brought to a suite that looked vaguely familiar to her. She realized it was the suite she normally stayed in when visiting Castle Rheinweise. Only it had been changed and decorated to be suited to elven tastes it seemed. The finery bore many of the symbols of Elsira, their eagle being prominent among them. It was a complex feeling, to once have walked these halls at a different scale. Now she was sitting in the palm of an elven servant. 

Lounging in a rather plush chair and looking over a series of scrolls scattered on the table was the prince. Selena found herself almost having to remember to breathe as she gazed upon his flawless form towering in the distance. His soft beauty was almost magnified by the difference in scale. The dark brown skinned elf flicked his golden eyes upon her and the servant and gestured toward the table with his hand. The servant bowed her head and deposited Selena on the table and then took a spot at the side of the room. 

“The proper thing to do is to get to your hands and knees and bow when in the presence of royalty.” He remarked as she stood before him. 

There was a spark that rose up in her, her brow twitching at the easy manner the words escaped his lips. She bit back her fiery reply and instead swallowed her pride. She slid to the table on her knees in a whisper of fine fabric, placing her palms to the table and bowing her head to the towering form of the prince before her. It felt like surrendering in a way, however she was not oblivious that things could be vastly worse at the moment. 

“Your grace, thank you for your kind treatment thus far.” She managed to get out. 

“I wouldn’t call it kind. Practical perhaps. You are still a slave after all. Just a slave in my service.” He mused as he finally set aside the document he was looking at and regarded Selena fully, those irises of gold fully upon her. 

“Albar has been defeated in war. Its future is that of an Elsiran province. I am not blind like so many of my fellows in thinking we own the land yet however. The Albar Royal army is gone, however there are still pockets of resistance here or there from humans. The land itself is ravaged and much of what was useful has been rendered ruins and ashes. It will be an undertaking to bring Lyssia to be a decent province. To that end, you are my only piece of good news since arriving here.” He remarked. 

She paused as she drank all that in. “You want me to help you fully integrate Albar into Lyssia.” She stated rather than asked. 

“You catch on quickly. I see the clever trait carried over from your brother. Good. Yes, you promised your willing cooperation with my efforts. I have a rebellion to crush, infrastructure to build, and politics to navigate. No man rules alone unfortunately.” He said at length. 

There must have been a flash in her eyes as she opened her mouth because he cut her off. Not with words but with setting his foot on the edge of the table as he leaned back. The motion shook the table enough to interrupt the half inch tall woman. His dark bare foot pressed its sole into the edge of the table, five pristine and pedicured toes wiggling ever so before her. It was a sight that was enough to give her immediate pause, her eyes fixed upon the sight perhaps longer than was necessary. 

“I do hope you haven’t misunderstood our positions here, Princess Selena. You are my slave. Your life and future is in my hands. If I ordered it, you could well be licking the toes of the woman that brought you here today. You don’t have a choice in service to your betters, you simply have a choice who you will be servicing. Either me. Or…” His eyes turned to the servant that had brought Selena in. 

The smug way he phrased it made Selena want to punch him even if she knew he was right. Serving him meant she could perhaps at least affect meaningful change. Maybe. At the least better than being a servant’s plaything. So she bowed her head again. “I choose to serve you, your grace. I only hope you find my words of value.”

“Good. In that case we will get started immediately. I’ll start with asking for a list of your noble houses, the general power structure of your country, and how the surrounding countries viewed you.” He said. 

Just like that he was all business. Selena watched as he shifted back, his brown heel lifting up and setting upon the table as he crossed his legs at his ankles. She swallowed as the shadow of his feet towered close enough that he could have lowered a foot and pinned her under his sole. The prince made no such motion however, simply letting her stew in his shadow. An idle gesture for him, something vastly more to her. 

She cleared her throat and spoke up. “Well, most of the houses were destroyed during the war.” She started before he waved a hand. 

“Pretend they weren’t. Pretend I’m a foreign prince visiting your country when it was at its height and we are enjoying tea. Actually, a good idea.” He flicked his wrist and the servant in the room went off to prepare a pot of tea. 

She frowned but nodded. “As you wish, your grace. Our major houses were House Mittar, House Viskar, House Liserat, and House Wiess. House Mittar controlled much of the border towns. House Viskar controlled much of the north. My house, House Albar, controlled the heartlands. The south was split between House Liserat and House Wiess. Of all of them, I believe only House Wiess didn’t commit many forces to the war.” 

“Why was that?” He asked curiously. 

“Well, Duchess Lorena Wiess has always been rather frigid toward the royal family ever since she was overlooked on being granted territory in our last war with the Grand Duchy. It was granted to House Liserat instead. Far as I know she kept to herself during the war.” She said. 

The prince drummed his fingers along his chin as he digested that information. Selena honestly had no idea what the woman had been thinking. It wasn’t as though the elves cared for the politics of humans. They would enslave all of them if they could. She had no idea what had become of the woman or her house, she had assumed it had been destroyed like everyone else by this point but she had no way to know. Now that it had come up she supposed she did wonder. 

He nodded. “Interesting. I’ll have to follow up on that one. Continue.” He bid as the servant returned. 

She bore a tray and set it down on the table. She poured out a hot and steaming cup for the prince, offering it to him before glancing at Selena and then the large normal sized cup on the tray. She seemed to think for a tick before pouring out that cup and then flicking her fingers. A spark of magic saw the cup and its contents reduce in size. Enough for Selena to pick it up. It was still more a bowl of tea rather than a cup compared to her but, well, beggars couldn’t be choosers she supposed. 

She took a sip of her tea before continuing. It was extraordinarily strange, almost citrusy. Most teas of Albar were rather bitter and bracing. This one was bursting with a flavor she was not used to. It was pleasant however, welcoming and soothing at the first sip and only maintaining that same pleasant taste through the experience. The prince himself looked quite serene as he drank, curling his toes above her ever so. It was still surreal looking up at anyone like this. Part of her still believed she was dreaming. 

“In any event. Our power structure is not too strange. At the head is the royal family, the House of Albar. Beneath the royal family you have the four great houses of the Dukes. Beneath the Dukes there are a series of Counts that control counties. Beneath the Counts are lastly Barons that control towns, cities, local centers of power essentially. There is overlap of course here or there but those are the major systems.” She finally spoke. 

“Interesting. I note the country below your own is known as the Grand Duchy. Any reason you share similar systems? Or is that simply common on this continent?” He asked. 

“Ah. The Grand Duchy was once part of the Empire some two hundred years ago. It split off under the Vilheim House, currently ruled by Grand Duke Herod Vilheim.” She clarified. 

“I suppose that answers my question about one of your neighbor relations. What of the other two countries closest to Albar?” He asked. 

“I’m not the most schooled in the politics of either one, so you will have to forgive me, your grace. Thuan is a Free City, essentially a rather powerful and wealthy city state that boasts the strongest trading fleet this side of the world. A very fiercely independent entity. The Republic of Nura meanwhile is rather isolationist. I would describe their relations with us as icy at best. They are noted for loaning out mercenaries that use strange magic.” Selena said. 

“I suppose that's about all I can hope for there. Honestly a lot more than I was expecting.” He mused as he sipped at his tea. 

His approval had her release a sigh of relief. He flicked his fingers against the rim of his cup as his eyes appeared to once more be distant in thought. That look on his face reminded Selena of someone. Her brother Rickard would get the same pondering expression when his mind was far afield. It made her rather nostalgic and also brought a feeling of loss to her heart. She managed to hold back those waves of sorrow. 

“You’ll be pleased to know your fellows are alive and well. The servants have appreciated the attention. Good slaves, rather motivated. Seem to think I’m the most merciful of beings around.” That drew a snort from him as though the idea amused him. 

Selena found herself smiling despite the situation. So they were all alive then. Slaves, sure, but alive and hopefully they would stay that way. She shuffled forward upon the table, her dress shifting around her as she approached one of his towering feet and leaned in. She placed a kiss along the massive heel before her, the soft skin inhuman really. Softer than anything that Selena had ever felt. There was humiliation at the gesture but she pushed it down. 

“Thank you, so much your grace. Your mercy is the reason they are alive. You didn’t have to do it but you did and for that you will always have my thanks.” She said. 

Prince Virion blinked from the gesture, not expecting it clearly but not uncomfortable with it. Obviously he wouldn’t be, he probably had dozens of tiny slaves that tended to him without even needing to ask. His lips tugged upward after a few moments and he let out a chuckle for some reason, finishing off his tea and setting it down next to him. 

“It was practical and as you said, the benefits outweighed the inconvenience.” He remarked blandly. “More to the point I lack the glee of many of my siblings in crushing and devouring humans. If something is potentially useful, make use of it. Casting it aside out of hand is a waste.” He shrugged as he shifted his foot back and stood up, his form towering far far above Selena. 

“In any event I have some other matters to attend to. If you need anything the servant attending you knows to handle it.” He said. 

With that he swept out of the room. Selena stared after him and found herself rather wondering why he cared about any of the things he asked her. It was a contradiction for an elf to really bother with the affairs of humans after all. All she had were her thoughts and theories for the moment.