The Orc's Consort: Book One

Chapter 7 - A Quest of Importance

Chief Bloodborne

Once I left her bed-chamber, I felt an odd protectiveness for her begin to eat at me. I wanted to lash out at the servants who looked after her last night. They should have had the sense to leave things like that for her. I shook my head and reminded myself they made an honest mistake; Brenna could have told them. I refrained, not wanting to be a jackass to anyone who did not deserve it. Gods, this girl is going to be the death of me, I thought to myself.

I felt foolish for getting worked up over soap and confused for feeling protective of her in this way. By nature, I am a defender of my people. I am protective of my horde. I protect our way of life, our territory, and all we have. However, this feeling was somehow different from that. I felt guilty for her having gone without and not feeling as welcome as I had hoped. Brenna obviously wouldn't be happy after being taken from her home. She knew her father had given her to us, but she didn't know why.

I could not, in good conscience, leave her there after all that had occurred. What father could treat his child in such a way? I desired to protect her from that. I at least wanted to make her as comfortable as possible until we could figure out how she would play out in all this mess. If any good comes of this arrangement, I hope it persuades her to view us differently than she does now.

Aside from bringing her the necessities, I wanted to do something special as an apology. I felt terrible about the whole cauterizing thing. It didn't occur to me at the time. Apparently, most humans don't see such things very often. The healer visited me this morning and was shocked when I told her how I cauterized it myself. She wasn't thrilled with me, to say the least. You'd think a brutish orc like myself wouldn't bow to anyone, but that woman was mean as she was small. I chuckled, thinking about how she fussed at me for nearly twenty minutes before letting me be. I recalled her squawking at me about infection and terrorizing the princess.

"If she wasn't afraid then, she damn sure is now."

I decided to speak with Helena about putting something nice together for Brenna. Helena is among the few women who did not come here out of desperation or obligation. In her youth, she worked in the kitchens as a servant in Orendoth. They held a few of our kind captives in their dungeon. She would occasionally sneak them food so they would not starve to death. One of those orcs was Bulrok, whom Helena had fallen in love with. She helped them escape and left with them to come to the Northern Horde, where she and Bulrok married.

Sadly, Helena suffered several miscarriages and never had any children of her own. Her husband, Bulrok, loved her just the same and became one of the Elder Orruk, and Helena took over the kitchens. I would argue that it is really her who runs this castle. Bulrok has long since passed. Despite the gods never blessing her with children, Helena was a mother figure to us orc men. Especially me, as my parents had died when I was only an orcling. Helena makes most of the salves, balms, and soap. She also does most of the cooking and practically raised me. If anyone knew how to help me, it would be her.

I headed down to the first story of the castle and past the Great Hall. Finally, I made it to the kitchen. Just as I suspected, Helena was already up and busy, creating some concoction. I think she was rendering tallow when I walked in. "Good morning, Jasper," she said, cocking an eyebrow. "I heard you've got a princess on your hands. I figured it was only a matter of time before you came looking for me," she chuckled.

I watched as she poured salt into the pot of boiling gristle. "Is it that obvious?" I asked.

She turned and smiled at me thoughtfully. "What does the poor lass need then? I suspected our arrangements might not be to regal standards," she joked.

I hesitated, not wanting to seem soft on the princess. I suspected I had already given Sten the idea that I was, "Actually, no. Brenna has not asked for much. I had to force it out of her that she needed lavatory supplies. I hope to gather a few things for her. The servant girl forgot to bring soap for her last night. She also brought nothing with her when she came."

"Oh, the poor dear, does she not have any clothes with her?" I watched as Helena wiped her hands on her apron and shuffled over to a cupboard. She brushed a loose curl of her chestnut hair from her face that had become loose from her bun. The light revealed the slivers of silver hair that decorated her locks. She stood on her tiptoes and reached up high for a particular jar but was too short and stocky to reach it. Before she could pull up a chair, I closed the gap between us and got it down for her.

"Unfortunately, no," I admitted.

"I figured," she sighed. "There were traders set up near our borders a few days ago. You might find a few things there. In the meantime, I'll look around and see what we have. Anyway, here you are," Helena said as she handed me a bag.

"What's all this then?"

"Lavatory supplies, silly," she chuckled. "There should be soap and balm made from goat's milk and honey. I also put in some oil if she needs it."

"Ah, thank you," I said gratefully. The bag had a bit of weight to it. I took a peek inside to see all the various jars of concoctions. I was perplexed as to why anyone needed all of that. All I needed was a bit of soap to wash up with as needed. Women are a mystery to me. I pulled the drawstring to secure the bag. After Helena and I finished talking, I left and set out on the second half of my quest. Now I just needed to find this girl some clothes.

After yesterday, I was hesitant to go head out by myself, so I needed to find Sten's lazy ass. I go to his quarters, but as usual, he is nowhere to be found. In frustration, I then headed back downstairs to the Great Hall. I had my suspicions. Unsurprisingly, I found him butt-ass naked on top of one of the banquet tables with a maid. They were both wrapped in the tablecloth, unconscious from ale and fucking. "Sten," I yelled out. "Get your ass up. It's almost mid-day."

Of course, he didn't even flinch. However, his bedmate did. She jumped up, covering her tits with one arm and cunt with the other. She climbed down from the table, nearly tripping over him. She scooped up her blue satin dress. "I am so sorry, my lord," she said before fleeing the scene.

"Sten, wake your ass up!" I said again. He didn't move. "Well, you leave me no choice," I muttered. I spotted a mop bucket at the far end of the room.

I found myself dumping brown water on Sten's face moments later. Then, I quickly backed away. Sten came up swinging only to get caught in the tablecloth and land on his fat head. He sat there a moment, confused and rubbing at the growing knot. "What the fuck, Jasper?" he groaned. "I ought to kick your ass for that!"

"What is it with you and blonde women these days?"

"What can I say? They are my weakness. Can an orc not sleep in for one fucking day?"

"We've got shit to do. Quit whining like a bitch. Go put some clothes on. You're lucky Helena didn't see you two defiling one of her tables. She'd have given you worse than a mop bucket," I laughed.

"What do we need to be doing that is so important?" he asked, getting up.

"I'll tell you when we get there."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," he said while bowing. He didn't bother to cover himself and went striding toward the exit when a servant girl walked in. She froze in place and gasped as her cheeks turned garnet. The dirty bastard winked at her as he walked out the door. I rolled my eyes and gave her an apologetic look before following after him.