Rise of the Warrior of Everfen

Chapter 32: Let There Be Peace

Erinne felt like the world was hanging in the balance in front of her and all she could do was think about Cold Hammer. This was the moment they were waiting and praying for. They'd held off the treaty for days on end so she could recover from her near death experience. They'd sent more troops to aid the elves, and finally Lohke and Wren agreed she was well enough to continue her job as translator.

She wasn't complaining. The days leading up to this event were full of joys she couldn't describe. She and Cold Hammer had spent them together, some of them sneaking around in hopes that no one would catch on to their relationship, while other days he boastfully pulled her to his side by the fire where they drank together at peace with those around them.

Surely their love wasn't unknown, but to declare theirselves wed would be another matter entirely. Today was the day, with the treaty being signed, they were mere steps away from announcing it. She idly touched the arm ring hidden underneath her shirt and smiled until Wren's words caught her attention.

"I'm satisfied, Great Chieftain, Lohke, I will sign if you will."

"I am satisfied." Lohke proved to be quite adept at the human language but still insisted on her being here to prevent any miscommunications. He was an intelligent being. They each had a document in front of them, written in their own hands the words of the treaty, the agreements made. Wren offered up two quills and they each signed and then passed over both documents so they could sign the secondary copy as well. They sat up straighter and Wren beamed as Lohke gave a nod of approval, a strange look in his eyes. She knew what this must mean for him, what it meant for her, too. The years of pain, the struggles and hardships they'd both endured, it was over. There was peace now. There were laws and punishments for anyone who dared create the injustices she and Lohke had both suffered.

"This is it." Lohke's tone was quiet. "Peace."

"We are at peace." Wren agreed and faced her. "You helped bring this. If not for you, neither of us would have met face to face, we couldn't have made this happen."

"Come, let us tell them together." Lohke stated and rose and she and Wren followed suit. She stayed a step behind them as they left the tent and she found a large crowd outside waiting for them. Everyone had known, everyone was prepared for this moment, this was the day. They were waiting, eager, and she was pleased to see them that way. Weeks and weeks had gone by and they'd changed in that time. They'd started off with a wall of space between them and hatred fortified it. Slowly, they'd learned to tolerate each other and now they were friends standing amongst friends.

If Wren's soldiers and the countless orc clansmen that had shown up for this could learn to get along, the rest would follow. If Cold Hammer could learn to love a human, if the orc killing warrior of Everfen could learn to love an orc, they were destined for this peace.

She listened quietly from behind Wren and Lohke as they announced together, "Let there be peace! The treaty is signed!" A thunder of noise followed their words and she smiled as they cheered and roared and clapped and Erinne searched the crowd until she spotted him.

Cold Hammer watched her, and if she wasn't mistaken, there was a smug look in his eyes. He was... proud? Of her? Of this accomplishment? Or of the future they would now be able to share?

"Lady Erinne," she turned her gaze to Wren. Khash had approached him and was shaking his hand, congratulating him on bringing peace.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Your use as a translator has been invaluable, I wonder if you would consider coming back to Thunderfall with me. We could continue our work together."

She saw Cold Hammer, still lingering in the crowd, narrowing his eyes on Wren and she wondered if his orc ears could hear the king's words. She didn't remember as much as she would have liked to about human culture. The idea of seeing the city thrilled her but obligating herself to a job when she'd only recently been freed from slavery didn't appeal to her. "I'm sorry, my king, I will gladly help you if it's needed, but I wish to take some time to just be..."

"Free." Cold Hammer set his hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, not even sure when he'd crossed the distance that separated them. "I imagine with so much of your life already buried in someone else's plans for you, that you would enjoy the time to be free."

"Eloquently spoken," Wren said, "I see many orcs are learning the human tongue."

She smiled, "I was trying to put it as delicately as possible,"

"I understand," Wren told her quickly, "I can still bring you to my city if you wish. You can see Thunderfall. There are many things to offer." He drifted off a bit before he said, "I could take you to your parents' home."

"It's still there?"

"Of course," he nodded, "And by all technicalities it is still yours. You're a rich woman, Lady Erinne. I will gladly restore your family funds and lands."

"Surely someone has taken it over by now? I do not wish to take the lands of another family."

Wren shook his head and Khash interrupted, "They say it's haunted."

"Haunted?"

"Your family was killed so mercilessly, others were too afraid to go near it. So many lives lost there." He shuddered, "You can feel the souls of the dead."

"You say it like you know something of it." She raised an eyebrow but Khash didn't add to it.

Instead, Wren spoke, "They were afraid the orcs would come back, no offense to any of you." He dipped his head politely towards Cold Hammer. He didn't react at all.

"Are my parents buried there?" She asked Wren. Some part of her wanted to see it, but another part of her was terrified. It might not be haunted, only rumors, but for her it was indeed haunted, a nightmare of memories she didn't want to relive. It had haunted her steps since she left it. Nightmarish ghouls of how the entire household perished, ghosts of her parents' faces. Could she withstand returning to a place of such horror?

"Your family is buried there. What remained of them." She felt tears prick her eyes at the very thought of her parents and her father's words to keep running, keep surviving. She had survived and now she was here. He would be proud of her accomplishments. "As I said before, our fathers were friends. He saw to it they were taken care of. They searched for your body a long time and it never sat right with him that they could not find you."

She bit her lip. She had little desire to return, save for a morbid curiosity to see what ghosts lingered there, and perhaps to confront her own nightmares. She could honestly say, however, that she wished to see her parents' graves.

With that she came to a conclusion. "I wish to go there, if only to see my parents, then I do not care what you do with the property. Sell it in my name, let it sit there, I do not care."