Monsters of Love - Various! OCs x Reader

An Elven Prince's Bride

It's not that the elves and humans were at war. The two races always had a mutual understanding of the other's boundaries and remained amicable towards one another. They had been allies for centuries. Of course, this was all thanks to a treaty that the two sides signed when the Elven community was in great danger. The treaty required that a peace tribute be exchanged between the two powers every fifty years as a renewal of the vows taken with the signing of the document. The current year happened to fall upon one of the fifty year benchmarks, and you happened to be in your early twenties.

You were very excited to be able to witness the event of friendship. Many of your classes throughout your lifetime covered the importance of the treaty and the past peace tributes. They consisted of jewels, gold, or some commemorative tapestry made from the finest silks. This year, however, the king of the elves asked if the council of humans that oversaw the treaty and its conditions would be willing to indulge him in a special request for the peace tribute. Naturally, the council met over the course of several days to discuss what should be done before coming to the conclusion that the special request could be done, but they kept what the request was under lock and key. No one was to know what they would be offering that year until the day of the exchange. Well, everyone except for you was to be left in the dark about the subject.

The letter had arrived at such an odd hour. Most people had already gone to bed but not you. You still found yourself awake, nestled in the large windowsill in your family's home with a book in hand and a steaming cup of herbal tea to help relax your body further. A knocking at the front door disturbed your quiet time and your sleeping family. Your father pulled on a robe and headed to the door, the fire poker in hand since it was rather late at night, and late night visitors usually meant trouble. He opened the door a crack with you standing directly behind him, trying to get a glimpse of the person who so boldly showed up late in the night. A male dressed in messenger garb stood outside with a satchel slung over his shoulder.

"Is this the (l/n) residence?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"It is... May I ask who you are, and why you are here at such a late hour?" your father inquired as he opened the door further.

"I have a letter for Miss (f/n) (l/n) from the Council of the Continents. They have asked me to deliver it, have her read it, then come with me immediately." He dug around in his satchel and produced a parchment paper with the seal of the Council of the Continents stamped on in red wax to keep it closed. "Miss (l/n), I presume?" he questioned before handing the paper over to you.

You took the paper with the most delicate of touches and dashed to the kitchen. You rummaged around in one of the kitchen drawers for a knife. Once you had a sharp enough blade, you slipped it under the wax to break its seal without ruining the image. Unfolding the paper with slightly shaking hands, you read over its contents. Your breath hitched as your skimmed over the words "marriage" and "prince".

"What's going on?" your mother asked tiredly while walking out of their shared bedroom, a shawl draped over her shoulders.

"I haven't the faintest idea, darling... It seems that the Council needs something of our second daughter..." your father responded as he let the messenger in and out of the chilly night air.

You clutched the paper to your chest as you finished reading it, a small look of fear gracing your features before casting a glance between both of your parents. "I must go."

"We're not letting you leave with this man until we know exactly what is going on."

"Father, I must. This is urgent and I... I am not allowed to speak about the matters written of in this letter."