Tansy of the Wilds

Chapter Twenty-Four

Her words washed over him like a gale sweeping through a desert, refreshing and much needed. She saw him, not as Xer'tal the orc, the brute. She saw him as a creature of kindness, silent strength, and virtue. She saw him not through the lens of fear, not as the tales spun of his kind, but as a guardian, a companion, someone worthwhile.

Hearing her talk about herself, her yearnings of finding someone who'd value her for her eloquence instead of wishing for her silence, twisted something deep within Xer'tal's chest. He watched her, understanding flickering in his eyes, every word she confessed etched in his mind, revealing the woman beneath the constant chatterbox, beneath her lively sprite. Tansy was a conundrum, a unique blend of bubbling chatter and profound depths.

"Yer pa's wrong, Tansy," He grumbled softly, without any real semblance of aggression. The realization sat heavy on him, knowing that there was someone out there who found her undying chatter and vibrant personality far from annoying. That liked her as she was, that wanted to be by her side as she went through her life chattering and burbling like a brook, wild and free. He was weighed down by the realization that, that someone... was him. The thought that some other man would ever be around her like that, made a vicious anger rip through his stomach.

He found Tansy to be charming - her relentless spirit, her unabashed chatter, her emotional vulnerability, her utter kindness given without restraint; everything about her had drawn him in like a moth to a flame. And for someone who had all but resigned himself to a life of intimidating glares shrouded in silence, Xer'tal was taken aback at the admission sitting ready at the tip of his tongue. He already knew he wanted to be her blade, the highest declaration an orc male could give to a female but the fact he had been ready to blatantly admit it, threw him.

A moment passed and he gently caught her arm, halting their trek as he turned to look at her. He felt his expression soften. "Tansy," His voice was as solid as rock, heavily laden with truth. "Ya don't need to be quiet for somebody to like ya. Ye're brilliant the way ye are, y'know. Talkative and lively. Remember, it's their loss if they can't appreciate ye. And 'bout that scarecrow... that was just plain mean." It was and the more he heard her unprompted stories about what her family was like, mixing with what he had witnessed himself. His dislike for them grew. Who were they to try and stop that little bit of sunshine from shining?

He watched as she flushed before she reached up and touched the hand on her arm. "And you are good and you are brave and you are one of the best men I have ever met. And I've met a lot."She gave him that sunshine smile, the one that made his guarded heart jump and that warmth grow in his chest. "I say this with all the honesty I can muster in my bones, my life has only improved with you in it, Xer'tal, because you are a wonderful person and I feel like my life is better for meeting you."

"We need to keep pace." Tenzin snapped it out as he walked by, Tansy jolted but nodded. When her hand slipped from his and she started walking again, Xer'tal threw a dark look at the back of the wood carver's head for his audacity. He resisted the urge to grab his axe, have his hand tighten on the smooth handle as he tested its weight. The little worm had interrupted and that didn't sit well with Xer'tal. He now acutely missed the days when it was just Tansy and him walking the road.

The only thing that kept the puny human alive was the fact that Tansy needed to bring him back home to her family.

They continued on the road back to her family's lumberyard and Tansy kept talking at him, the words burbling out of her like a fresh mountain's stream, like birds fluttering in the trees and Xer'tal listened, doing his best to hide the soft smile that wanted to cross his face as he glanced at her every so often. She talked about everything and nothing and everything in between but everything was important to him, no matter what it was she said, it was important.

When they set up for the night he watched with hooded eyes as she took her hair down and started combing it, humming softly. "Papa says that my hair is probably my best feature. He says 'Tansy, you are hardy, resilient, but you will never be as pretty as your sisters, but I can't deny your hair is your best feature." His fingers twitched in the memory of touching those silken strands and he wanted to bury his war roughened hands into them, to drag her close to him so he could lay his claim down on her until it was sunk deep into her bones. "I quite like my hair, I think I told you that before, Xer'tal. I like keeping it long. I think the length suits me better than short hair."

"Will you shut up!" Tenzin's voice was a snap of annoyance that made Tansy jolt and Xer'tal's heart thundered in his chest. Anger rose up in his veins and he narrowed his eyes at the thin carver. "You talked all day, I think the orc and I have earned some silence, don't you?" He watched as the carver narrowed his eyes at her and when she hunched her shoulders, when she whispered out a small apology.

All that anger burbled up inside of Xer'tal. "Don't ya dare speak for me, human." His deep voice echoed in the clearing, calling out the man's crass interruption. His garnet eyes drilled into Tenzin as he unfurled to his towering height, his nostrils flaring as a resolute, dark scowl settled over his features. "Tansy ain't got no reason to shut her mouth." He stepped in front of her, a formidable figure looking more intimidating in the dancing firelight. "She's got a right to talk all she wants and if ya have a problem with it, ya can go camp elsewhere. Am I clear?" The man could fuck all the way off to Berget if he thought he could open his mouth like that at Tansy, Xer'tal would see to it.

He felt a soft touch to the back of his hand and when he looked down, Tansy gave him a soft smile, the hurt still clear in her hazel eyes. "It's okay, Xer'tal. Thank you for defending me but he does have a point, it is getting late and it's time for sleeping, not chatting." Xer'tal considered her words, fixating his gaze on her gentle smile, allowing her softness to wash over his roused anger that someone would dare speak to her like that in his presence.

His chest rumbled in deep understanding, acknowledging her silent plea for peace, even divulging the pain of undeserving reprimand. The comfort she found in him melted away the residual anger, leaving a potent surge of protectiveness in its place. Though the words she said were meant to break the tension, he heard the underlying plea, the unwarranted guilt.

Tenzin didn't say anything, just glared at the both of them and yanked out his bedroll from his pack with a sneer. Xer'tal watched as Tansy tried to give him an apologetic smile but the man ignored it as he lay down with his back to them both.

Xer'tal's large, calloused hand engulfed hers, squeezing it gently in a silent reassurance against the biting words of Tenzin. He nodded with a grunt. "Right, Tansy." He relented to her plea despite the urge to continue the confrontation. He found his voice softer than before, soothing, almost, showcasing his reluctant acceptance of Tansy's choice not to fight.

As the night spread its silent serenade and Tenzin's spite extinguished to mere embers, he helped Tansy settle into her makeshift bed. He gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before standing guard over their camp, carving a perimeter with his relentless vigilance that no harm would dare cross Tansy, all while wearing the silence of the night as his old companion.

As Tansy drifted into sleep and the fire crackled low, he looked at her peaceful countenance, the contours of her face illuminated by the low firelight. He wondered how someone as gentle and heartfelt as her could come in his life, how she could be so gentle with him despite all his rough edges. She was kindness, sunshine, and he couldn't believe there were people out there willing to diminish that, trying to punish her for it. It left a hot coal of anger simmer in his belly.

Under the vast expanse of stars above, Xer'tal realized he wasn't just the orc, the bodyguard, he had evolved into Tansy's champion, willing to fight off any foe, regardless of any coin given to him. He wanted to be her blade, be her shield. He knew she wouldn't understand the sentiment behind it but he felt, deep down, that he had been made for her.

But he wouldn't put that on her.

The last thing she needed was to be tied to a damned orc.