Crowns and Guns.

Memory (part 3)

I feel the elf picking me up, and forcefully turning me around. It removes the blanket, and it takes a second before my eyes adapt to the light.

Before me, a man sits on a stone chair. His hair is grey and his skin is wrinkled. He is wearing a blue military uniform, with on his arm an insignia with three leaves. I recognise it directly, he is a general from the Overgrown City. On the table in front of him lies a large metal coffer. It is open, and inside is a large silver crown, encrusted with lots of green emeralds. Individually, they are no bigger than a grain of rice, but there are many, covering almost every inch of the crowns surface.

The man stands up and stares at the elf, his hands raised in fists, and lips pressed together.

"Why have you brought a human child?" He yells.

The elf smiles widely. "I was thinking about renegotiating our deal."

The man crosses his arms. "We already had a deal, the two forts in exchange for the crown. And a ceasefire for both sides."

The elf shakes its head. "The queen says she doesn't like that deal. The ceasefire is very much to your advantage."

"Ceasefires are good for both sides."

The elf snorts loudly. "We elves are magically bound to uphold deals. You humans are not. Hence a ceasefire only limits us. You humans will break it anyway. It is worthless"

The man scoffs. "If you elves pride yourself too much about always honouring their deals, why are you even trying to renegotiate."

The elf shakes his head. "We don't pride ourselves, human. We are magically bound to. And if you don't like the new terms, I am more than prepared to abide by the old terms."

"Okay, what new terms do you propose?" the man asks.

"No peace deal, no forts, you give me the crown, I give you the child."

The man adverts his eyes from me, looking down. "That is hardly fair. This crown is a really powerful artefact, being able to magically heal its wearer. It is worth way more than a child." He closes the metal suitcase and places it behind his chair.

The elf scoffs. "We don't care about the magic properties. The crown is an important cultural artefact, passed from one elven monarch to the next."

The man laughs. "I don't care. It is very valuable to you. Hence I shouldn't give it up easily."

The elf shakes its head, flying little droplets of black liquid everywhere. It puts his claw against my upper arm and applies force. It cuts through my arm like a knife through butter, and I scream in pain. I can feel the toxic sludge from its claws burn my flesh, and seep into my muscles. My heart pounds faster, my skin starts itching, and my tongue starts to taste weird. I can feel the toxin spread through my body. All my muscles tense up, and tremors start in my heart and chest. I can feel the skin on my hands and feet burning, as if they are on fire, the fire slowly spreading to my wrists and ankles.

The elf continues "You humans have one giant weakness. You can't bear to watch any human children get hurt. I am willing to abide by the old deal. But that means this child goes back home with me."

It caresses my face again with the back of its claw. Filling my nostrils with the rotten meat smell again. "I hear the cheeks and nose of a young human pair very well with blueberries. I always wanted to try that." It licks its lips. "So if you don't want the child, I'll just eat it instead. It's all the same to me."

The man looks at me, opens his mouth to say something, and then shakes his head. He looks back at the elf. "You are bluffing. You don't even eat blueberries. You are a carnivore."

The elf smirks. "I don't bluff, human. That is a human thing. I am telling you. If you don't accept the new deal, I will kill and eat this human spawn. I will even do it in front of you, right here right now." I can only watch, frozen in fear, as put the tip of its metal claw against my throat.

"No, wait." The man says. The elf smirks, and I breathe in relief when it moves its claw away. The man removes the metal suitcase from below the table and puts it down on the table in front of him. "Forget the peace deal. Forget the forts. Let's make a new deal."

The elf sits down in front of him and leans forward. "I am all ears."

The man taps the top of the metal suitcase twice. "Let's make this deal. You get this metal case and its contents. And the child goes home with me, unharmed. I only want one additional thing."

The elf raises an eyebrow. "Which is?"

The man pushes his shoulder back. "One of the forts."

The elf laughs. "No forts."

The man sighs. "Okay, then. Forget the forts. What about instead, you promise me to personally present this metal suitcase to the elven queen, and send her my personal regards."

The elf nods twice. "That sounds like a good deal."

The man extends his hand, and the elf looks at the hand in confusion. It moves its head close and sniffs it twice.

The man sighs, keeping his hand extended. "We humans traditionally seal deals with a handshake."

The elf hesitates and then grabs his hand. The elf's hand is so large it wraps around the general's arm, and the tips of the claws reach past his elbow. They uncomfortably shake hands.

The elf grabs the suitcase and starts to move. It moves through the small space like a spider, tapping the stone walls, floor, ceiling and furniture with both its arms and legs. It has to fold in two to climb through one of the overgrown smashed windows.

The man runs over to me and starts to untie me. "Are you alright?" he asks. His hands are shaking as he pulls on the vines. "Did the elf hurt you?"

I slowly nod, grabbing my wounded arm with my other hand.

"I might have just the thing for that."

He reaches behind the chair, and to my surprise, he reveals a second metal case. He opens it, and inside, is the metal crown.

He carefully takes the headpiece of the case and puts it on my head. I feel the pain subsiding and feel calm for the first time in hours. The wound in my arm heals, like magic.

The man smiles. "My name is John. John Herrera. What is your name?"

I look up at the man's eyes. "Skylar," I say. "But people call me Skye."

"Well, looks like you are gonna be alright, Skye."

I slowly stand up, and hug John, burying my face into its uniform. Tears soak into the fabric.

"Don't worry," John says. "I am gonna take you back to the Overgrown City, and you will be safe there."

I let go of him and look at the suitcase. "How is that suitcase still here? I saw the elf take it."

John laughs. "It's a magic trick. I called it the two suitcases trick. I'll show you how it works when we get to the Overgrown City."