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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A tad anxious, I followed Beatrice through the doorway. Had it been a room filled with men, I wouldn't have felt such nerves rushing through my body as I did now, but this was a room filled with orc women, whom I'd only ever seen pictured in books, and whom I've idealized for years and years, fantasizing about how they would make the perfect partner. Until a human stole my heart, of course.
To make things more complicated, they weren't just orc women, coming back into our lives. These women were scared, traumatized, and most of them still pregnant with the enemy. They had been kept in captivity their entire lives, abused in all ways, living in cruelty.
I was the first man they'd meet who had good intentions. So, yes I was nervous. I knew I had to win their trust.
Beatrice had told me they had been doing a lot better lately, though, which I could only respect. She said they ate well and were learning our rules and our ways faster than expected. Especially the human langauge. When they came here, they spoke like a child, just words and simple sentences. Perhaps because they were too scared to talk. Or they just chose not to. Either way, it was admirable they'd learned a language in captivity in the first place.
As I stepped into the room, I heard their breaths hitch. My presence caught their attention just as much as theirs caught mine. Dozens of pairs of wide eyes stared at me. They sat at the tables, close together, a tense expression on their faces.
Sometimes it was still a little unbelievable they were here, actually here, living in my mountains.
They looked healthy and better than I had expected. It was clear that their short hair was cut not too long ago—probably butchered by that fucking council—but it was also shiny and looked soft. It was clear that Beatrice, Betsy, and the rest had taken good care of these women, and that made me pleased and proud.
We slowly walked further into the room, Gyda's hand still secured in mine. She held my hand tighter now, and I instantly turned my head to peek at her. To my relief, she smiled and looked at the women with warmth and friendliness. There was no fear. It was what I'd been worried about: that she would fear the female orcs. She was just back to her old self and I didn't wish for her to become that scared, emotional mess again.
We halted our steps at a fair distance from the women. I didn't want to come too close and figured it was best to let Beatrice take the lead for now, knowing that these women felt safe with her. She was their leader at this point, the one they would follow. She and Betsy. And possibly that new woman, Moura, who was present in the room right now as well. I wasn't their leader yet, and that was understandable.
"This is Orvar," Beatrice said, "Beside him stands Gyda, his wife. Together, they have a daughter. Her name is Skye, and she looks just like you." Beatrice now looked my way. "I've told them all about you both and your daughter."
I softly growled as an answer and looked at the newest Azuk clan members.
Just like any other person could be fat or thin, tall or short, dark-skinned or pale, these women all looked different. But they had some of the typical female traits: they were slimmer and shorter than us orc men, their facial features softer, and their chests bulging with breasts hidden inside their dresses. The typical orc traits made them different from the other women: tusks grew from their bottom jaw, their ears were pointy, and their skin a shade of green-gray.
