The Orc's Consort: Book One

Chapter 15 - Mutiny

Brenna Blackwater

The warm fur blankets on the massive bed were once foreign to me; after living with the horde for a month and a half, to the day, they were as familiar as ever. The massive stone castle had become more of a home to me than Blackwater ever had in the twenty-two years I resided there. I lived to please others, and now I lived for myself. I was still trying to figure out what that meant, and Jasper guided me along the way. Of course, he stayed busy, so I did not expect him to put things aside for me. There were periods when he had to leave the mountains, but when he was home, he always made the time to see me, just as he promised.

Those days, He spent lugging a mess of books for me to the waterfall to read and enjoy the sunshine and cool water. I flooded him with hundreds of questions about what I had been reading that day, and he always answered them to the best of his knowledge. He never seemed to mind. The last time I saw him, He pulled me onto his lap out in the meadow and taught me a few elvish words from a book he thought I would like. The more time we spent together, the more I craved from him. I had begun to care deeply for him. I had yearned for a touch of kindness, patience, and freedom. I had been missing it all my life. I did not think a male, much less an orc, could give that to me. Yet, Jasper had done so without complaint.

It had been almost three weeks since I last saw Jasper. I realized how much I missed him but could not hold it against him. From my understanding, he was not in the mountains right now anyway. I did not know much; most of what I did know was what I had overheard from the servants. He was out leading his army of orcs. They were at war, but I did not know with whom or why. I was terrified for him. He had been so kind to me, and I wanted to see him again. I tried to keep everything off my mind by going to the spot he showed me before he left. I went there most days with a book to pass the time.

I wanted to learn more about his people. The more I read about their history, the more I realized how deluded I was. That was another reason I could not wait to see him again. I had even more questions to bother him with. I especially wanted to know how the Orc race came to be. Most of the literature did not elaborate on it; the only written text I could find read that the Orcs originated from elves who had fallen from the light- Whatever that meant.

I peered out from beneath the mountain of furs and saw steam rolling out of the washroom. To my delight, one of the Lady's maids had already filled the tub with hot water. I got out of bed, lifted my white chemise over my head, and let it drop to the floor. I ran my fingers through my wild amber hair and piled it in a bun on the top of my head, then used a hairpin to hold it in place before stepping into the large granite tub. I sunk into the hot bath and relaxed. After a while, I took a cloth, added a dollop of the soap, and quickly cleaned myself. I decided not to wash my hair because it was not dirty and would take far too long to dry. Once finished, I climbed out and patted myself dry. I quickly threw on my green dress, let my hair down, and brushed through it with a damp brush to refresh its natural loose waves.

I decided to spend my day going to his spot again since I could not get him off my mind. I grabbed the book I had been reading from the side of the bed and went out the door and down to the library. I was sure there were other exists to get there, but I only knew the one. I went out onto the terrace and down the stairs. The weather was a bit warmer now that spring was nearly over, but still tolerable. I crossed the meadow and went to the same spot he and I would go. I flopped under an oak tree and read until I became too hot. I moved my book marker to where I left off, closed the cover, and sat it safely in the grass.

I kicked my sandals off and walked barefoot to the edge of the water. I held up the skirt of my dress before I waded into the calm pool. I did not go in too deep, just up to my mid-calf. However, I wondered what it would be like to dive in. Two small green and brown fish swam close by. They seemed to be curious about my feet. I stood very still and watched as they approached me with skepticism. I wiggled my toes, causing them to dart away. Seeing the two little fish made me think about Jasper again- the two of us. I missed his company so much. I let out a lonely sigh before getting out of the water. I plopped back down in the spot underneath the oak tree.