Loving an Orc (A new beginning series)

Chapter seven

           Morning came and met Zorg wide eyed and frustrated, he hadn't been able to get more than a couple hours of sleep and even that had been fitful. Memories of the last night replyed in his head, the wedding,  the brief conversation he had with Elis and his very embarrassing escape from her room.

          "I must have looked like such a fool" he groaned sitting up in the makeshift tent he and brothers had set up around his wife's house.

          "You look like a fool everyday." a voice broke through Zorg's slight headache and he looked up to find Uram grinning sheepishly at him

          "The morning seems to have met you well" Zorg shoke his head as he made his way out of his tent, stopping and stretching as he looked around. The others had taken down their tents and were in the process of deciding what they wanted for breakfast.

          "I can't say the same for you" Uram replied slapping a hand on Zorg's back and fortunately dodging a well aimed right hook.

          Zorg glared at him trying to reach the sore spot on his back  "What has you so happy today this morning?"

          "Only the fact that he's won a few coins on your head". Arga strolled over the same sheepish smile on his face. He was an older orc, with a lot of years on him. He had come as an elder but to Uram and Zorg he was more like an older boisterous brother.

          "Uram here bet that you wouldn't get to second base with your lady" Arga explained, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his grin stretched wider. "Who knew you wouldn't even make it to the first".

          Uram snorted, "Might I remind you that you called the bets and placed against him first"

          "Alright then, we both won a few coins on your head" Arga corrected himself before he and Uram fell over each other laughing so hard Zorg wondered why they weren't choking on their laughter.

          "That's none of your business," Zorg snapped at them very unamused at their shenanigans. "...and I doubt Nina would think otherwise"

           That shut them up really fast, Nina wasn't to be crossed.

          "Come now, it was only a joke," Arga put a hand around Zorg's shoulder "no need to tell on us. I was only hoping to offer advice seeing as I have quite an experience"

          Zorg shrugged his hand off heading in the direction of the reason for his sleepless night. "Hold on to it until I need it, not that I ever will"

          "If you say so," Uram called after him "but you better not be putting up an extra tent today"

          Zorg ignored the loud laughter that erupted behind him. He was going to get back at them, later. He stopped to clean himself before knocking on his wife's front door. A smile tugged on the corners of his lips.

          His wife. He liked the sound of that. The door cracked open and Zorg spent a few seconds staring at where a person was supposed to be standing before excited babbling made him look down.

          A baby. Sarah's little boy was staring up at him arms stretched out and it took a moment for Zorg to realize why. He picked up the child, bouncing him and couldn't help but chuckle at the baby's excited laughter. He imagined that he'd have to spend a lot of time playing with he and Elis's children. A daughter who looked like her mother would be extremely beautiful, he smiled to himself before his thoughts came to a halt.

       Would Elis want to have children with me?. He never really thought of children much until that moment and that could be the same for Elis, there was a possibility that she wouldn't even want children with him. The thought made him choke, it didn't matter if she didn't want them anyway but he smiled at the thought of children who looked like her.

           Matthew was already distracted by Zorg's braids and was currently trying to rip it out to get a closer look. Zorg opened the door wider to find the front room room empty, his mate and her sister nowhere to be found.  He made his way to Elis's door hoping to talk to her about his actions yesterday. He imagined she was as confused as he was but the sound of sobbing coming from the other side made him stop short.

          Was Elis crying? Did her father do something to hurt her again?. Rage bubbled and he swore he was going to break the old man's legs. He made to knock on the door but now the sobbing had paused and he could make out Elis saying something to her sister.

         "Zorg wouldn't even..." Me? Zorg blinked in surprise. Is she crying because of me?. He strained his ears hoping to find out his crimes and do something about them.

        "I didn't....but Zorg....ugly. I don't think I want to do this." Elis broke off to begin sobbing much louder as Sarah tried to confirm her.

          Zorg reeled, setting Matthew down as he made for the front door. Why hadn't he thought of it? He was an orc and she was a beautiful young woman, there was no way she would ever think of him as anything but ugly and revolting. She'd been forced into this marriage by her father's actions and not once had he asked her what she thought about it or even if she wanted it. He was as much a villain as her father.

         "I've been such a fool" Zorg muttered, running his hand through his hair. Pain seared through him when he remembered how she cried helplessly.

          I have to make this right, somehow. He was going to do something about this, if she wanted to stay back, he would let her but even the thought of that broke him.

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