Zorroku and Peaches Part 9
Meanwhile Zorroku had left your tent wanting to give you space to get dressed as he went to the herds and went through all the horses he had. He noted how Shuzug and Nar were trying to milk a mare who was not happy about it.
Then he picked out four of his best horses along with his wife's two favorite horses. They were his gifts to her when she found she was finally halfway through a pregnancy, when she was halfway through Ori's pregnancy specifically. Then he realized that one of them was actually a very fitting horse for you. Jasper. He was a black horse with a white mane and tail. And considering you were from the Black Wolf White Rock clan, he couldn't help but smile at the correlation.
He brought them over to your tent, just as you were leaving it to go about your day and wearing an outfit that finally looked perfectly befitting on you. He loved the way it had been altered to fit you and now had trim that was very Mountain Blizzard and while he could still remember how it had looked on Medowne, he adored the way this was now all yours and with the new trims and accessories, looked completely new and all your own.
"Hey Bella," Zorroku called out, which got you to turn around and then blink in surprise when he was carrying six lead ropes with six huge draft horses behind him.
"You know you almost make me nervous when you use my name like that." You tried to point out to him in a slightly teasing tone but smiled nonetheless.
"Well, you didn't ask to be called Peaches. You just went along with it because you didn't think you had a choice in the matter. And I want to make sure you know you have choices and that you shouldn't go along with things just because you think you should, or you feel you have to. You should have a say in everything. Especially about your own life, it's yours to dictate and no one else's. You need to make sure that your voice and your opinion is heard and understood and accepted just as much as mine is. So since you've chosen to adopt my daughter, and that she is now just as much yours as she is mine, you deserve the reward that comes with that. Now you don't have to accept any of these, but if you want them, they're yours. In particular this one, because you are from the Black Wolf White Rock Clan, I thought a black horse with a white mane would be fitting." Zorroku explained, having rehearsed that in his head so many times and muttered it to himself to make sure he emphasized the right words the right way as he gestured to that particular horse.
You had to cover your quivering lips with your hand even as they spread into the widest smile as your eyes glazed with tears because of how moved you were by not just his gesture but especially his words before you closed the distance between you until you were looking up at him with so much adoration it bordered on love and you just wanted to kiss him.
"Ok, I'll be honest. I like the way you say 'Peaches' when you talk to me. I like the way you talk to me, period. And this horse is absolutely perfect, and it's a perfect fit. I can only hope he's as nice, gentle and tame as he is beautiful. And the rest of them are outstanding. I want all of them. But I don't want to take them if you feel you have to give them to me because I'm now the mother of our daughter. But I don't want to disrespect a tradition if that's what you're following when you give them to me either." You explained.
"Then consider them string free gifts, because I want them to be yours. They're the best that I have and I'll always want to give you my best, no matter what. Even if you don't end up choosing me because being Ori's mother means just that much to me." Zorroku returned and you just wanted to reassure him that when it came to options to marry, he was the only one in your heart and mind. The urge to kiss him was overwhelming because a part of you wanted them to have strings. And you wanted to tie those strings so that you were tied to him both literally and figuratively.
"Then I will happily accept all of them and I wouldn't say no to a few strings at least." You grinned mischievously as his heart soared with hope and joy.
"Could I walk with you back to the herd?" You asked before he nodded and you walked side by side with all the horses following you.
"Can I ask you a question and could you please answer it as honestly as you could and not give me the kind of answer you think I want to hear?" You asked bravely.
"Anything." He invited.
"Why did you give me all of Medowne's old clothes?" You asked him.
"Because they were already made and resizing them- to your smaller size would be much easier than making new clothes from straight fabric." He answered.
"So when you look at me, do you just see me as a second Medowne?" You asked him.
"No, I'm so sorry if I'm making you feel that way. When I look at the outfit you're wearing, I just see you and that it's your outfit, not anyone else's. And when I look at you period, I just see you, no one else." He immediately apologized and reassured you.
"Thank you." You thanked him graciously as you did feel reassured by his clearly genuine profession.
"So, how many wives do you want in total?" You asked and he nearly choked on his spit because you just went right for it.
"One." He answered once he recovered.
"Why only one?" You furthered.
"Because Yotul and my mother fought all the time and were constantly in competition with each other for my dad's favor and attention. And they were constantly trying to one up each other. And when he favored one it embittered the other. And only after my own mother died after birthing the twins and Yotul became Clan Chieftess, and my dad didn't take on any more wives- did he finally know peace in his own house." Zorroku began.
"But I want a wife who likes me for me, not because I can make her a Warchieftess or any other station in the clan. I just want a wife who will look at me and just see me too. Not as a means to get what she really wants. Which if she's anything like my step mother, is a place of prominence, wealth and power. My mother loved my father and saw him for him and he did the same for her. But once his eldest brother died and made him Clan Chief only a few months before my grandfather died, Yotul immediately switched her advances from my uncle to my father. In fact I don't even know if Silug is even my half brother." Zorroku muttered.
"Do you think that I'm like that?" You asked him.
"No, you're the farthest thing from that. You found out about my Grandmother's peering of your probability and you immediately rejected it. Or at least, that's what Glasha and Arob told me. Which is honestly a huge relief for me, because it meant that you adopted Ori because you saw her and immediately grew affection for her. Not because she was my daughter, but because she was a baby that needed a mother. And it's why I've rejected every advance from every other woman I've met when they found out I'm my father's first born. Medowne didn't even know I was my father's first born until she came here to visit, after we were engaged. She honestly thought Silug was the first born and Winug was the second and I must have been the third by the way Silug and Winug acted when we were hunting together." Zorroku admitted.
"They are incredibly arrogant and very entitled." You muttered in agreement which made Zorroku laugh.
"Yeah they are." He readily agreed.
"I just want peace in my life and in my home and I have yet to meet a Warchief, or even a Clan Chief who has that. It's like our lives are destined to be plagued with war and we can't escape it, ever. There's always conflict wherever we go and I'm hoping that with the right woman, that's possible." Zorroku explained.
"Medowne, had a very, very hard time becoming pregnant. And she lost four babes before she could even get a third of the way through her pregnancies. The only reason why she tried so hard was to give me an heir because of who I was and to see Silug and Winug already have more sons than they know what to do with, she was scared they were going to usurp me. And for her sake, I would have let them just so that she could rest and wouldn't feel she owed me a child just because she was my wife." Zorroku began.
"I never blamed her for any of it, instead I got after all of my sisters in law and Yotul for putting the idea that she needed to give me an heir in her head to begin with. And that was because I was terrified I was going to lose her with every miscarraige. I loved her so much, I didn't want to lose her. It wasn't her fault that her body was like that. Even though she blamed herself for it, no matter how much I tried to convince her otherwise. She pushed me to get another wife or even two or three more. Ones that would give me more sons than I had fingers. But I didn't want that, I never wanted that. I never have and I never will and I staunchly refused and I will always refuse that in the future for the same reasons. I only ever wanted her and I just wanted her to be happy and healthy." He recounted.
"So if we were to get closer, that's what I would want again. But only if you really liked me and really wanted me. Just because you're Ori's mother doesn't mean you have to be my wife, if you don't want to be. And just because I'm first born doesn't mean I want to be more than I already am. In fact I never even wanted to be a Warchief. My father made me one without asking me about it. Because Silug was chomping at the bit so to speak about it. But I was still focused on Medowne and didn't want her to fall into a deeper depression or for her to fear that when we would go on a raid, that she would have to be afraid that I wouldn't come back to her." Zorroku revealed and your heart completely melted and you felt it wanting to leap out of your chest to go to him.
"I completely agree and understand where you're coming from. Thank you for not thinking I'm being a coward for not wanting that life. Four days ago all I wanted was to live a quiet life and just be a man's only beloved wife. I have never had delusions of grandeur or ambitions for wealth and power. I'm content with the basics, good, filling food for the belly, comfortable and sturdy clothes to work in and a roof over my head. That's it. Because while money can buy you comfort and a lot of things, it doesn't always necessarily buy you happiness or peace. Especially if you have a lot of it. There will always be someone who wants to take it from you more." You explained.
"That's true." Zorroku nodded in agreement.
"So even though Khagra only has Bula, the business of running the clan and keeping everything together and running smoothly is a weight that he has had to carry and has worn him down quite a bit. Myles' and Bullard's wives have stayed and stayed close because they still have Myles and Bullard's kids. And Khagra and Bula have always treated them with kindness and respect. And they care for their needs and wants and they are Bronshas, which is the same as Marfu for the Black Wolf White Rock Clan. And once Khagra lost Myles and Bullard, he felt like his bones became dust. He didn't have a heart or stomach for raiding or war at the risk of losing any more sons. And he feels he has to wait out Myles' sons to grow up to inherit the clan because none of his other sons were not only as highly educated, but have a willingness or the head or sense for it." You recounted.
"Which is why he pleaded with Mountain Blizzard for trading contacts because Mountain Blizzard has always traded pink salt for anything and everything else they have. Well, according to my adopted uncle Justineh and his wife Fusha and their kids. They've always traded salt for fruit and vegetables that don't or can't grow in the mountains. And I think Bula hasn't traded us for our ransom is because I think Bula is scared that if we go, the Mountain Blizzard Clan won't come back to do business with them." You retold.
"I still can't believe that with the price of your weight a hundred times over, that that still wasn't enough." Zorroku recalled.
"Fear can overwhelm sense. Hopefully when she comes later today, she'll be induced to be reasonable and agree." You hoped.
"So if I chose you, how many kids would you want?" You asked next as you tried to keep your grin from becoming too scheming. Because you sensed he was really telling you the truth, and you realized that what he was offering you, was what you really always wanted and this was literally a dream come true.
"Well we already have one, I'm good and happy and perfectly content with just Ori. Besides, you may be strong but I know everyone has limits and I also feel that children are gifts from the gods themselves. But if your body can't handle carrying that gift, that's fine. Like you said, 'no gift is worth your life' and I would never ask you or want you to give up yours just to give me a gift you think I want, especially one I don't need." Zorroku explained and you never thought in a million years that he would have used your own sentiment like that and part of you wanted to pin him down to grass itself and fuck him hard and fast yet slow and savoring and give him so many sons, he would run out of fingers and toes trying to count them all.
"Ok." You smiled.
You were about to kiss him before you heard Shuzug get kicked by a horse which got both of you to recoil and turn to see Shuzug on his back, trying to get the air back in his lungs.
"Hold her, I gotta make sure he doesn't die before his parents get the chance to kill him themselves." You sighed tiredly as you handed Ori to Zorroku and walked over to Shuzug before turning him over to his side to help him breathe again.
"And what did you learn?" You asked him as you crouched down next to him as he gasped and recovered as Zorroku and Nar both snickered a laugh.
"Not to milk that one?" Shuzug winced.
"Ok first of all, did you just pick a random mare and try to milk her or did you look for one with a nursing foal?" You asked before Shuzug and Nar gave each other a look that told you the answer to that was 'no' and it just made you groan again.
"Now you boys should know that only when a mother has a nursing child will she produce milk. Because otherwise, the milk dries up and she won't produce it anymore because her body doesn't have to. Or did you forget that detail?" You asked before they both looked away guiltily.
"Really? Ok, I'm going to have to just do this myself." You huffed before you marched back to the garden and got a bunch of apples in your tunic before you marched back to the herd and snatched the bucket from Shuzug and found a mare who was nursing her foal.
"Come on, you're gonna help, take the apples, you two are gonna feed the mare the apples as I milk her." You said as you gave Shuzug and Nar the apples from your tunic before the five of you went over to the mare. You greeted the mare first, cooing and petting her and making sure she felt at ease with at least your presence. Then you had Shuzug and Nar both kept feeding the mare apples. You gently stroked her sides as you made your way back to where the foal was still nursing. Then you started milking from the other teat as you prayed to all the gods you knew of to help you and once the foal was done the mare side stepped away from you and you didn't try to milk her anymore, instead you pet your side and back up her body while praising her and thanking her for her help.
"There, I think I got enough milk for either one kitten or one pup. Now you two know the process. Shuzug I know you know how to milk livestock, repeat the process until you have enough milk and then we'll try to find a bottle." You ordered them before you handed the bucket back to Shuzug and took Ori back before you and Zorroku left the field together after he had untied his offering of horses but kept them in the same pen.
"You're amazing, you know that right?" Zorroku praised you as you passed his brothers that were carrying their saddles out to their horses in the fields.
"Aw, thank you, Zushku." You beamed happily.
"Where are you guys going?" Zorroku asked as his brothers approached the other horses in the pen.
"To get Peaches some livestock." Yalak beamed and your stomach dropped because they were dressed for raiding, they were going out to steal some livestock and that's not what you wanted as ou just shook your head.
"What's wrong? Why are you making that face?" Zorroku asked you, expecting you to be happy about that as were his brothers.
"I prefer bought or fairly traded livestock. And if you really wanted to please me, you see that idiot with Nar? That's Shuzug, your mother's sister's youngest son, he's only ten but he's your cousin. Ask him why he's trying to milk mares right now. And when he's done telling you that, he'll tell you where to go to get the best livestock on the continent that's even relatively close by. He knows who I'm talking about and I'm sure you'll figure out a way to get there." You said as you pointed Shuzug out to his other cousins.
"Besides, people do better business and have better and long lasting relationships with clans who do that. And you won't lose your lives in the process. Because no gift to me is worth your lives. Your lives are worth more to me than livestock or anything else you can imagine giving me. So go talk to Shuzug, then take off your raiding armor because you won't need it. And then get proper funds from your treasury. You guys want to be known as The Great Thunder Herd Clan? That's how you earn The Great part of it by those around you. If you trust Mama Arob's words about me making this clan greater than it's ever been, then heed my words now. Now if you'll excuse me, I have breakfast to make. And you all should eat breakfast before you go. You can't do business on an empty stomach." You excused yourself as you marched through them with your head held high as they stared after you in awe as Ori looked back at her dad over your shoulder as she cooed to you and jabbered happily. Zorroku was proud that you were still using Arob's probability peering to use it for the clan's advantage.
"Anyone else have any lingering doubts she won't make the best Warchieftess this clan has ever seen?" Zorroku asked with a beaming proud smile once you were out of earshot as his brothers nodded no.
"Ok let me get my saddle and I'll join you, we'll take Shuzug and Nar after they do what they gotta do and see what else we can learn about her from him." Zorroku ordered like the natural born leader he was. The other brothers went and put their saddles on their horses before they greeted Shuzug and got to talking with him before they walked back to their tents to take off their armor but still kept their battle axes and their swords just in case.
Shuzug knew exactly who you were talking about as he pulled out his maps and showed them Cattle Barron Zonk's lands. He also helped advise them on how much money to take. But of course only after they met with Yotul and Crowthu and Mama Arob as everyone gathered around the table to have breakfast again. Shuzug was so happy they were being as welcoming and friendly as they were as Yotul especially was happy to meet him and ask him more questions about his mother and her family and what they liked and what they preferred so that when they would come, everything would be perfect for them.
After breakfast, the boys got ready to go again as Arob said she would help you get the cubs and pups situated in your tent with you so that you could keep and sustain your new gifts and the many more you were about to receive.
"Can Shuzug ride one of my horses please? His poor horse has been through enough for one day already." You requested of Zorroku.
"Absolutely, I can put him on Brusen." Zorroku nodded.
"And Shuzug can use my spare saddle since we're the same size." Nar volunteered.
"Aww, thank you so much Nar." You thanked Nar appreciatively, who beamed happily and got his spare saddle for Shuzug to ride the horse in question as Shuzug spent several moments getting to know Brusen and for Brusen to get to know Shuzug and become familiar with him.
"Wow is this a comfortable saddle." Shuzug marvelled when Nar came back with the saddle and helped Shuzug put it on Brusen since every saddle was made to fit draft horses and each saddle could fit just about any horse as the boys began to saddle up and get ready.
Then you heard a Mammoth call out and you turned to see the Mountain Blizzard Clan Mammoths come into the field with huge carts behind them.
"Peacock!" Kakazi bellowed as he pushed his bull mammoth, Brahma, to walk quickly over to you since mammoths, like elephants, couldn't run.
"Kakazi?!" You asked when you recognized his voice and tried to recognize his body on his mammoth.
"Peacock?" Zorroku and his brothers frowned as Shuzug hid his grimace.
"Yeah!" Kakazi boomed back happily.
"What's he doing here so fast?" Yalak scowled.
"To come and say hi, I'm assuming." You shrugged as you left them to go over to Kakazi.
"Oh no." Shuzug groaned when he saw Kakazi and his family and what he assumed was the other members of his family when you already out of earshot.
"What do you mean 'oh no'?" Nar asked worriedly.
"Kakazi, all of his brothers, cousins and other clan members have been after Bella and her sister Lilly for the last three years. But my mom has always refused their proposals for her. They call Bella "Peacock" because those are her favorite colors and they call Lilly "Emerald" because she loves all and every shade of green. I hope your dad was adamant about one of you marrying her because now, she's about to have every guy in Mountain Blizzard try to propose now that she's a Marfu." Shuzug admitted as Zorroku and his brothers looked at each other worriedly before the hurriedly got their horses to follow you and go over to Kakazi.
"Hey!" You greeted Kakazi as the two of you met in the middle. You kept your hand over Ori's ear so she wouldn't be woken up by the noise as his parents were on thier mammoths behind Kakazi, and in a short distance.
"Hello Brahma, how are you?" You greeted his bull who lifted his trunk to inspect Ori and you and wrapped his trunk around your arm as you scratched the trunk.
"Who do you have there?" Kakazi asked curiously when he saw a sleeping baby in your mother's sling.
"Oh this is Zorroku's daughter Orianna. He let me adopt her since she's been having a hard time thriving under Grat's care." You answered as you turned so he could see her face.
"Wow, she's looking much better than when I saw her last." He praised.
"Come on up." He invited.
"Are you sure?" You asked.
"Yeah, come on. Brahma, help Bella up, gently though, very gently." He urged before Brahma bent down and helped you get up into Kakazi's saddle with him as Zorroku frowned and felt his possessiveness soar over you as he wanted to try to pull you down but to see you pet Brahma and climb so gracefully, he decided against voicing his contentions.
"Thank you for not scaring me trying to say hi to me again. I could have hurt you with her on me." You thanked him as you got up in the saddle behind him.
"Never. I told you last time that that was the last time I was going to do that. Besides, I would never dream of disturbing Ori. Zorroku is already overprotective enough as it is. I'd have to have a death wish to try to cause her harm, even just a little scare." He answered.
"Well, since I came, Mama Arob blessed me to be able to nurse Ori and care for her as if she was my own. And I think that included instinctually protecting her and myself. And had you tried to scare me by grabbing me again, I could have hurt you really badly trying to defend us. And I know you've always done it as a joke. But I don't think that will fly here." You gently warned him.
"Yeah, I know it. Especially with you being Crowthu's Marfu? I knew it wouldn't go well if I tried." He chuckled.
"So how much did it take for Bastard Rock to finally free you?" He asked as he walked his mammoth back over to the others so you could see everyone, ignoring Zorroku and his brothers who were riding over to him.
"Thirty two slaves and their weight in salt and the unspoken threat of war, and a marraige proposal. And that says that by the end of the month, I have to marry one of Crowthu's sons. Khagra almost didn't budge. But it was the gods bringing me here for Ori's sake that he finally caved. The poor thing has a very bad allergy to onions and garlic." You answered.
"Oof, and those are Grat's favorite foods. It would make sense. Medowne, who was Ori's mother, didn't like onions or garlic either. She was much more partial to mint and lemon balm." He recalled.
"So you knew Medowne?" You asked him hopefully.
"Yeah, her and Zorroku made a cute couple. She was rather shy and introverted though. He had to pursue her, despite most of the women in his own clan pursing him. She was always really weak and tired all the time because the Yellow River Clan was small but women rarely left the settlement. So she wasn't used to all the physical exercise they have here in Thunder Herd and had low stamina." He answered.
"Well Zorroku also gave me all of Medowne's old clothes. Granted they all got altered so I would have more than the two and a half dresses I brought with me to wear. Before all the fabrics I was given could be made into clothes for me. And Zorroku insists that he doesn't see me as a second Medowne, but it's hard to not feel a little like I'm stepping into her shoes. Especially now that I have Ori. But it's still better than why all his brothers want me." You muttered lowly.
"And why's that?" He asked curiously.
"You know that Arob is a sorceress right?" You asked him.
"Yeah, let me guess, she saw you and thought you were their path to glory?" He guessed as you pressed your head to his back, between his shoulder blades.
"Yes." You confirmed with a tired sigh as he reached back and pat your thigh as he used his own legs to steer his mammoth.
"According to her, I have a very high probability that any son I choose will be not just a Warchief, but the next Clan Chief. If I'm their Clan Chieftess." You revealed as Kakazi's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he did his best to recover quickly and be nonchalant about such extraordinary news.
"Now I don't know if that's because Zorroku doesn't want that for himself or what. But it's why all his brothers are trying to bend over backwards to court me. My tent is stuffed with gifts that I have yet to even go through myself. It's only my third day here, and they were ready to raid just to get me livestock to try to please me, because all they have here are draft horses. And it's overwhelming. So overwhelming." You lamented as you just let your head rest on his back as your shoulders sagged.
"You poor thing." Kakazi offered as he reached back and pat your thigh again.
"Please don't repeat this, but I've spent my whole life being used as a babysitter and then a cook for Khagra and his family. And while Crowthu and Yotul- have been nothing but amazing to me, and welcoming me, and perfectly and completely genuine. I feel like all their sons, except for Zorroku, all want me just for that probable outcome of being a Clan Chief. Even when they already have wives they should be perfectly happy and content with to fill that position, and especially children from those unions and I have no desire to get between a husband and his wife. I never have. I don't want that complication and strife in my life. All I've ever wanted was to be a man's one and only beloved wife. That's it. No power or riches or glory or anything like that. I've only wanted pleasant simplicity." You quietly complained.
"Oh for sure. So what do you think of them?" Kakazi asked, hoping you had already decided against most of them.
"Well, I can tell Yalak and Murnag especially are trying to pursue me just as a means to that particular end. Nar and Grushnug, I'm still trying to get a feel for. Silug and Winug, I feel like would rape me the second their father's back is turned and thankfully the rest have kept me safe so far. But Silug and Winug only have human bed slaves and will not marry either of them and I think it's the whole 'humans are best as orc cock sleeves' phenomenon. And it's Crowthu who has recognized their bedroom slaves as daughters in law and thier children as his grandchildren that they're as close to the family as they are. And I know Crowthu doesn't approve but with them being Yotul's oldest sons, I don't think Crowthu has much of a choice about it." You explained as Kakazi snickered a laugh at you using 'cock sleeves' idiom.
"Because Silug and Winug are selfish honorless pigs." Kakazi murmured to you over his shoulder.
"Don't I know it. Not unlike Yar." You muttered back which made him snort another laugh.
"I take it Yar's even worse than the last time you talked about him?" Katazi urged you.
"You have no idea. You'll see tonight. Khagra's whole family is coming because Yotul is Bula's sister. Like Typhoon Breaker kind of sister.
"Oh, wow. What a small world." Katazi hummed in surprise.
"Speaking of small worlds. Why am I holding my mother's name sake? Why is Zorroku's full name Zorroushku, after my maternal blood grandfather? And Glashnarrah is my mother's blood mother's name. Marnausta, Grushnagah, Murnagah? They're my mother's blood siblings. And yet Sharn named her own children after them but hid where my mother settled from my mother and me and the rest of my family? That doesn't make any sense." You pressed.
"Sharnarrah never wanted her children to meet you and your siblings as servants. She wanted you to meet as free persons and equals. But because Bula has been unreasonable for 20 years, that wasn't possible while Sharnarrah lived. And once she died 13 years ago, Mama Jaseeneh has upheld Sharnarrah's wishes. And it wasn't until Arob shared her vision with Mama Jaseeneh that Jaseeneh finally broke down and told them where to find you. But Mama Jaseeneh wouldn't even give them your name or nickname or that you are her Visla. She only gave them a general description that you were cook, that Khagra wore like a gem in a crown of lies to lord over others in his clan." He revealed.
"Well, that's true." You sighed.
"Thank you for coming though. I really appreciate the support. I'm gonna need your mom and your sister's help to help me choose which son to marry. Maybe they'll be able to differentiate more than I have. Because it sounds like you have a lifetime of experience to know exactly what kind of people they all are." You proposed.
"What if you are free from the marriage alliance? What if we can somehow convince Crowthu to really treat you like a Marfu and not a bought servant and you're free to choose who you want just like his own daughters are?" Kakazi offered.
"I doubt you would succeed. Shuzug almost married me on the spot three days ago to keep me from going at all. Because they didn't know anything about Thunder Herd and your clan, at least to my knowledge, never gave Khagra contact information to do business with them in the past or let on that you did business with them at all. And we all were scared that they were similar to Iron Mammoth." You ventured.
"Oh gods no!" Katazi reassured you as he reached back and patted your leg again, but this time a bit further up than you were used to as you stared at his back in suspicion as you worried now that he'd be like the rest of Crowthu's sons and began to regret ever telling him about what Mama Arob saw in you. You thought he would still be the lighthearted fool he always seemed to be.
"No. I would have come and gotten you and taken you and your family if that was the case." He offered.
"Well there are already too many in Black Wolf White Rock who are like that. And it's only to keep Iron Mammoth or any other like them from getting stronger than they already are- that Khagra tolerates the ones without proper honor in his clan in the first place." You fretted.
"And I don't know this clan that well. Are there any here who are like that? Does Crowthu follow the same thing? Especially when Silug and Winug are like that and according to Arob, their warbands are like them too." You pressed anxiously.
"Those are good points and you're absolutely right about that. I know Zorroku is above such things and his warband only has the most honorable in his clan in it. But the others? I don't know. My brother Kunn would know better, he's Zorroku's age. He's right over there. I'll let him know about your concerns. And I think he'd be impartial in his assessments." Katazi offered.
"And you're not?" You asked.
"Nope, you know me. I'm never impartial. In fact I'm extremely partial." He admitted.
"Yeah, I guess. So have you shaken off your foolish rogue reputation enough that you've found a serious girl to take you seriously?" You asked hopefully but kept a slightly teasing tone.
"Nope. And honestly, I'm grateful for it. Which, while I have you all to myself. If I or anyone else can convince Crowthu to let you be a full Marfu, would you marry me?" He asked as your jaw dropped.
"You, you're kidding..." You tried to argue.
"Nope. I'm completely serious. You're the only one who has ever seen through the stupid fool facade anyway. And you know I'm not really like that. It's not like every single one of Crowthyu's sons doesn't have an overabundance of options for marriage. And if all they want you for is to use you to advance their career in their clan. I can have Brahma squish 'em." He offered as you snorted a laugh at the thought of Brahma squishing Silug and Winug at least.
"Kakazi. I highly doubt Crowthu risked his life and his sons' life to get me only to give me away again. Because the whole Bastard Rock clan threatened to kill them at the village gate for trying to take me with them. And with me, the whole ripe peach crop off the trees. Which is why they all call me 'Peaches'. Which took a little to get used to. Honestly it'll be easier to know who is calling me. Peaches, Thunder Herd. Peacock, Mountain Blizzard. Bella, White Rock." You admitted.
"But you're a Visla. You're Jaseeneh's Visla, And you've been that since birth, even when Bula wouldn't let you enjoy it. You deserve to at least have the option to choose for yourself." Kakazi insisted.
"Well Zorroku did tell me the same thing. That he'd be content to just be friends, but still share Ori. And that just because I'm Ori's mother, I don't have to be his wife." You offered even though you wanted to be Zorroku's wife. Because he wanted you for the right reasons. And you wanted to be with him, for what you thought were the right reasons too. Or maybe those dreams were being over influential. They were just dreams. Not reality. On the other hand, if Zorroku would know that you'd choose him over even Kakazi or all of Crowthu's children or the others in Mountain Blizzard, it would really impress upon him how much you would really genuinely want him and only him.
"Good, so is that a yes?" Kakazi asked.
"It's a maybe and a perhaps but with a really big "I doubt it". But only because of how the present circumstances look. I don't have to decide anything now. Thankfully. Don't go doing the same thing and overwhelm me too. The last thing I need is another overactive or imposing or pushy suitor. I mean Shuzug's here and he brought with him three wild wolf pups and two mountain lion cubs. I don't know how people won't see that and see him as a suitor for me too even though we are only friends and will only ever be friends. But again, you'd have to convince Crowthu and Yotul and Mama Arob and Zorroku because of Ori's account." You specified.
"That's fair." He nodded as he used his touch on your leg and squeezed your knee before he came up to his parents.
"Look who I found!" He prompted his family who all came to be around you, making a circle around you, leaving Zorroku and his brothers to try to find a way in but the other mammoths had formed a barrier around you as you kept turning and waiving hi and greeting everyone by name as the other mammoths reached up their trunks to sniff and feel you and Ori as you took their trunks and kissed them affectionately before Ori woke up started to look around before you turned her over so she was facing out in the sling.
"Hi Aunt Fusha, Hi Uncle Justineh. How are you guys?" You asked.
"Who do you have in a mother sling?" Fusha asked curiously.
"Oriannaregina, Zorroku's daughter. She's..." You began as you explained why and how you were now her mother.
"Aww, bless your heart and soul for taking care of her. She looks much better now than when we saw her last." Fusha cooed.
"How long ago was that?" You asked.
"A week ago." They all answered.
"How?" You asked.
"Because Crowthu's sister Cilanthe is my brother Drashaneh's wife and Clan Chieftess. And ever since she married into the clan, she was able to get the whole Thunder Herd Clan to winter in the old Mountain Blizzard city after we built our new one. It's in the mountains and their horses stay in one of the old mammoth caves that they light and keep all their hay in and because of special opals we've found- and put into the ceiling, it mimics sunlight so it makes the inside of the caves feel like the outside and we're able to grow fresh grass in there for them and the mammoths. So they stay in the old city and we get horse meat in the winter in exchange." Kakazi answered.
"And you didn't think to tell me when you saw me only a month ago?" You asked them.
"Again, that was Mama Jaseeneh's doing." Kakazi excused.
"You should have still told me about the Thunder Herd Clan and at least warned me that they were coming for me to liberate me, at least a little. More liberties than I enjoyed in White Rock anyway." You murmured under your breath at Kakazi.
"Well from now on, I promise, I'll tell you everything." Kakazi offered as he turned in his saddle to face you a little easier and smile at Ori who was not pleased he was so closed as she used her legs and kicked out at him to keep him as far away as her little legs could manage before you took the hint and scooted back away from Kakazi so Ori wouldn't hurt her still little and weak legs.
"I hope so. Would you do me a favor?" You asked once you settled in again.
"Anything." He answered.
"Go with Zorroku and his brothers and make sure they actually buy all these cattle that they're after. I know Zorroku will buy them because I asked him to. But I don't think his brothers can be trusted for such a simple thing and they have no idea how expensive cattle can really be. And I'm sending them to Cattle Baron Gronk in Black Angus." You urged him.
"Of course. Just let us set up camp and give you your gifts and you can go through them while we're gone." He offered.
"Like Jaseeneh Visla gifts or courting gifts?" You asked a little suspiciously.
"Jaseeneh Visla gifts. She's coming later. She has to be in a special carriage by two mammoths. Because she's pretty infirm now. And everyone else is going with her. But she gave us permission to come ahead early, and give you the first half of your gifts. Which include a proper Mountain Blizzard yurt. So you have a choice to either sleep in that or whatever tent they put you in here." Katazi answered.
"Aww, thank you. I'm excited to finally meet her. And everyone else." You smiled happily.
"Actually, Yotul has a space already cleared for you and your Clan that is closest to my tent." You revealed.
"Perfect, point the way." He urged as you turned around and pointed to the tent.
"That's Medowne's old tent." Katazi informed you with a frown when he recognized it.
"Really?" You asked, kind of disheartened. Now that you were not just Medowne's clothes. But her jewelry and her tent. How could Zorroku look at you and not see Medowne now?
"He had it specifically made for her the same way Crowthu had one made for Sharnarrah. But when she died giving birth to the twins, Zoku inherited it from her. And he was in the middle of refurbishing it and repairing it because it was in storage since her funeral and it got a bit of wear and tear both in use and in storage. But Medowne died before he could complete it." Kakazi revealed as he got down and then helped you get down off of Brahma as Ori fussed every time he was too close as he tried to give you a hug and hand to settle for a side hug before Ori was grunting and growling at him and trying to push him away again.
"Was she always like this? She'll smile at me and others in her family and clan but anyone else she won't smile at at all. And she's never acted like this with anyone else since I've gotten her." You asked him as you held her and swayed in place with her and put her on your opposite shoulder.
"Well, she usually screamed and cried at anyone who wasn't Zoku." Kakazi informed you.
"Why do you call him Zoku and not Zushku? Isn't Zushku the shortened form of Zorroushku in Ragesh?" You asked Kakazi.
"Yotul started to call him that when she adopted him and all of his brothers call him that so we call him that too." Kakazi shrugged as you frowned.
"But the fact that Ori isn't screaming and crying right now is a great improvement." He praised as he tried to reach up to play with her but she just curled herself in on you to keep herself from being touched by anyone but you as she gave a you pleading look to not let anyone touch her which you seemed to instictively understand.
"She does look so much better. We worried she wouldn't be alive to see us in the fall." He recounted.
"But now that she has you. I don't think anyone will be worried about her. I know you'll go full mama ice bear to protect her." Kakazi reassured you.
"Aww, thanks." You beamed happily before you showed him and his family into your tent so they could see it for themselves before they picked up the part of the tent that was Ori's Nursery wall and began putting up your Mountain Blizzard Visla yurt in conjunction with your tent as Zorroku and his brothers dismounted and at least helped set it up with Kakazi and his family.
And suddenly they all realized why Kakazi and everyone called you Peacock because your yurt was in a peacock's colors and engraved with peacocks on the beams.
"Favorite animal?" Zorrku asked you.
"Yeah. I got to see a peacock feather once and when they showed me what a whole bird would look like in a book, I instantly loved it, The tip of a feather is one of the things I brought with me from White Rock. Although with the history Mountain Blizzard has with White Rock, they all call it Bastard Rock behind their backs." You smiled as Zorroku snickerd a laugh.
"Bastard Rock, that's a very fitting name." He grinned at you as you both appreciated all the intricate engraving and the fact that everything was either peacock green, turqoise, blue, purple and gold before you got several bouquets worth of peacock feathers just for decorating which made you squeal in delight Although with having three wolf pups and two mountain lion cubs in your care, you doubted you could keep peacocks now.
"Hey, so is Ori very picky about who she lets touch her or near her? Because she hates Kakazi something awful." You asked him.
"Yeah, sorry about that, yes she is very picky. Which is why her instantly liking you and loving you and being happy with you is a really big deal. There were others in the clan who tried to nurse her but she didn't like any of them and only tolerated Grat." Zorroku apologized.
"Oh. Well being picky can be a good thing. Besides kids have a sixth sense about people sometimes. I'll keep an eye out for who she doesn't like then." You assured him as Ori was happy that it was just you and her dad together as she seemed to want to be held by both of you at the same time before Zorroku excused himself to help set up the rest of your yurt with everyone else.
It was a very large, two story yurt frame made out of mountain cedar pine that smelled so amazing and fragrant. Each piece was intricately stained and painted beautifully. And then the multiple layers of ceiling and walls on top of and inside the frame. Then as the floor was installed, you got to pick from a whole pile of special silk rugs to serve as your floor and "walls" on the inside of the yurt as you picked all that appealed to you and knew exactly which ones each of your siblings would like when you were informed that their yurts were brought too.
In what felt like practically moments, a fully formed home was built. It even had a real wooden floor that came in special pieces that locked together. Then special woolen mats were unloaded and rolled out inside. The mats were made out of the Woolen Mammoth fur which was cultivated the same way sheep's wool was, was put down. It helped insulate the floors to help keep heat in and it provided extra cushioning under the rugs too. They were the perfect size to fit over the floors in both the bottom and top levels inside the house. Then once it was tucked and tied in place so it wouldn't move, then the rugs were put down. And once those were down and in place. Then the furnature could be moved in.
It got to be just as full of gifts for you- as your tent already was. But it came with clothes and jewelry that was made just for you- to fit your smaller human form. You could tell that some of the clothes were made to suit you when you were a few years younger and to what your size was as of a month ago. So it obviously was prepared to be given to you at least a few years ago, if not much sooner in general. It was a perfectly furnished home, if not quite full of even more wonderful things. That made you feel even more home now than you had before.
And the finishing touch was Zorroku putting Orianna's name that had already been carved in a plaque, right under your name at the door and you wanted to see Zorroku's full name in Ragesh right along side it. You could almost see the names of any and all future children engraved in plaques for the door before Kakazi handed you the key that was for the lock on the door. You had held gold and silver in your hands before. But this little iron key, might as well have been carved out of a diamond or a pearl, it was so precoius to you as you couldn't stop happily crying and thanking everyone for their work in setting it up before they turned to setting up the others to leave you to explore your new home with Ori who seemed just as enchanted with her new home as you were.
"Wow." You whispered when you saw the huge armoire that was one huge jewelry box. It was stuffed to the brim with jewelry that was organized, granted a bit crowded, but organized. And perfectly beautiful. But you only slipped on a bracelet and earrings that matched the necklace and belt that you were already wearing.
"So do you like it? Is there anything you're unhappy with?" Kakazi asked you as you were marveling at everything but had left your door open along with your windows and the skylights to let in as much light and air as possible.
"It's perfect. There is nothing that I don't love about it. I've never had a home of my own. It's been an honor having Medowne's old tent, it's been wonderful and everyone has tried so hard to make me feel welcome here. But I can feel all the love and care for me in everything in here. I can feel that everything was made just for me. And I can't believe that such an exquisite home is mine." You marveled.
Zorroku was leaning on the open door just outside and felt bad that you were in Medowne's old tent. But honestly it was the nicest tent available at the time. But often, tents were passed down, traded, taken apart, put back together because they were so versitile. And he hadn't thought about how you would feel knowing you were in Medowne's old tent, wearing her old clothes. You did deserve something completely yours and unique and one of a kind. And while he had wanted you to feel at home and at ease in your tent. He hoped you would feel at home and at ease, at least, on this land.
"Just wait till you see your home in Mountain Blizzard." Kakazi cooed.
"What are you talking about? This is my home from Mountain Blizzard." You frowned.
"This is one of your homes. As a Visla of the Mountain Blizzard Clan, you have two homes. This one is to dwell in when you're not at your home that's been carved out in the mountain city. Think of this as your summer home. Your winter home will put this one to shame it's in the heart of the Mountain Blizzard Clan City because you're Jaseeneh's Visla after all." Kakazi crooned as Zorroku dropped his head in defeat as he suddenly felt like there was nothing he could ever offer you that would ever be enough or stack up against this. So he left to try to help erect the other Yurts, including his maternal Grandmother's.
You were delightfully overwhelmed to see your parents' yurt, and your brother's yurts, and even your little sisters had their own yurts too. They were smaller because they were still little and attached to your parent's yurts so that the yurts were still a home but their smaller yurts were like their own rooms. Their names, along with their titles of Visla were engraved in Ragesh special wood over the door frames as your name was on a wooden sign over the door to your yurt and you couldn't wait to have your parents finally receive what was always owed to them. And Jaseeneh's yurt was extraordinary. It was the largest and nicest one out of them all and felt almost like a temple. And to see that the tents set up for Khagra and Bula on the other side of Crowthu's family's tents were just as nice. Making your parents Bula and Khagra's equals but Jaseeneh, elevated above everyone.
Once things were set up, Kakazi and the other boys and men from the Mountain Blizzard Clan helped Yotul prepare to host Black Wolf White Rock while also telling Yotul about her sister and the rest of her family as Yotul had the largest feasting tent erected just for this occasion.
But when Yotul found out from the rest of the clansmen from Mountain Blizzard that your claim that Jaseeneh had been trying to buy your freedom and freedom of your family for the last 20 years, with your combined weight in salt a hundred times over, was in fact true. Yotul knew that Bula was not going to keep her hold over the rest of your family probably by the end of the night and felt bad for both wanting to see her sister and her nieces and nephews while also preparing her as far as personalities of her guests were.
Meanwhile Arob had taken you to her tent to help you find a way to satisfy the hunger of your new pets.
"Here, just take a breast and squeeze your milk into this cup and it will help anchor these little ones to you and help them think of you as their mother too. And it will help tame and domesticate them too." Arob urged you as you did as she asked and squeezed a fair bit of milk out into the cup that she divided into the bottles for them and put the bottles inside a barrel they usually saved for nursing foals with more holes for them to nurse from as they all lined up and began to nurse from the bottles they had at your feet as you held Ori and helped her nurse her second breakfast.
"I made a mistake." You murmured to Arob.
"Oh?" She asked.
"I told Kakazi about what you saw in me and the Clan Chief, Clan Chieftess thing, hoping to get some sympathy because he's usually very sympathetic person. And while he did show sympathy, he shocked me, he proposed on the spot." You murmured sorrowfully.
"Usually he's this very playful, stupid but fun loving, lighthearted kind of guy. And he immediately turned so serious on me, the shock nearly threw me off Brahma." You recalled.
"Me and my big mouth are gonna get me into so much trouble. And who knows who he told about it. And what they'll be doing. I really wish you hadn't seen that about me. Because now it feels like any and every ambitious orc will try to court me just for that." You sighed tiredly as you held Ori closely to you as she rested on the special nursing pillow around your waist to help hold nursing babies on.
"And I keep having all these dreams about Zorroku and I don't know if it's just my overactive imagination. But it's all overwhelming me so much." You confessed.
"The dreams are premonitions. Based on your current mindset, heart condition and choice in course. Give yourself a chance to wonder what your life could and would be like depending on who you choose and see what the premonitions show you about your options." Arob revealed.
"Really?" You asked her.
"Do you want to see what your life would be like depending on who you choose?" She offered.
"Yes. How much would..." You began.
"Free, Honey. Don't worry about it. I only want you to make the best decision for yourself and for Ori. It's still all up to you. You are a Marfu. You have the same exact freedoms that Glasha has. Your future is yours to do with as you please. You have status and wealth to suit you for whichever course you take. Here, lay down on this bed here. And I'll show you." She offered before you got up and laid down as Ori was finally asleep herself and laid on your chest as Arob put you into a trance like sleep and showed you your various potential futures with every prospect both in the Thunder Herd Clan and Mountain Blizzard and far beyond.
It felt like you were living entire lifetimes and could see everything both as it happened and yet instantaneously before you seemed to have the same ending. After all these guys, except for Zorroku got what they wanted, they would abandon you only for Zorroku to come and pick you back up. No matter where you went, or who you chose, he would follow you, even if it meant leaving his family and his clan behind. He would use Ori as his excuse. But he would always stay with you, as close or as far as you were comfortable with. He was a loyal friend through and through and yet when you chose him from the very beginning, you were the happiest then. He would still only have you as his one and only wife and live up to all the vows he had already made towards you and then some. He could either choose to be his clan's chief or not. Completely depending on your thoughts and feelings about it. He was always happy and content with just you and your family. Everything else didn't matter to him. Only you and Ori and any other child you would give him.
You openned your eyes with a sharp inhale and blinked away your happy and grateful tears.
"How long was I out?" You asked.
"Not even half an hour." Arob answered you.
"Oh good. So I have a really big favor to ask of you. My heart has chosen Zorroku already and after that, now it's dead set on him. So I wanted to see if I could trade or purchase a special blessing from you." You began.
"What kind of blessing?" Arob asked as she beamed with so much happiness at your decision.
"Is there a blessing that will allow me to have good, healthy pregnancies, good, non complicated births and for my body to be able to take in all of Zorroku's manhood comfortably? And if there is, I want you to go through my home and take whatever you want for it. Even before all this, I talked with Zorroku this morning about Medowne. And considering how she died, if I'm going to be with him, I don't want him to have to worry about me. At least physically and through childbearing. Because I've seen blended families and sometimes the human women can handle it and some can not and I want my body to be able to handle it and handle it very well." You proposed and Arob was so touched by your thoughtfulness and your noble heart and intentions and even your own sense of honor that she was near tears. You were such a treasure because of it.
"Of course, now I'm sensing you have some "medicine" that is in reality peach whiskey, give me one of the jugs of that and I'll make you a blessing that no other witch or sorcerer or sorceress will be able to top." Arob proposed.
You immediately left Ori there, asleep on that cot and bundled in her blanket and got the best one that had been aged longer than you had been alive. It was the best one you had and came back and eagerly gave it to her. Arob was touched even further that you'd gladly give up the best of what you had for Zorroku's sake, that was a very good sign.
"Ok, now, lay down again." Arob said as she put in what she needed into her other cauldron. Then she ran her fingers through your hair to catch the loose ones to throw those into it.
"Come and see." She invited you before you got up and turned over saw a vision of Zorroku granting you your freedom from the oath sworn by his father and yours and Khagra. And yet that would only make you more dead set on him.
Then it showed yourself laying with Zorroku and how your womanhood would take his cock to the hilt and how you would always reach your satisfaction every time you laid together. How he would always be gentle and reverent when you wanted but give you the bone rattling, world shattering slightly rough sex you could crave without ever hurting you. How you would and could bear him child after child with ease and even a few sets of twins easily. How great of a mother you'd be and how he'd make the best father. He would never strike you or mistreat you in any way shape or form.
Even your own parents and siblings would be there with you or in Mountain Blizzard and how they were taken into Crowthu's family and into Jaseeneh's family. And recognized as equal members of it as Marfu's and Vislas.
You cried when you saw how Zorroku would never stray from you. How you'd always have all of him, his whole mind, heart and soul, his loyalty and fidelity, love and devotion. How happy you would be. How your children would be the most beautiful and handsome of their generation. How you would make the Thunder Herd Clan known as The Great Thunder Herd Clan. How you would be flocked to and your clan village would become a great city, and your garden would be famed. How your lands would prosper, and your village would become so advanced- because you embraced the new. It would become so fortified that it wouldn't be possible to be laid siege to. How you would make sure all its citizens were in good health and educated and happy and prosperous and peoples of all kids would stop calling you Warchieftess or Clan Chieftess but rather, The Queen in your old age. How you would help Zorroku retire from being Clan Chief at forty. His eldest sons would take over and you could get him to 78 years old, the oldest male orc in memory. He and you would both die together, holding each other tightly in your sleep, satisfied and happy. That neither his death or yours would hurt. And how all of your children and their spouses would share the same fate. Happy and satisfied with their lives.
"Sold." You giggled through your happy tears before you rewind-ed it to the point where he gave you your freedom and you paused it and noticed a blue dot in the corner.
"What does that blue dot mean?" You asked as you pointed it out.
"It means you have an idea about it, press it and see your idea play out." Arob invited you so you did. You saw yourself telling Crowthu and Khagra and Jaseeneh and Dashaneh your idea that was just now springing into life in your head once Zorroku asked for your freedom and your family's freedom that very night.
Then you saw what would happen if they said yes. You and Arob gasped as you saw what would happen. You looked at each other excitedly as you saw just how the Thunder Herd Clan would have the means to become a very great fortified, advanced city and civilization.
"OK, can we show this vision to everyone again when they all get here?" You asked hopefully.
"Oh yes. But I'll blur out Zorroku so that they still think all their sons have a shot and I'll say it's blurry because you haven't made up your mind and that it's open still." Arob grinned mischievously.
"Perfect." You mirrored her grin before you hugged her as tight as you could from where you were.
Once you let go of each other you turned to Ori cooed to her sleeping form and promised her that you would be the best mother to her that you could be and that you would always love her forever. You both also noticed she really did start filling out nicely already as was starting to get some rolls on her limbs.
"Now lay down and close your eyes. It won't take long." Arob coached you.
You awoke only what felt like a few moments later. And when you awoke, a very strong, lasting happiness came to you and refused to leave you. You had a smile you could not shake off the rest of the day. You just wanted to kiss Zorroku until your lips would fall off, it's because of him and his love for you and his support that you'd be able to do so much in the future. You'd do all you could to please him that very night if you could get away with it.
"These premonitions that I'm getting about Zorroku, can you share them with him?" You asked hopefully.
"Yes." Arob smiled and nodded before she handed you a huge bag of round balls of incense.
"Everytime you find a suitor who is particularly forward, you give them one. And say that they're premonition beads. And to use them, throw them in the fire tonight before bed. And they will see how while they get what they want, how devastated you usually are with them and how once you are devastated, the blessings reverse and they too become devastated. And that should be enough to deter most. But you will find one bead in there that is white on end and blue on the other. It is in its own little pocket. That one is for Zorroku. All the others are white and rather indistinguishable from each other. But once they are in the hands of yourself and then the other suitors themselves, they will take on the ambition of the host who holds them and change color. Your end still white- like a blank canvas. And the color will be indicative." Arob instructed you as she handed it to you and you put it on your belt and then gave you a small piece of paper that had all the colors and their meanings that you quickly studied and then put it in the little bag on the belt with it.
"Thank you." You thanked her as you hugged her before you got Ori up off the mat and put her in your sling again before the two of you left and rejoined the others. You quickly went to where a horse was newly slaughtered and took the cocks and balls off the horses killed for the noon meal and the feast at dinner and started to prepare a special soup with them just for Yar, for when he would get there at dinner time because you knew he'd appreciate it. You told the others in the kitchen about the food tastes of their cousins and family as you made a special cake to celebrate this momentous occasion as you used your other peach whiskeys to pour over the cake and flavor the special honey glaze you put over it.
Then you were pulled back into the main feasting tent to make sure there was enough space and tables for everyone and everything as Fusha introduced you to the women who had come ahead early. As you recognized Kakazi's sisters who then introduced you to their sisters in law as you worked who was related to who and how. All of them were really happy and excited to finally meet 'Jaseeneh's Visla Regina's Bella' that you spoke Ragesh so well and Arob had never had to repeat so many times over that yes, what she saw when she did her peering was true. But that it had scared you off to the idea and if they so much as hinted that it was that that your potential suitor was really after, you would immediately reject them because you didn't want that for yourself and would automatically be put into a suspicious, weary and defensive attitude. Which seemed to be a good enough answer.
"You sure that was a good idea?" Yotul asked Arob after she overheard the last set of mothers and sisters ask Arob about you since Kakazi had told his parent what you had told him as others overheard it and began asking and soon word seemed to spread behind your back so to speak but yet you could practically see the news travel among them. And suddenly you could see little disks above their heads to see what they were envisioning as you looked to them to Arob.
"Why am I seeing the little pictures above everyone's heads?" You asked her.
"To show you who has ideas about you and what they're thinking and their ambitions and intentions. It's to help you decide who is genuine and who isn't." Arob answered before Lazuli came back to get you.
"Yes?"
"Your celebration dresses from the trunk have been finished. Where do you want them?" She asked as she had them wrapped in plain white cotton to keep them clean and private for you.
"Oh, here, let me help." You offered before you took two of the four bundles of clothes in her hands.
"Dress in something sexy tonight Peaches! Make the boys' jaws drop!" All the girls playfully incited you with rounds of laughter which made you smile but blush hard. Glasha and Brielan, Fusha's daughter and her young kids left to join you to help you get dressed as Glasha took one from you and Brielan took the second from Lazuli as the four of you and Brielan's kids followed you out of the main feasting tent and towards your home to help you get ready as the others ready left to do the same since the space was finally finished in time for everyone to get ready for dinner by the time the boys would get home.
"Oh wow. Medowne never wore this, at least publicly." Glasha noted as she looked over the different outfits that had been finished and she and Brielan and Lazuli immediately giggled licentiously so you threw caution to the wind and put it on and felt so sexy in this as your confidence was boosted almost immeasurably as they made sure your jewelry was perfect before you put on a piece of sheer but gorgeously embroidered shall over it since you were a bit self conscious about being so "exposed" since the outfit came with a midriff.
Then you felt all of the mammoths began to make the deepest noise that you felt through your bones.
"Mama Jaseeneh is here!" Brielan squealed before you exited your tent just as Zorroku and the rest of them had come back bringing in the livestock and were hot and sweaty and needed a bath but when he was about to come down the lane where his tents and his family's tents were, you came out in one of the sexiest outfits Medowne owned and had was something she had commissioned in her skin tone to make it look like she was naked.
"Medowne!" Zorroku blurted, half in alarm and half in surprise which made Glasha, Lazuli, Brielan and yourself and everyone around him freeze as Zorroku slapped his hand over his mouth in horror as you looked above Zorroku's head to see Medowne wearing this and seducing him which cut you to the bone as your eyes dropped to the ground as your cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"I should change." You immediately turned around and went back into the tent.
"No! No! No, you looked fine! You don't need to change!" Zorroku tried to call after you, as Glasha, Brilan and Lazuli frowned deeply at him.
"What the fuck Zoku?" His brothers and cousins got after him.
"I told you giving her Medowne's tent and her clothes was a bad idea, Just one of them is one thing but both is too much. I told you that she would only feel like you're trying to make her into Medowne." Nar reminded his eldest brother with a shake of his head as he was disappointed and heartbroken for you for Zorroku to outright call you by Medowne's name when he saw you in her clothes.
"I'm so sorry Belladonna!" Zorroku called into the tent as the other women came after you as he outright ignored his brothers and cousins and friends.
"You don't have time to change, Jaseeneh is here. You need to go to her." Brielan tried to stop you from ripping the outfit off of yourself as you tried to silently wrack a sob as even Ori was starting to cry because you were upset and crying too.
"Zorroushku, just get cleaned up and ready for dinner. I'll see you later. I have to go meet my grandmother now. Everyone should go please." You dismissed him and the others as you wiped the tears from your eyes. Then you left your tent through the yurt behind them as quietly as you and Brielan could as Glasha whispered that she would take care of Brielan's kids as Brilan took your hand and ran with you as fast as you both could run carrying your babies as Glasha came back out of your tent with Brielan's little ones and repeated that her brothers needed to get cleaned up and made sure they all passed your tent before she tied an extra big and extra hard knot in all the doors and tent flaps before she took Brielan's kids back to the main feasting tent with Lazuli.