▪️B A L D U R▪️
I did not know how I ended up with Izara sitting in front of me upon my Vharg, but here she was, with that sinful body of hers pressing back into me.
Fucking hell!
This was why I had been keeping my distance, wanting to stay as far away from her as possible.
My hands ached, wanting to run my fingers up her thick thighs before gripping her by the hips so that I could pull her back into me even more. Not wanting to get aroused, I forced myself to think about something else.
Glancing over to Khagra, I levelled my gaze at him, silently cursing the warrior Orc in my mind. If the knowing smirk on his face was anything to go by, it was obvious that he had planned the entire damn thing!
After Izara had cleaned up what was left of Sigorim's grave, on our way back, Khagra had claimed that he would need to take an alternative route to ours in order to check on one of the Orc hunting parties.
He stated that Izara would have to ride back to the castle with me.
I was tempted to argue, but I knew that would have been petty, especially since there was no place for a human to be among an Orc hunting party. Besides, I could not let my best friend see how much Izara had been affecting me, particularly when I myself was still trying to understand the emotions that I was feeling.
Letting out a sigh, I allowed my eyes to wander.
We were travelling over slightly rocky terrain and I did my best to ignore Izara and Khagra while they idly chatted with each other about the various plants and animals in the area.
The mountain path hugged the curves of the landscape, creating a stunning view of the evergreens that stretched as far as our eyes could see. I always enjoyed being out in the wilderness, there was just something so freeing about being one with nature, allowing yourself to get lost in its infinite beauty.
Tilting my head back, I looked up at the caerulean sky, admiring the way the white clouds were scattered about. The longer I stared, the more I began to miss the days when I would regularly ride my Amphitere.
Ormr was a magnificent beast and I had found his cracked egg laying in a creek when I was just five years old.
My father had told me to get rid of him, claiming that he was too small and would not live to see adulthood. But I was stubborn, I did not want any other Amphitere for I felt as though the Gods had intended for me to find him.
Ormr had proven everyone wrong by beating the odds and survived, growing into a large and beautiful beast, one of the strongest in the entire isle.
He was an Amphitere with an uncommon blue colouring, the various hues fusing together to create a blending effect that mesmerised all who laid eyes on him. His scales and feathers reminded me of the colour of sapphire stones with flecks of grey embedded in-between, while his underside was a blue that reminded me of the sparkling waters that were only found on the coast of the Isle.
When I rode Ormr, nothing else mattered, and I would spend many hours just soaring through the sky, gliding amongst the clouds. Sometimes, I was tempted to fly away and never return, but knowing that I would be King one day was what kept me grounded.
The feel of Gnarg leaping over an incline pulled my attention back to the present.
Each time my Vharg jumped, it pushed Izara's plump derriere back against my crotch. The feel of her thighs pressing into mine caused me to exhale while momentarily closing my eyes.
I grunted softly, trying to keep my body from responding.
"Everything alright, Baldur?" Khagra asked, a playful gleam in his hazel gaze.
He knew! Of course, he fucking did!
In response, I simply narrowed my eyes at him before turning my head back to concentrate on the trail ahead, trying to ignore the Orc riding beside me. A large flock of birds suddenly flew past us and I let myself focus on that instead, thinking it strange that they would be flying east at this time of year.
Shifting his attention to Izara, Khagra asked, "How are you feeling? Are you up for some sparring again tomorrow?"
Over the last couple of days, my best friend had taken it upon himself to teach Izara a few things, trying to help her enhance her fighting capabilities. Not that she would need it since she was safe within the castle walls. But after seeing Khagra training one of the younger Orcs, Izara had been interested in learning some of our sword-handling techniques.
Unknowing to both of them, I hid within the shadows of the pillars and watched as Khagra showed Izara a few new moves.
To her credit, she was a fast learner, and I had found myself impressed by her willingness to try new things. Clearly Dura had not been exaggerating when she said that Izara was the perfect student. She did not waver under pressure and took each criticism with a nod, eager to correct her form.
Whenever Khagra would knock her down on her ass, Izara would not falter in immediately getting back up, quickly resuming her stance to charge at him once more. The determination on her face alone was enough to heat my blood, and I would find myself getting aroused while I watched them spar.
Izara must have told Khagra a joke for his laugh filled the air around us.
When his mirth died down, he said, "This is where I leave you two, I'll see you back at the castle later tonight."
"Be safe!" Izara exclaimed, her body turning slightly as she waved at him.
"For you, always," Khagra replied with a wink, before he sped off in the opposite direction.
Ignoring the jealousy that swirled within me, I gripped the reigns tighter, urging Gnarg onward. The Vharg enthusiastically howled before taking off in a run that soon turned the nearby trees into a green blur before he then slowed down again, allowing us to take in everything around us.
After a few minutes of silence, Izara asked, "Can we take the mountain pass near the Black Forest?"
Frowning slightly, I enquired, "That's a bit of a detour, why do you want to go there?"
"There are some herbs that Dura was telling me about, I wanted to see if I could get some to surprise her with. A thank you for her assistance in helping me prepare for Sigorim's grave."
As thoughtful as her gesture seemed, it was somewhat reckless.
Trying my best not to move my body, I probed, "You are aware that there have been fae sightings in that area, no?"
Nodding, she turned her head slightly so that her eyes could look into mine as she replied, "Yes, but I know that you'll protect me..."
I huffed out a response, hating the way my chest swelled with pride.
Even though I had been nothing but cruel to her, it would seem that Izara still trusted me with her life. This caused me to once again question her sanity as well as my own, since I was considering indulging in her little side quest.
"You know that this means we won't return to the castle until tomorrow morning, right? You'll need to dig your own hole to shit in, I won't do it for you," I stated, hoping to deter her.
But I should have known better for Izara simply chuckled at my words.
"I'd not have asked you to, I can dig my own hole if you must know and I'm quite capable of spending a night or two in the forest by myself thank you very much."
"I'm sure... Either way, we can't afford to be away from the castle for too long, we both have duties we must attend to," I reminded her.
"Please, Baldur..." Izara implored, her brown eyes gaping up at me.
The way she said my name had my chest rumbling and I found myself momentarily mesmerised by the way the sun gleamed off of her smooth brown skin. I had to fight the urge to reach my hand out and gently caress her cheek, wanting to trace the edge of the largest scar on her face.
"Fucking hell..." I muttered while veering my Vharg to the right, heading towards the Black Forest.
Ideally, I should have taken a small Orc party with me, in the event that we were attacked. But I did not think that Alaric would be stupid enough to attack me, knowing that I could suck the very souls out of him and his men.
The refreshing mountain air felt cool against my skin.
Whenever I got a whiff of Izara's hair, the lightly floral scent caused me to inhale deeply. With the feel of her body pressing back into me, I could not help but mull over the incident that had happened last night in the hot springs.
I still could not believe that I had almost kissed her!
More importantly, why did I even bother to confide in Khagra? I should have known better.
Now he seemed more adamant than ever about getting us together. Which also confused me since I knew without a doubt that he liked her. But I supposed being the amazing friend that he was, Khagra was simply doing what he always did, putting my well-being ahead of his.
Though I was unsure how pairing me up with Izara was a good thing for my sanity.
As evident by my current predicament while I sat here with my body unconsciously leaning into hers. I hated how much I found myself attracted to Izara, yet not knowing what exactly to do about it.
More so after seeing her at Sigorim's grave, I had a new-found admiration for her.
The respect she had given to the Orc, taking her time to rewrap his body, struck something deep within me. Not only was Izara beautiful, but her sense of honour was captivating and I would be lying if I did not admit that it made me want to get to know her even better.
Within Orc culture, we respected honour and strength above all else.
Izara may have lacked physical strength, but she certainly was not weak. That mouth of hers was as sharp as a whip and having seen the way she handled a sword as well as a bow and arrow, I realised that she was not as defenceless as she initially seemed.
In fact, at a young age, I had understood that true strength did not always have to be physical. Especially since among my siblings, I had been considered the weakest at one point since in size, I had been the smallest.
From what I had observed about Izara, coupled with what had been reported back to me, she was a hard worker and always eager to learn. She was not someone who was embarrassed to make mistakes and she always pushed herself to do better.
In fact, I had been amazed by how well she had been acclimatising to life within the castle.
Everyone seemed to like her and she had even made herself a few close friends. If I had not known better, I would have said that she was destined to live among us.
I was a bit concerned about Mahala though, she was basically Khagra in a female human form and I could only imagine the mischief she and Izara could cause if they really wanted to. However, I took solace in knowing that Golnar would be the voice of reason within their trio. The female half Orc may be quiet, but she had a good head on her shoulders.
A part of me felt a small tinge of guilt for being as harsh as I had been with Izara. But truthfully, it appeared as though my unfair opinions of her had only served to invigorate her since she seemed determined to make me eat my words.
Which, I apparently was.
Would I ever admit that I had been wrong about Izara?
Never!
At least not out loud, I groused silently, knowing that I would never hear the end of it from Khagra.
If there was one thing I had learned within the last few days, it was that Izara Foros knew how to get under my skin. Yet, for some unknown reason, I was allowing her to, for there was no explaining the exhilaration I felt for her, especially whenever we shouted at each other. After last night, I grew curious, wanting to explore it.
My thoughts staggered when Izara shifted for the umpteenth time in front of me, her rounded backside pushing and grinding against the crotch of my trousers.
Growling softly, I leaned forward and whispered, "Stop moving..."
By this point, I had been losing the battle of keeping my arousal hidden and there was nowhere for me to hide the thickening girth.
When Izara slanted her head back to glare at me, there was such a rebellious glint in her eyes that it made me want to drag her off my Vharg and put her across my knee. I allowed myself to briefly imagine what her screams would sound like while they echoed among the trees as I spanked her ass raw.
The thought made my cock jerk and I knew that Izara felt my hardening length pressing into her by the way she narrowed her gaze at me. I could just tell that her response was going to piss me off and I found myself eager to hear what she was going to say.
"Well, sorry to inconvenience you, but if your massive dick wasn't stabbing into my lower back then I wouldn't have to move about so much," Izara stated before swiftly turning around.
Oh, the nerve of this woman, but how I loved it!
Holding in a grin, I appreciated her sass while I pulled the reign back a bit.
As my Vharg slowed his pace to a stroll, my arms encircled her more, pressing us together even closer. The heat of Izara's body was like a brand against my skin through the various layers of our clothes and every nerve in my being seemed like a harp-string, ready to snap at the slightest touch.
I hated the magnetic pull she appeared to have over me.
Which was why I attempted to regain some of that power by invading her space. If I was going to suffer in silence while dealing with my almost painful arousal, then I would be bringing her along with me.
"What did I tell you about that mouth of yours?" I asked softly, my nose purposefully grazing the side of her cheek.
Izara's breath hitched, "You'll have to remind me..."
I let out a raspy laugh, relishing in her bold response and just as I was about to answer, Gnarg unexpectedly stopped, his ears twitching wildly.
The abrupt cease in movement caused Izara to jolt back into my chest and my arms automatically moved to clutch around her midriff, quickly steadying her. I stifled a groan, hating how good her body felt, the undersides of her breasts grazing my forearms.
Taking a quick look around, I noticed that we had stopped near the edge of a cliff.
From here, we had an amazing view of the forest below and the sky above was like an intense painting of orange and gold that stretched towards the horizon, lighting the sky ablaze. Nothing seemed out of place, so I was a bit confused at what could have made us stop.
"What is it, boy?" I asked, petting the side of Gnarg's neck.
My Vharg whined before he began yowling, too disturbed by something to respond to me. Its large paws shuffled on the ground while he began tugging against the reigns with such a force that I had no choice but to quickly dismount him, dragging Izara and her rucksack with me.
It was then that Gnarg started snarling, twisting and turning his body to the point where I knew that something was drastically wrong.
I had been so preoccupied with Izara that I did not take the time to observe the area surrounding us carefully. The forest was quiet, too quiet, and before I knew what was happening, everything around us began to shake with such a force that I momentarily lost my footing.
Within the next moment, the ground beneath us began to tremble, a rumbling sound like thunder drummed through the forest, and my eyes rounded in realisation.
"Izara, run!" I shouted as the edge of the cliff broke and began sliding down the precipice.
"Baldur!"
She screamed my name and her wide eyes and grief-stricken face were the last things I saw before the ground beneath me gave way, my body hurtling down the side of the mountain.
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A/N: Welp... 😶