Rise of the Warrior of Everfen

Chapter 62: King Wren's Orders

"Stay in the grass?"

"That's right." She nodded and tried to prepare her bread as quickly as possible. This pregnancy had been harder than the first. With Andol she had been tired and moody, but with this child she ached everywhere. Her feet and ankles were swollen before the day's end and she rarely slept the night through with the amount of pain in her back.

It terrified her that it meant the birth would be worse than Andol's, but Zevra assured her that was most likely untrue. Most likely. She couldn't help but wonder if that girl in the village had been correct the day she asked Erinne about being scared of her orc children ripping her apart on their way out.

"Okay, that's enough." She said out loud to help clear her thoughts. She brushed her hands off and moved the bread to the stones where it would cook and then made her way outside. Andol was in the grass, wrestling with Willow while Larken was standing at the door waiting on her to come out. "Hello, beautiful." She scratched underneath her chin and got sweet, happy tail wags out of it.

She dragged a bunch of soft furs down from a shelf and sprawled them out in the grass before she sat herself on top of them with a content sigh. Larken slithered in next to her and laid down and Erinne set her hand in her fur, stroking quietly while her son played. The time passed gently with Andol periodically begging to play in the creek, she would have been content to stay there all day but her luck ran out as the sun reached it's highest peak and Larken lifted her head and curled her lip.

She frowned immediately and sat up straighter, following the wolf's gaze. They received visitors from the Killerfrosts almost daily, the dire wolves never growled at them but Larken was two seconds from it. When Larken rose to her feet, hackles rising and Willow stopped playing to stand in front of Andol, Erinne knew something was wrong and clambered to her feet, nearly unbalanced by the massive bump she carried in front of her.

By the time she made it to her feet, she spotted a horse trotting through the woods and Lothar whinnied in greeting. "What the Underworld?" She pushed to her feet. Orcs didn't often have horses but this was definitely a human rider. There shouldn't have been any humans out here except for her and this moron had the king's sigil stamped right across his chest.

It was a miracle he'd made it this far, but the dangers increased if anyone saw the king's symbol on him. They were one stick throw away from the wary fully igniting and this human thought now was a good time to cross the border?

"Sir?" She stared at him, perplexed as he rode into sight and stopped at the edge of her grassy clearing.

"Lady Erinne of Lord Atmire?"

She felt her guard rising. There was a kingsman here, in orc territory despite the no man's land established by Wren and Lohke. "I am Lady Erinne of the Killerfrosts now and have been since my marriage five years ago, but yes, Lord Atmire was my father." She looked him up and down, still mounted on his horse. He was a skimpy man, surprisingly young considering he'd been sent all the way out here. "What the Underworld are you doing here?"

Andol had crept to her side with Willow posturing in front of him the whole way, making sure the newcomer stayed away. Larken hadn't moved from her side, her fur standing on end as she waited for a command.

The man blushed a little at her question and laughed nervously, "Looking for you, milady. I am here on King Wren's orders to deliver a message." He reached into his tunic and produced a letter but she was flabbergasted.

"Wren sent you into dangerous territory alone to deliver a message?"

"The orcs have been shooting down our birds. We've been trying to get letters to you for weeks."