Loving an Orc (A new beginning series)

Chapter Two

            Elis trudged along the dirt road, dragging the bucket along with her, most of the water had spilled but she took no notice as she battled the tears that sprung to her eyes. She was going to meet her betrothed today. The Orc who paid a dowry and would be expecting a bride in return, a willing and enthusiastic bride. One who would cook and clean and have his children and...

            "Gods," Elis sank to her knees as the tears defeated her "Let him be kind please, I won't care that he is not human or that he's ugly but please let him be good to me".

             She had wanted to run away so many times, she would walk to the end of the foot path between her home and the forest and think of all the places she wanted to go, all the things she would see. If only her heart did not threaten to fail her when people spoke to her, if only she did not freeze at the mere thought of looking people in the eye, if only Sara and Matthew were safe. If only she wasn't such a coward, then maybe.

            "Please." another strangled sob escaped her.
            
             "Elis," Sara's voice reached her and she scrambled to right herself. Her dear sister had done her best. She complained to the village chief arguing that accepting a dowry without the knowledge of said bride should be enough to make it null and void. Old Tom had said that if they could make back the dowry before the Orc returned, then there was a chance her case would work. Orcs were not known to be kind to those who broke promises but this could be an exception but it would take them much longer than a month to make ten gold coins; the amount her father was given. Elis opted to take work at the village inn, in the kitchens where she would have the least interaction and Sara took a second Job but two weeks later when they were both worked to the bone and had barely made a third of the money, Elis knew they were grasping at straws and one night as she watched Sara put together dinner, her back to her, chatting about her day, smiling even though she was utterly exhausted. Elis became painfully aware of how she had seen this before with her mother. Two women she loved working too hard to make up for the mistakes of a man who would disappear on them at times like this. Mistakes they were not responsible for, but she was not going to let this end the same way.

            "I'm going to marry him," she said quietly. "The Orc, I'll marry him Sara"

             "What are you saying?" Sara turned from the stove, shocked. She moved to Elis, her arms circling her shoulders and bringing her in for a hug.

             "You won't have to, I'll pay it back. I'll take more work..."

              "No, it's fine. I can't have you do that, I mean it's impossible."

              "It isn't. I..." Sara began before Elis cut her off.

               "I'll give it a try, it might work. I'll make it work"

                "Give what a try?" Sara moved back to peer into her sister's face. "Marriage? To an Orc? Let's forget he's an Orc for a moment Elis, How do you intend to make marriage with a stranger work? You can barely talk to the milkman and you've known him all your life and you think you can make this work?"

              Sara shook her head moving back to continue making dinner.

         "Of all the absurdities,"  she mumbled to herself then continued loudly "You'd simply have a heart attack so don't think about that, I'll take care of it. I already spoke to the baker, there's a job delivering bread to the next town, I took it and..."

            "No". Elis muttered.

             "What?" Sara turned.

            "I said no," Elis jumped to her feet, her voice louder with each word "and you'll listen to me. I will not have you work yourself to death like mother did and for my sake even less. I'm going to marry this Orc, I'm going to make this work, and if he's unkind to me I'll run. I'll run so far but I'm going to be happy if it's the last thing I do."