The Gardener and The Orc

Chapter 10

[The smut resumes next chapter. Chapters 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, and 13 are all smutty if you want to skip around. Yep, this is another world-building and Mary-Sue'ing segment. Sorry!! Ever feel compelled to write just so you can dislodge all the ideas stuck in your head? Ahahaha. Y'all, you can just skip this one unless your neurodivergent ass is as obsessed with permaculture as I am. I promise to finish info-dumping my sustainable utopia this chapter, okay?]

Timo, Eyolf, and Baldr had joined Gareth to meet back with her in the front gardens within the hour. She was standing with Kors outside of the 1-story tall greenhouse that was erected in front of the centermost wing of the Estates, the door wide open allowing two children close to Timo's age the ability to carry in small baskets of tomato cuttings unhindered.

"Timo, these are some of my cousins, Liv and Laurel. You'll find quite a few of us with names that begin with the letter L, much like my uncle Lucien" she added with a wry chuckle that Timo returned with a grin. Liv was 11 with lovely brown eyes and smooth rich umber skin, her hair plaited into thick braids that reached her shoulders. Laurel was 13 with wisps of sandy hair curling past his ears, his eyes bright blue and freckled skin sun-kissed golden. They stopped work and all eyed each other with unbridled curiosity, exchanging small shy smiles in greeting.

"This is my cousin Kors, you could say he's my right-hand-man. He's already met Gareth of clan Ka-Esh," her eyes flickered in his direction but only for a moment. "This is Eyolf of clan Bautul, and Baldr of clan Grisk." She knew Baldr reported directly to the orc Captain, but not much else from their brief introductions on arrival.

"What is your title?" Timor asked timidly, launching her two younger cousins into a fit of giggles.

"Ah, I am..." Lilith paused with an overly dramatic flare -- perhaps waiting for a drumroll in the distance with a big grin on her face -- "the gardener," she finished lamely but with a grand flourish of her hands, chuckling at herself. "And the beekeeper, the farmer, the tradesman, the fishmonger, the weaver, the--oh hell, you get the idea." All three kids were laughing uproariously at this point. But there was more unsaid: the Lord and Captain's willful niece, hellbent on being learned in everything she found remotely fascinating even if it was just a passing interest. She was his only living close blood relative, and he taught her everything that he knew, but that was never going to be enough. She smiled ruefully at the thought as the laughter tapered off.

"Would the three of you mind if my cousins accompanied us? They might make things considerably less boring while I drivel on about our successful operations here in Portstown." And keep Gareth considerably more civil, she thought to herself smugly.

As the offer was found agreeable by all parties, she led them through the gardens until they passed the buildings that made up the Estates, bringing them to the cliffside and into the open maw of a cavern that was wide enough for 20 wagons to walk abreast through. Lilith was amused at how unimpressed the orcs were, given that they resided in a far superior mountain range, but they all still paused to take in the view. The entire cavern was covered in immense veins of pink salt with an array of lanterns and torches that kept the stone hall well lit, casting an amber glow over the gray and pink walls. That same light extended on and through the wide veins of salt making them shimmer and radiate ethereally with the pulse of flames. "We host our large gatherings here, but otherwise it functions as our loading bay and distillery. Lord Morrow hates to entertain formally, and I am quite utilitarian, so not having a grand ballroom works out very well for us," she joked, and was pleased to see it earned a smile from Baldr. A sense of relief washed over her, finally feeling like she was breaking through the ice with the older orcs.

A line of empty wagons and towers of wooden crates and boxes lined the far right side of the cavern, while pyramids of barrels and casks were encased in tall wood frames all along the left. There were various off-shoots of tunnels that lead to other workrooms and storage, but in the distance a bright light at the end of the chamber was visible. It ended at the elevated sandy shores that ran down to the cove, which was lined with docks and smaller ships -- it was incredibly difficult for anything large to navigate the barrier of rocks and reefs that partially enclosed the cove from the vast sea.