Grave Concerns

Aaron and Lysa struggle to dig a grave in the rain.

5.

Grave Concerns

 

Even though it was only drizzling when they began digging, Aaron and Lysa found the hole filling up with water as soon as they scooped out the first spades full of dirt.   They had used the shovels in the Talminor’s wagon - essential tools on muddy roads in the spring- but between the rocky soil, sucking mud and pooling water, they were completely exhausted in an hour’s time.

“We’ve only gone down about four feet.”   Aaron said as he struggled to climb out of the muddy hole.    Using the spade as a pick, he finally managed to pull his feet out of the quagmire.

They had shed their plate armor long before, and their arming doublets, leather pants and boots were caked with dark brown mud.

“Come on out of there, Lysa, this will have to suffice.”

 

The Orc girl nodded and tossed her spade above her, then struggled to climb out of the muddy water.    Her arms were so tired from shoveling out watery mud that she found it impossible.

“Take my hand.”  Aaron told her, leaning over the hole.    She grabbed it and she tried to climb up the sides of the hole as he pulled her upward.  

“Wait!   The mud pulled my boot off!”   She said, halfway out of the hole.   He lowered her back down and she reached under the mire and flung her boot topside.

“Take the other one off or you might lose that one too.”   Aaron suggested and she did as her Lord commanded.   

“Let’s try that again.”   The young duke said as soon as her boot cleared the hole.    With a weary groan, he again leaned over and offered his hand to her.

“My Lord, I can get out on my own.   You’ll wear yourself out pulling me out.   Orc bones are thick and bulky.    I can manage.”

“I fear that if I don’t help, you may drown in that muck.    Give me your hand, Lysa.”

“Yes, Lord.” She rather shamefully replied, always regretful of being a bother, “I’m sorry, but I know I’ll be heavy, especially with all of this mud caked on me.”

Aaron nodded, preparing for a struggle, extending his other hand so he could pull harder.    He squatted down on exhausted legs, determined to free the girl anyway.   Steeling himself for her suspected bulk, he took a deep breath and pulled with all of his might.

With her boots off, she shot out of the hole easily, sending him tumbling backwards.   She had been greatly mistaken, for she seemed to weigh no more than any woman her size.  

 

He ended up flat on his back on the ground, still clutching the girl by both hands, which caused her to land squarely on top of him.

For a moment the wind was knocked out of him and he laid there gasping for breath.    Lysa’s yellow eyes were as wide as saucers.

“My Lord, I’ve injured you!”  She cried, inches away from his face.  

Though both of them were covered in mud, he was amazed how lovely her green skin was up close.

“By Yesh, be healed!”   She cried, pulling her hand free and touching his cheek.    Blue light covered him and he felt his aching muscles free up.    His breath had returned by now and he burst into laughter at her healing.

“Are you alright, Lord?”  She asked, confused of his laughter.

“Lysa, you only knocked the wind out of me for a moment!   But thanks anyway - now my muscles don’t even hurt!”

“I thought I’d crushed you with my weight.”  

“What weight?   Good heavens, Lysa, you are certainly not heavy!”

“Well, you couldn’t pull me out the first time very easily.”  She protested.

“It was your boots, my dear!    They were working against me!”   He grinned, but then he noticed her rather awkward expression.   He suddenly realized that he’d addressed her in the same manner that he spoke to Allea.

“Sorry.” He said, blushing brightly.   To his amazement, her cheeks turned a reddish green.    A blushing Orc!

“No need to be sorry, Lord, it was my fault.”   She moved to climb off of him, but her hand slipped in the mud, sending her into his personal zone again.

For a moment they stared at each other, but it ended quickly and Lysa just rolled off, landing in a puddle of mud next to him.    She had never been so embarrassed in her whole life and fought to keep from crying.  

Aaron just sat up, looking at her, “Hey, it’s alright… really.”

“I’m such a clumsy brute.”   She groaned dejectedly.

“No you’re not!”

“But I am, Lord.   As if we weren’t muddy enough!”   She chastised herself, wiping mud from her brow, “I guess that is where a pig like me belongs, though; in the mud.”

Aaron was shocked at her self-loathing and every time he started to say something, it seemed… wrong.     How could she hate herself so badly?    With a bit of effort, he rolled over and sat in the puddle next to her, splattering both of them with cold muddy water.

Lysa blinked in surprise at the mud bath and looked at him in disbelief.   Her comical expression was too much for him and he laughed, hoping she wouldn’t take it inappropriately.

 

He was relieved to see her smile- a cautious, slight smile, but certainly a mood change.    “My Lord, I will go and see if there is something that you can use to clean some of the mud off.”

She started to get up but he caught her wrist, “Wait a moment, Lysa… please.”

She sat back down in the mud.

“I need to understand something.”  Aaron said to her after a moment.

“What, sir?”

“You seem so unsure of yourself and almost embarrassed of who you are.    Why is that?”

“I’m not really embarrassed, my Lord, it is just something that my brother and I were always taught.   Our father always told us that we should remember our place and to understand that we are very fortunate to even be allowed to associate with decent people.    He said that we should always be polite and willing to serve our masters and that if we did this, people will continue to allow us amongst them.”

“Well of course you can associate with people!”   Aaron said, “Why would your father consider it such an honor?”

Lysa looked at him with surprise, “My Lord, my father understood what it is like for most Orcs.     It was only due to Queen Eioldth’s elevation of some of us, as members of her honor guard - years ago- that brought some of my race out of their savage lifestyle.   My father told us that we should never forget that and to honor our good fortune by good service.”

“Lysa, I understand that, of course, but your great grandparents, I believe, were already accepted as members of the community in Westmark many years ago.   They weren’t members of the Queen’s Honor Guard then, so that wasn’t the reason that they were respected.” 

 

“You are referring to Lute and Siris.”   She smiled, “They were exceptions, not the rule.”

“I heard my parents speak favorably of them many times, Lysa.   I never met them, but I have heard how kind and civilized they were.”

She shrugged it off, “Lute was half human, and Siris was racially engineered by a wizard who was not too different from Helios… perhaps it was one of his students.   Her people were bred to be more intelligent than -and not as brutish as- other Orcs.   This was the only reason they were accepted as they were.”   

“Lysa, I don’t believe you can attribute their entire acceptance on being more human-like.    They were just kind and intelligent people that everyone liked.    Everyone likes you too, and you don’t have any other non-Orc ancestors, do you?”

“My mother’s mother was a Half Orc.   But I’m sure that small amount of human blood helps.   Of course, Lute was Half-Ogre too, so that might neutralize some of the human within me.”

Aaron just shook his head, “You are more than the sum of your parts, just as the Talminor are.  I don’t see any Ogre in you - other than your tall stature.   But you are certainly not brutish, Lysa!”

“I feel that way, sometimes, my Lord.    Especially when I’m around people like you and Lady Allea.   She is so lovely.”

“Yet not everyone thinks that way, Lysa.    Some people find Half-Elves an abomination to the Elven race.”

“Why?    Even Yesh blessed your kind with the choice of Elven immortality.    Both of you are beautiful… sir.”   She blushed over her comment.

“Lysa, you are beautiful as well.”

She looked at him as if he had said something incredibly ridiculous.

“It’s true, Lysa!   If you don’t believe me, consider this:   A Paladin must possess charm and charisma, and some of this comes from the way they appear to others.    A ‘brute’ would not receive the blessing of a Paladin.    Yet you have already received the mantle of a Paladin.”

“I doubt physical appearance is that important, sir.   Even an ugly person can possess great charm.”

“Yes, but think of all the Paladins you know - are any of them less than very handsome?”

“All of you are extremely handsome.”   She said shyly, blushing again as she was thinking of him, “Perhaps that is why Yesh has allowed me to be a Paladin - to show that looks are not important.”

“Lysa, why don’t you see yourself as you actually are?   You are very lovely!”

“Thank you, my Lord.”   She replied politely, but clearly she didn’t believe him, “But right now the mud is beginning to harden, and I’m sure Lady Allea will be mortified to see the state you are in.    As we still have a burial to attend to, shouldn’t we clean up and bury Hiz?”

Aaron nodded, disappointed that he had not changed the Orc girl’s mind about herself, “Alright, Lysa, but please think about what I said to you.   A Paladin must possess some confidence about their appearance.    We will have to work on this.”

“Yes, my Lord.” She replied, slowly getting to her feet.   Aaron touched her shoulder, stopping her, and then gently touched her forehead with his hand.

“Be healed, in Yesh’s name.” He said, and immediately her weariness left her.

“We’ll have to fill in the hole after the burial.” He explained as they both trudged toward the entrance to the watchtower.