An army of orcs, an ambitious young leader with an impossible proposal, and more secrets yet to be revealed. While Orvar and Gyda would love nothing more than to spend time with their newborn girl, the universe has other plans for them, but they are...
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The ceremony would start right before sunset and Orvar and I were getting ready for it.
As he was busy braiding my hair in front of the mirror, I looked at him, smiling. His hair, freshly braided, fell over his chest. As I looked at all those beautiful strands, I remembered how I had once received such a braid as a gift, not knowing that one day my hair would be braided by that same seven-foot-tall orc, whose braiding skills were honestly much better than mine.
"It's getting longer," he said, his fingers working fast. "Grows fast."
"Must make you happy."
"It does."
"Your hair is getting longer too." I reached behind me to touch it. It felt silky smooth. "Do orcs ever cut it?"
I knew that cutting someone else's hair off was an insult to the enemy—the ginger and black strands of hair that Orvar had taken back with him after the last mission were proof of that—but I didn't know if they cut their hair to keep it healthy.
"We only cut off the part that's dead." He tied the braid up, then dipped his hands in oil and rubbed it into my hair before he started braiding another section. "It sometimes needs to be cut to grow. You know that."
"Yes. I think I have to cut mine soon, too." I didn't want to cut it now it finally had gotten longer, but it was needed.
I sighed, looking at the poppy lying in my lap. I'd taken it out of my hair before Orvar started braiding, and I'd forgotten it was there. It had turned ugly, just like I'd predicted.
"Are you okay?" he asked, finishing the last braid.
"Yes. I was just thinking." Through the mirror, I looked at Skye's crib. "Have you thought about Skye and Cagan?" I asked.
He hummed. "I have."
"You have? And?" I asked.
He lifted me out of the chair, sat down, and pulled me onto his lap.
"I've thought about it long and hard, and... I wanted to share my answer with you before I share it with the others as this involves our daughter."
"What is your answer?" I asked, rather impatiently.
"That she's not to be traded."
It was as if a weight lifted from my shoulders. "Oh, thank you."
"I knew you would agree."
"I do. But..." I looked at him. "This also means you will have another war coming. And that makes me worried." He caressed my face. "How about the others? When they hear about this, won't they be angry with you?"
I imagined the orcs weren't very eager to go into battle again.
"I'm their leader. They will stand behind me on this one. As much as I love our girl, this decision isn't only for her. It's also for me."
