She felt cold. Very cold. Was this what death was? She could deal with the cold but the pain that came with it was not what she expected of the eternal bliss of afterlife. Desa had probably ended up in hell. With all she had done, it was a no brainer. Her chest ached and her throat burned. Her everything was dark. But she realised that was because her eyes were closed.

Could she not have died? Her slowly rising breaths started to come faster in panic. Why wasn't she dead? She forced her eyes open to a bright small room with sand coloured walls. The windows were draped so she didn't know what time it was. The room was fairly big with a table on to one side with chairs and a couch set in the middle, there was a hall on the left side leading to somewhere and two more doors were behind her. She noticed a chair was missing from the dining table in the room and looked down. She was occupying said chair.

She was tied with heavy ropes and she was soaking wet. Her clothes were red stained and felt sticky. She turned her head and smelled her shirt. It smelled like wine. Why was she soaked from head to toe in wine? Then it dawned on her. That's what she was drowned with.

Aksel Cairn was a water bender.

It was hard to come across an elf with elemental powers as straightforward as such. Some had night vision, some had shapeshifting abilities, some had affinity to nature like forest sprites or an affinity to water like water sprites and so on. But this was rare. Raw control over an element was always rare. Her hand twitched to feel the air but clamped it shut.

Just then a door from her back opened and in walked Aksel Cairn. She had to crane her neck to watch him come in and then stand in front of her leaning against the back of the couch.

He was still in the same outfit she had first seen him in so it probably hadn't been long since the fight. She looked at the bite mark she'd given him on his left wrist. It was already closing up. So an hour maybe?

She made a point of looking around the space and nodded her head, acting as casual as she could in the tight binds she was in. "Nice place you have here. Do you bring all the people that-" she bit her tongue. She couldn't actively admit her intentions of a target out loud. Another binding forcing her mouth closed.

She bittersweetly smiled at her situation and not being able to talk freely. She brushed off the feeling and relaxed, leaning on the back of the chair. "So... what's up?" She said grinning.

Aksel just looked at her disbelievingly. His black smooth hair was ruffled and in disarray, falling over his forehead and a bit of his locks were coming over his light grey eyes. He looked too good to be just standing looking at her stained, drowned miserable state. She could openly gawk at how attractive he is now that she was bound and not involuntarily trying to kill him.

"What's up? You come to my building, asking for me, talk nonsense and then try to kill me. Don't you think it's a bit late to ask me what's up?" He asked as he crossed his bulging biceps over his chest. His sleeves were still rolled and it did wonders showing off the strength he had in them.

She tilted her head sideways and smirked. "I am a bit unconventional, true. Sorry about before Mr. Cairn. I really am terribly sorry for my actions if you could find it in your heart to believe me." She said. He was never going to believe her anyways so she looked down at her boots moving them just an inch in the bindings were a relief to her muscles.

"You said your name is Desa." He said and her gaze snapped up. She had told him her name, right. Darn it. Well she had thought either he or she was going to die an hour ago so it hadn't seem to matter. Now with both of them alive and staring at each other, it seemed like a terrible idea.

She didn't reply and tested the bonds on her hands. What was his plan? Torture her? She could withstand torture. She had before. The catch was that she wouldn't be able to talk even if she wanted to because of the enchantment. She only hoped that he would kill her when he realised she was useless and would get no information out of her.

"Why did you try to kill me?" He asked in a stern voice.

Desa opened her mouth and then closed it when no words came out. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Any explanation she would try to give him would not come out of her mouth.

"Can't say really." She managed to grit out. Anyhting from admitting wanting to kill him and exposing the reason he was wanted dead and by whom was off limits from being spoken. It was hard to keep a conversation going with your victim when there were all these rules.

"Can't or won't?" He asked. He wasn't happy about where this conversation was going Desa could tell. "Why would you want me dead? We have never met before, I would definitely remember you." Aksel looked at her from head to toe.  She wondered what he saw from his point of view. Probably a deranged lunatic who ran rampant in the streets, trying to kill others.

"We haven't met Mr. Cairn. I would remember you too." She said. It would be hard to forget those eyes and chiseled jaw once you saw them. She was actually relieved that she hadn't been able to kill him.

He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. "You aren't making any sense."

She chuckled and nodded her head, "I know it must be so frustrating. So how about we cut to the chase where you get bored and really have had enough and just decide to kill me." She closed her eyes and tilted her head back to bare her neck. "I prefer a quick death if you can."

When she heard no movement she righted her head and peeked open one eye. "Come on I won't even look you in the eye as you do it so you can live with yourself afterwards. Chop-chop Mr. Cairn we haven't got all day." Desa said and closed her eyes again.

After a minute had passed and still there was no movement, she sighed and looked at him. He was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a questionable bewildered expression.

"Are you mentally ill? Is that why you attacked me?" He asked genuinely curious. His light eyes were puzzling over her, trying to solve her.

"I can't refute the fact that I am a bit mental yes." She said sheepishly. "Oh no wait! If I say that, you might take pity on me and decide to spare me. I am as sane as a healthy elven. Now just kill me." She said with a straight face.

Aksel scratched the light stubble on his jaw and said, "You do seem unhinged that's for sure." Desa just looked at him with pleading eyes. Maybe he would really kill her if she was a threat to society.

But he made no moves to grab a weapon or hurt her. She threw her head back and let out a long groan. "Can't you decide a bit faster I'm drenched in wine and cold." She shivered to prove her point.

Aksel just leaned over the couch and grabbed a blanket, then threw it at her. It hit her in the face and dropped on her lap. She glared at him but said, "Thanks."

She had no way of drying herself or wrapping it around her body but at least her lap and legs were warm now. "Okay so let's just say that you won't kill me." Desa said. Aksel rolled his eyes like it annoyed him that it took her this long to figure that out.

"Then what do you plan on doing with me? Torture? Get information?" She asked. She was merely curious not scared but as she watched Aksel grip the back of the couch in his hands and look at the floor with a frown. She realised something.

"You don't know." At her words, Aksel's gaze snapped up and he stood up throwing his hands up in disbelief.

"Of course I don't know. I haven't had someone come at me trying to kill me before." He paced in front of his chair looking at the ground as he did so. His strides were laced with power and grace even when he was unnerved.

"Well take all the time you need I don't have anywhere to be." Desa said as she smiled sweetly. Aksel just stopped mid stride and looked at her. His gaze was locked on her smile, it was a genuine one. She was tied and not killing someone so this was a good night. He just looked at her for a moment longer, then resumed his pacing.

It was a few minutes of watching him go back and forth when she was bored of waiting and cut through the silence. "Do you want me to help?"

He stopped and turned towards her with his hands on his hips. "How are you going to help? You're the reason I'm in this." He gestured towards the room.

"True but I can just tell that you are oh so morally challenged right now. So let me tell you that your best option is to kill me. Not ask me for anything, not let me go, don't turn me over to the Avilfell guards or bring anyone else into this." Her face was as serious and straight as she could manage. "I am telling you now, the only option is to kill me and go far away from here."

His lips thinned as he stared back at her. "I am not a killer." Desa closed her eyes in defeat. This was just great. Any of her previous targets would have killed her if she hadn't been the one that beat them to it. Now, she was at the mercy of one and he turned out to be a morally goody good shoe. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Well, you'll figure out it's the only way sooner or later." Then she tilted her head first to the right then to the left. It was stiff from standing on watch on roof all day and now after being drowned and tied to a chair, it was screaming for a good rub down.

He approached her and knelt before her chair. She tried to scoot away from him. What was he going to do, he went after her bindings. He wasn't going to release her right? "No! No! Don't-"

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just checking if the ropes are secure." She was relieved and loosened a shaky breath. She wasn't scared of dying. She was scared of killing him if he let her go. "I need time to think about this. I'll check on you in the morning." He said gruffly and then stood up. His scent of ocean and wind brought up a yearning in her chest. He smelled like miles and miles of open air and freedom.

He looked down at her and she tilted her head to meet his gaze but Desa couldn't pinpoint the emotion behind his eyes. Before she could make a guess he had disappeared in the hall on the opposite side of the room.

A second later, the click of a door closing was heard. She sighed and tried to scoot down in the stiff wooden chair into a more comfortable position. It didn't work. This was going to be a long night.

This chapter is a bit shorter but I hope you liked it ♥️

^with the help of ai, this is what Aksel Cairn looks like.
As always I just put these up for fun and you are more than welcome to imagine your own version of the characters.

Love you ❤️