Duo

Born into an unforgiving world

 

She was curled up in the crook of her Orc's arm in the large, feather bed, trying to read his hard expression as he stared off towards the wall in the opposite corner. She purred, breathing him in as he absently stroked her hair. She was happy, elated to be in the arms of her guard, even if he seemed troubled about her news.

"Erana, my princess, this is not good news," His voice was concerning, shaking even.

Erana dismissed his argument, snuggling herself even closer to his body, "Come now, Corgak, we have a child growing inside me. Nothing can be more pleasant."

"Erana, please, be reasonable, that child under law is an abomination. It will not be pleasant when we are forced to watch that child be burned. I could not bear to even watch you be touched... let alone watch our child be burned. Erana, please," He pleaded again, stroking her hair as she cooed.

She let out a heavy sigh as she turned his head to meet her gaze. The two met eyes, staring into one another as they rested their forehead together. Erana smiled softly, giving him gentle kisses as she moved to lie atop him, and rest her head on his chest. His heartbeat was steady as she listened and purred.

"You are too negative my Corgak. There is a living being inside my stomach. We should cherish that we were blessed with an offspring."

"An offspring that is doomed for death, my princess."

"Hush now, Corgak. Your negativity will upset the child."

"It is the size of a grape, my princess, it does not have ears to hear."

Angry, Erana shoved the sheets from her body, moving across the room to dress in her robes. With a heavy sigh, Corgak sat up, watching her form as she stomped like a young child over to where her clothes were. He couldn't help but smile, seeing his princess so mad and childish made him chuckle a little. The reaction from his princess was always a boot thrown at his head, one of which he always predicted and caught.

"Now who's the one being childish?" He grinned, climbing out of the bed as he dressed himself in his clothes and armor, peeking outside to see the moonlight arising on the horizon. "I missed my whole shift. The others will notice and ask. Princess we must be more careful about this."

"It's so hard to stay away, Corgak. You know I need you. You know I love you," Her voice was soft, eyes lovingly meeting his in the dark. "It's hard to stay away."

Corgak could not fight the smile as it grew on his face and he held the princess close, "I will protect your life with my own till the day I die. Whether it be defending you, or growing old. You are my queen."

"And you are my king."

The last word threw Corgak off as he blinked and blankly stared at the red headed mage.

"I am merely a guard, my princess," He bowed, and without another word, left outside to watch the castle walls once more.

A heavy sigh followed the silence that was left behind as Erana gazed about the room, holding her hands to her chest. Books were sprawled around, pages fallen out, collecting dust on the floor. Her sheets lay in a heap on the floor, clothes about. Water was in puddles amongst the mess, trailing from the bath.

She made quick timing; cleaning the wreck she called her quarters. Filing the books on the bookshelf in order of color and author, she fixed the loose flowers that had fallen out during her moments with Corgak. The memories made her smile, tearing up, she cherished them.

There was no doubt in her mind she loved the Orc. Their bond was a strong one, even if the negative, short tempered Orc could not see it. She loved him so, much beyond the reach of the stars. It burned a passion inside her at every thought or mention of him. There was no doubt; she would give her life if the time came, if he were to ever be trialed.

Folding the sheets, she hummed a sweet lullaby, singing softly, though there were no words. The song reminded her of her mother, who sang it while she lied in bed, struggling to stay awake when she was young.

Fresh tears dropped softly against the sheets as she crumpled them into her hands, and wept silently. The beautiful memories of her mother broke her heart and brought longing into her soul. A piece of the woman always remained in that room, forever reminding Erana.

Others always spoke of how her mother was always there in her room, watching over her, smiling down upon her pride and joy. Her only child, the heir to the throne. Just the thought of running the kingdom without Corgak as her king, caused a ball of ice to form in her throat, and her palms to grow sweaty.

Instinctively her eyes trailed towards the window. There, outside, stood Corgak, forever at his post, staring out at the world he had seen a million times. Forever vigilant, forever loyal, forever hers. Smiling, her hands rubbed at her tummy, leaving a trail of fire and love.

≈•≈•≈•≈

 

Boats docked at first light of the new month, men staggering off the rickety floaters as the adjusted their legs to the dirt and grass of Bellum. The kingdom stood tall, strong in the ever growing sunlight as they neared its gate. To the right, Corgak stood, keeping an eye on the Flumine as they made their way inside, paying no heed to the respect and rules of the kingdom they gladly intruded.

Merchants greeted with hearty hellos as they welcomed the newcomers in hopes of more gold. Others stepped aside for the newcomers, separating as though the Flumine were a disease, and the people of Bellum did not wish to catch.

The prince was a smug fellow, head held high as his men followed behind him. He was dressed in the finest jewelry and softest linen, all in matching tones of blue and purple. The crown which adorned his head was not that of silver or gold, but of bone, scarlet jewels encrusted the top.

Some men and women exchanged nasty looks towards the prince, others bowing despite themselves. Thick, tar-like and black as the night sky, the aura that radiated from the prince was something to be feared. Sword strapped to his right leg, the handle of pure silver, and the blade of a dragon bone, he need not fear a soul.

Corgak was not impressed as he followed the Flumine from the distance of his walls, eyeing the smug prince carefully, burning a hole into the back of his head with his eyes. Though the prince seemed unmoved, made of stone as if he too were a Scaleskin.

As they approached the great hall doors, two Scaleskin bowed and blocked their way. Unmovable, they crossed their arms, towering over the men. One glanced at Corgak for an order, the wind tugging at his hair.

Regrettably, Corgak nodded towards the two, allowing the Flumine passage inside as he watched with sadness, to see the day her princess, far into pregnancy now, would be married off to someone who was not him.

Though they argued day and night since Erana had revealed the existence of their child, Erana refused to rid of the abomination. She sang to it every night, and every morning when she was alone. She let Corgak speak to it, and caress her tummy when nights allowed and mornings were slow. Though the kingdom seemed to fall blind to the child in their princess's tummy, she beamed every day more and more, even when working in the garden.

The months had flown by, nearing closely to their child's deliverance. Erana had grown impatient, Corgak growing weary, cautious and his nerves frayed. Erana did not show much, her tummy looking ever so slightly pudgier than the months before. Her magic did well to hide their child's existence from the rest of the people, though it drained Erana quickly, and her skin had grown pale over the months.

Corgak feared she could not keep the act up much longer, and prayed every day the child be born soon, for fear of losing both his offspring and the one he loved, brought pain to his heart. He would do anything to prevent such a travesty. Even at the cost of his own life. For his princess, he was sworn, from loyalty and love.  

Bowing, the Flumine prince placed a gentle kiss onto Erana's hand as she forced a smile, hiding the disgust and repulsive feelings she felt towards the arrogant prince. She felt no fondness towards the marriage, or the traditions that came alongside it. In her heart she prayed her beloved child would be born before any marriage or bondage came.

"Your highness, I am Baron, prince of Flumine. I have come in hopes for your hand in marriage, that we may bind our kingdoms as one, and keep the ever lasting peace." Prince Baron's voice was soft, yet annoyingly high pitched, as though his voice had yet reached maturity.

Erana snorted quietly to herself, covering her mouth to hide her smiling reaction from such a high voice from the deathly figure. Bowing her head she then glanced at her father as the old, wise man stood with authority, crown upon his head being merely an object as the authority radiated from his skin. He was a natural born leader, and one of the wisest Mages in the city of Bellum.

His grey, worn eyes fell upon Baron as he evaluated the prince's stature, judging him accordingly. He did not see the features he wanted in a successor, but the heavy reminder of the binding wedding weighed over his wants. The wedding was to prevent further bloodshed and recruit a new ally, he could not think of himself at that time, but for his people first.

"Hail, prince Baron. We did not receive news of your arrival so soon. The winds must have worked hard to carry your ships here so fast. Come. We will discuss the wedding after the banquet. Men, round up the finest wines and have the cooks begin the feast at once." The king waved his hands towards the other Orcs inside the castle as they scrambled about.

Amongst the chaos of men and Orc, Erana shakily stood, making her way to her quarters quietly. Hands clutching the wall, she fought the terrible pains in her stomach, stroking the feet of her child as it squirmed around, toes digging under her ribs.

She let out a sharp intake, nails scratching at the door as she fought to find her footing, gripping her bed in pain. She lay on her side, the pains worsening every hour, time feeling like a snail as she sweated, biting her lip to the point of bleeding, crying into the pillows.

Her water broke, tiny feet kicking at her stomach as she cursed under her breath, begging for privacy as the pains grew ever more painful. Tears of joy streaming down her face, joined by those of agony, she cursed Corgak's name, yet whispered it lovingly as her eyes fell upon the Baron's face from the doorway.