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oubliette-odette · 2 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 32

Another beautiful day to talk about gay boys fighting for love, amiright?

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 Content Warnings: violence, light torture All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

Pain and panic mixed with elation as Selhar half carried me down the steps.

Lordhovid could only mean one thing. Drunrag was alive somewhere. He was alive. We were once again being pulled back to one another. I only hoped that Gaius meant what he said that help would be waiting for me at the Soaring Elk.

My head was hanging, my vision blurred by the sweat that slipped into my eyes. I had no idea where we were, my feet were only as useful as keeping me from falling, but not much else and I could hear Selhar’s grunts as he hoisted me up again.

“I’m…” I grunted. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.” Selhar snapped. “We’re almost there.”

I licked my lips and tasted salt. My clothes felt heavy and damp on me. I couldn’t help but wonder what Drunrag was going through. Was he safe? Was he able to get to me or was he as helpless as I was?

Selhar’s hold on me went slack and I heard him knock on a door. I lifted my head and saw that we were standing in front of a door on what seemed like a quiet street.

Moments passed slowly and I gasped for another breath as a wave of heat washed over me.

The door finally opened after what felt like a long time, but only by a small crack.

“Who sent you here?” The voice was low and guarded, but not unkind.

Selhar cleared his throat. “Uh…Gaius Gideon said we could come here if we needed help. My brother…something’s wrong with him. Can you help us?”

The door opened more and I looked up again and locked eyes with bright green eyes, surrounded by a soft, grassy green skin.

“You’re the Duke’s sons?” They asked, their voice suddenly peaked in interest. “Please, come in, boys.”

As the door opened, we both paused as we saw standing before us was a tall woman with wild auburn curls and the softest shade of green skin. Two small fangs peaked just a bit from her bottom lip. She wavered and placed her hands on her round belly, as she backed away from the door.

We stumbled into the house and were welcomed into a room that smelled like herbs and fresh bread. We both stopped and looked around in awe. The room was large and spacious and had tables situated all around to seat many people. There was a fireplace - something I was quite averse to at that moment - with comfortable soft seats around it. A set of stairs led up to another level and looking up I could see a balcony surrounding the perimeter of the room and doors along the walls.

“What is this place?” Selhar asked.

The door closed quickly behind us and the woman gingerly walked over to us. “This is the Soaring Elk. It’s a safe home for strangers to Berdusk.” She gestured at one of the tables. “Take a seat and let me look at the young lord.”

Selhar made one final grunt before dragging me to the bench at the table and I leaned back and took a gulp of air.

“Tell me your names.” She said, looking between us both.

“I’m Selhar, the middle son.” Selhar placed a hand on his chest.

“Which means you must be Altan.” She said gravely. “I know what ails you then.”

I blinked up at her bright, open eyes. “You’re…”

She smiled shyly, “I’m Del. Gaius Gideon is my husband.”

We both found ourselves with our jaws on the ground before our eyes drifted to her belly. She caught the shift and smiled meekly, there was a twinkle in her eye. Never in all my years did I think Gaius Gideon - the stiff, ever vigilant, always-following-the-rules Gaius Gideion - would be a married man or that his spouse would be an orc woman who looks like the embodiment of spring or even that he would even know how to have a child. The entire idea was preposterous. For the briefest of moments, I believe I forgot that I was experiencing lordhovid.

Del Gideon exuded a warmth that was immediately safe and she reached towards me with an open hand, “May I?” She asked.

Up close, she smelled like marigolds, and her hands were gentle as she pressed them against my forehead. I took a sharp intake of breath as the heat of her skin burned onto mine. She whispered her apologies before pulling back and looking into my eyes, studying me closely. “You know what this is?” She asked.

I nodded, “Lordhovid.”

Her smile was one of understanding. The horrifying thought that perhaps she and Gaius Gideon had experienced this same thing struck me.

Selhar glanced between the both of us, confusion passing over his face.

“These symptoms are worse than normal.” She said, “I’m not sure my herbs will be enough to sate the fever, but perhaps it will help a little. Selhar, would you kindly follow me into the kitchen?”

Selhar sprung to his feet and eagerly followed her back. I noticed the way his eyes were caught on her. If I hadn’t been going through my own personal crisis, I think I too would have been caught by her beauty. Instead, I hung my head back and sighed.

Minutes later, Del and Selhar returned with a tray carrying various jars, bowls, and a kettle with warm water.

“This will be unpleasant at first,” She said. “But the herbs must be drunk as a tea.”

I groaned, “No more heat.”

She sighed. “I wish I could do that for you, my lord. Selhar, hold this for me.” She handed my brother a small tea cup and proceeded to measure out various herbs from the jars into the cup. She worked quickly and not a single leaf spilled over the edge of the spoon without her knowledge. She then poured the steaming kettle over top and placed a saucer over top. “We’ll let it steep, but you should drink all of it once it’s ready.” She said.

“What is lordhovid?” Selhar asked in the silence of waiting.

I couldn’t meet his eyes as Del explained the burning lust between Drunrag and I - the connection that kept us always yearning for one another.

“Will he be this way forever?” Selhar asked, panicked.

Del shook her head, “Once the bond is made, lordhovid fades.”

“How is the bond made?”

Del hesitated, “It requires…physical intimacy.”

Selhar snapped his attention to me, eyes wide. ‘You haven’t slept with him already?”

I shook my head, exasperated at the timing of this conversation. “We didn’t exactly have the time.”

“You ran away for five days!”

“Drunrag’s…anxious.” I said.

Selhar groaned. “I can’t believe we have to deal with this because the two of you are prudes.” He buried his head in his hands and groaned.

“I’m the one suffering right now.” I said.

Del had the decency to say nothing, but her amusement was clear to anyone who looked. She passed me the teacup and gently coaxed me to bring it to my lips.

The water was positively scorching as it fell into my mouth. I flinched at how the hot liquid flowed like lava, but swallowed the contents as quickly as I could. I fell back, heaving and shaking.

“That’s good. You did well. You should feel the heat recede in a few minutes.”

Selhar watched me closely and Del quietly worked at cleaning up the tray and taking it back to the kitchen. Slowly, I felt my body finally slow and stop shaking and I could start to breathe normally. The heat didn’t leave, it felt like a fever from an illness, but it was bearable. I let out a relieved sigh.

“Better?” Del asked, returning.

I nodded. “My thanks to you.”

She shook her head, “It’s nothing for friends of Gaius. He speaks very highly of you boys.” She settled down with a new tray, this time with sliced bread and two bowls of stew. “I presume the two of you are hungry?”

Selhar nodded and Del served us both the food. I at first felt reluctant to eat more hot food, but Del’s encouraging smile assured me I wouldn’t suffer this time. There was residual pain from the tea, but over time the warm stew settled in my stomach.

“So, I presume something must have happened to bring you here?” She asked, eyebrows raised.

We both nodded. “My father took things too far.”

She nodded. “Gaius has been waiting for him to make a false move. He was grateful to the both of you for warning him of Duke Hilmar’s plans before he could be caught.”

“Where is he?” I asked.

“I believe he’s looking for aid to stop the Duke.” Her smile softened, ‘And I believe he was hoping he would find your raebukan while out there.”

“Okay, now what does that mean?” Selhar asked.

“It means mate.” I said this time.

“Oh.” he said. “Makes sense.”

“I can still feel him.” I said, placing a hand on my chest. “He’s still out there.”

Del’s eyes widened. “You can sense him?”

I nodded, “Is that not normal?”

“It’s not unheard of, but it’s certainly not common.” She said, “From what my mother told me, those who can sense their raebukan even across great distances are those who possess the purest, strongest bond. It’s a union chosen by Gruumsh.” She shook her head.

“I can’t imagine the God of the Orcs would choose me to be Drunrag’s soulmate.” I said with a grim laugh.

“Perhaps…but I’ve never been one to understand any god, really.” she said with a shrug.

“Del.” I said. “Do you know how I might find Commander Gideon? I need him to help me find Drunrag. I can’t do it alone.”

She shook her head, “No, you can’t. If you expect to travel, you’ll need to bring some of the tea with you. It only lasts about six hours.”

I sighed. Complications. Always complications.

She rose, “You’re lucky that I have no other guests right now. Get some rest and we’ll set off in the morning to find Gaius and Drunrag.”

“What?” Selhar and I both exclaimed.

She smiled brightly. “Do you think my pregnancy makes me unable to travel?” she laughed and pointed to her fangs. "Half-orc. Remember? I can take a few bumps.”

Neither of us said anything more. We finished our food and obediently followed Del up the stairs to a room with beds prepared. Del assured me she’d be back with more tea before the morning.

I laid back on the soft bed. There were many questions unanswered, but something finally felt right leaving the Great Hall and finally going out and looking for Drunrag. Perhaps Selhar was right that we created more problems by waiting to consummate our union, but I couldn’t help but think it was to our benefit that we waited. I could feel him, which meant that I could find him.

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oubliette-odette · 4 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 29

Am I actually updating with a new chapter without weeks in between? Shocking!

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 Content Warnings: violence, light torture All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

“Where is he?”

I heard a voice through the fog in my brain and I winced as the voice echoed and rattled like coins in a metal tin, loud, scattered, and hard against my throbbing skull.

“I said, where the hell is that orc?” There seemed to be a disturbance around me.

I heard the shouting again and I deigned to open my eyes. I could see my world through a swollen, weeping narrow view and found myself prone on the ground of an uneven, stone floor. Bits of dank, sodden hay were scattered at my feet and around me. I caught the whiff of rot around me. Only a few feet beyond that were cold, metal bars that contained my useless body. What threat I once had was long gone, I was beyond identifying what was working and what was not, only aware that my body didn’t move the way it used to, and when I tried to move, everything reacted in a sequence and spread from one joint to the next until I had to close my eyes and regain my breath, willing myself to not faint.

I blinked through the pain and soon found my eyes locked with the dark, grim face of someone I recognized. There were parts of him that were familiar to me, parts of him I had seen on another’s face, only that one was more kind and beautiful. This person was angry, furious. At me.

Duke Hilmar. The name returned to me slowly and I blinked up at him, vacant of any reaction.

“Orc. I’m sure you lie there, satisfied and full of contempt against me,” He began to scream at me. “What did you do to my son?!”

I couldn’t answer. Loving Altan was never something that would be wrong. A weak thrum of affirmation flowed through me. Yes. Loving him was right. Good. The Duke would never understand.

“Unlock this door.” He spat at the one dressed in red beside him. Memories slowly started to seep back in and I remember they were Red Hunters - for some reason they were allied with the Duke. They silently obeyed and the metal door into my cell swung open with great protest. I winced as the sound reverberated in my head.

The Duke’s hands were suddenly on me, pulling me towards him, dragging me up from the ground. I grimaced and bit back the groan of pain, shuddering.

“You.” He hissed. There was so much contempt and vitriol aimed at me. “You can’t even begin to understand how much you’ve ruined everything for him. For me. I will see you ruined beyond repair and you will never leave this place alive.”

I felt a hand slide to my thigh and press on the wound from the arrow that had shot at me. I rolled my head back and through labored, stuttering breaths, gasped for reprieve.

The Duke only pressed harder. I could only see white, blinded by the intense pain. I let out a yell that left my throat raw. More animal than man, I could not hold back any longer. I pushed against the hands that held me down and shoved them away. I felt them fall back, but I could only concentrate on one thing at a time. I braced my back against the wall, gasping.

“Do not touch me.” I growled. I struggled to stay on my feet, it felt like my body was sending me signals from every point that it needed to shut down, it needed me to stop, but I held my back straight against the cold stone wall and I breathed. In and out. Focused on staying awake - alive - long enough to fight back.

“You do not scare me, creature.” The Duke was on the ground, but a smile remained on his face. “You’re pathetic.”

“You should be scared.” My voice was low, no more than a rumble in my chest, but it was enough for the Duke’s eyes to flutter for the briefest moment with fear. “Pathetic as I am, I’m still an orc…and we bite.” I don’t know what came over me at that moment, but I managed to quirk a grim smile.

“You will die a slow death, orc.” He said. “I could have given you mercy if you had let my son go.” He rose to his feet and huffed.

“Altan was never under my control.” I said. “But he certainly was scared of the control you forced on him. A dictator for a father is inconceivable in my home.”

“Be silent, orc.” He hissed. “You have no say in our family matters when you have no knowledge on it whatsoever.” He took a step forward and reached for me, but I swung my arm and swatted him away. Yet he reached with his other hand and gripped me around the throat, I flailed beneath him, but he pressed his weight against me, holding me down. “You think it amusing to see me lose to your kind, don’t you? Yet you are not as clever as you think, orc..” He fished into his pockets and pulled out the vial. It dangled in front of me, mocking and taunting me with the one thing that kept me close to my raebukan. “This is how you’ve controlled him, isn’t it?”

I blinked up at him, but said nothing. Was he insane?

His eyes were manic. “I’ve figured it out. It was there the whole time. My son loses himself to obsession over an orc. It made no sense at first, but it’s because you poisoned him. Now you will tell me, what is the antidote?”

I locked my jaw, shaking my head.

His hand pressed my throat harder, “Tell me! Now!”

I did not blink away from his mad expression, despite how desperately I wanted him off of me.

“If you will not tell me, then perhaps your own poison will benefit you.” He said. With his teeth, he unstoppered the vial and I watched in mute horror as he brought the vial towards me and pressed it to my tight lips. “Drink up, greenblood.”

No. No. This wasn’t how it was meant to happen. I tried to fight back, but the grip around my neck tightened until I couldn’t breathe. I was forced to gasp and cough for air when he poured the contents down my throat. The liquid was cold on my tongue and my body, having been denied food and water for days, eagerly swallowed the contents of the vial as it cooled and settled into my stomach. I shook and pushed myself away from the Duke, falling back onto the ground and shuddering.

“You don’t know what you’ve done.” I managed to say, just before I felt the chill slowly shift into something different. I could feel the warmth in my gut as it began to increase, expand and spread.

The Duke stepped back and watched me with open-mouthed delight as he saw me begin to writhe and groan with the returning of the constant burning in my loins. And then I felt the pull, the tug of something that belonged to me that felt like it was far, far away from me. The feeling that I must follow it, or I would forever live in that torment.

The Duke watched on, satisfied, not knowing that what he had done to me had most certainly doomed Altan as well.

Want to be updated on new chapters? DM me to be added to the tag list! I'm so sorry that I missed you guys last chapter!

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#I have been waiting for this very moment for so long #i really hope it was worth it #drunrag x altan #monster boyfriend #orc boyfriend #orc x half elf #romance #monster romance #dnd inspired #my fic #writing #original story #fantasy story #creative writing #queer romance #mm romance #against all odds #orc

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oubliette-odette · 3 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 30

Hey guys! I was away out of town for a couple weeks and was out of service during that time so I'm finally here with a few chapters ready to post. Which is perfect because I'll be out of town again for the next two weeks and I'll make sure that I get a post out for you so you don't all suffer. Things are getting gooood.

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 Content Warnings: violence, light torture All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

I stood in the center of the Great Hall, surrounded by men that I had grown to despise for their pathetic neutrality on every decision. I had told them everything my father had done, sparing nothing. I shook with anger, but Selhar stood beside me, barely more than a boy, yet holding himself with the stature of a grown man. Him being there made everything feel far less frightening. We stood, side by side, in the center of the room while the Council circled around us, each keeping their own judgements to themselves while they studied and stared at us. The room was silent as they took in the information I had given them. It took everything in me to not scream back at them to just believe us as I held each of their gazes.

Suddenly, like a large exhale, all of them seemed to erupt with questions. It was clearly a division between those who believed me and those who found my tale preposterous.

“Do you understand what you are accusing?” Councilman Orin rose to his feet. I detected exasperation in his tone and I felt my body go rigid. I remembered he was one who had always admired my father and the two worked close together often. “I understand that since the death of the Duke’s Consort, there has been a change in you. I do not see a benefit in bringing your familial problems to this Council. You understand that if you succeed in removing your father from his role, what it will mean for Berdusk? And what it could mean for Triel if what you say is true? This would mean an entire upheaval in two bodies of government. These are not accusations to be given lightly, son.”

“I certainly would not bring these accusations if I did not intend to do that exact thing.” I said, my voice quivered as I bit back my emotion. “Something must change. An upheaval is necessary. Do you understand what you would permit to continue if nothing is done?” I raised my head and looked directly at Orin. “You would be permitting a radical group to exist beyond our control and persuade this and neighboring lands and it would be that radical group - the Red Hunters - that would begin determining who would be able to travel between roads without trouble, who could trade with us and who could not. What belongs to us would belong to them. Their hands would forever be in all of your pockets and making choices that do nothing for our people.”

Another man rose, he was older and hunched, but his glassy eyes looked kindly down at me, “I cannot deny that I am entirely unbelieving. The Duke and I have often been opposed in our opinions, but I always respected his leadership as long as it was in the interest of the citizens of Berdusk. I believe we all can agree that in the years following your mother’s death, he has not behaved as he used to. I’m not opposed to his removal, but I believe we all find ourselves unprepared to handle what this could mean to Berdusk.”

“Precisely!” Another interjected. “What is to be done if the Duke is gone?”

“Are you not able bodied to lead the people without a Duke?” Selhar asked, his exasperated tone went over their heads, but I caught the way he looked over at me with a roll of his eyes.

“But the Hilmars have led and protected these people for generations.” Orin responded, he looked at me, a dark gleam in his eye, “To lose their duke and the entire way of life would bring utter ruin.”

“You say Commander Gideon has been investigating the Duke as well?” The kind, glassy eyed councilman spoke again.

I nodded, “He is not currently here since the Duke suspected his disloyalty, but we have convinced a number of his guards to speak on his behalf…those that have been forced under my father’s instructions to go against their creed.” I gestured to the line of guards that stood at the door behind me. They all remained silent, but stood stoically and alert. “I also have the means to contact Commander Gideon, should we find it is safe for him to return.”

I turned to a hunched man who sat before me, he was buried in a large book, frantically running his knobby fingers down the page before frantically turning to the next.

“Treasurer,” I gently spoke, drawing the man’s attention. “What have you found in your research?”

He shook his head, sighing. “Gentlemen, the Young Lord is correct. There are withdrawals made by the Duke once a month with no notation, which is well… I-I don’t know how such a thing passes through my clerks.” He removed his spectacles and looked up at me, “And just as you said, there are also payments that are received from Triel that are given right before each of these withdrawals, which are noted as a trade for goods…but I don’t believe goods were ever traded?”

Many shook their heads, “I’ve not been aware of any trades between Triel.” One said.

“It appears that the evidence is stacking against the Duke.” The old councilman sighed. “But Councilman Orin - though I am reluctant to admit - has made a point. Our people expect there to be a Duke in this land…there is no easy way to dismantle what has always been. Young Lord, what do you suggest be done now that the truth is out?”

I nodded. “I understand the burden this places on you and the rest of Berdusk. It is my intention to take his place as Duke.”

Selhar stiffened next to me and whirled his attention on me. “Altan.” He hissed.

I raised a hand to calm him, “I know I have been…reluctant to bear the responsibilities that were always mine. I have watched my father rule in silence, but no more. He speaks with poison on his lips and has held back the progress of Berdusk for too long. Our people deserve to thrive with a leader that believes in the spirit of unity, and honesty. No more walls, no more secrets. We can bridge Berdusk better with the surrounding communes.”

“Ah,” Orin interjected. “I’m beginning to see the whole picture.” He looked to the other Councilman. “This pup wants to free his orc lover and bring its people to our town. Is that what has spurned your interest in ruling all of a sudden?”

The room grew uncomfortably still and I felt my face begin to burn. I had expected this turn to happen, I had never been good at subtlety. And I certainly had been far from subtle the moment I met Drunrag.

“I won’t deny that I have a personal interest in seeing Drunrag released from wherever my father has imprisoned him. And I won’t deny that I wouldn’t invest my influence to foster alliances with outside leaders, but I promise you my choice to do this didn’t come from a place of selfishness. My mother, the late Duchess Telmira, taught me that every individual should be treated with dignity, no matter how different they may be from our understanding. Because what we do not understand is not something to fear, but to learn from and the way we grow is often doing the thing we fear the most. We cannot progress without these connections. The Duke has separated us and choked our people from alliances that would strengthen us.”

I took a breath, “To be truthful, I don’t want to be Duke. If it were truly up to me, I would dismantle this entire government and start over.” I glanced over to Orin, “It would be easier to just run away and never take responsibility for what I’ve brought to you. And yet, that’s not what I was raised to do and it would be on my conscious if I chose that path. We are all currently facing an uncertain future, but I believe uncertainty is the best place to begin building something we want that’s better than where we were. Uncertainty is just another word for possibility. And if we can build bridges and repair what’s broken, imagine what Berdusk could be. A homeland to traditions old and traditions new. A caretaker to friends and strangers alike.”

“That’s a very optimistic perspective, son.” Orin snidely remarked. “What makes you think people will want this change?”

I hardened my stare, “Perhaps they don’t…but I think people are allowed to change their minds if they want something different. But they won’t know until we give them that opportunity.”

The Council exchanged looks of concern and skepticism. It wasn’t a surprise to see such reactions, I had resisted and ignored my responsibility for a long time and had gone to great lengths to make my dislike known to everyone and now here I stood, sputing flowery words of hope and connection. I certainly wouldn’t trust them if I were them. What I was suggesting was entirely new, foreign to Berdusk. I held each of their gazes and tried to return an expression that exuded confidence and faith in what I said.

“Lord Altan.” Orin said again. “Are you prepared for the consequences that will come from this?”

“Are you prepared to no longer have my father’s money lining your pockets?” I retorted.

The look of disdain on Orin’s face could not have been more satisfying. “How dare you!?”

I folded my arms and smirked. “Change will come whether we want it or not, it does not care how we feel about it. I won’t lead Berdusk into ruin, and I will see that whatever ‘privileges’ my father has given some of you is returned to the people. I’m not really here to be liked by any of you.”

The glassy-eyed councilman nodded, “Well, I do not wish to hold back this spirited young lord, I see great potential in him, but we still have the current Duke Hilmar to concern ourselves with. We must try him for his crimes and come to this answer ourselves. Do you disagree?”

I shook my head, “I do not.”

A guard behind us cleared their throat and announced, “Duke Hilmar left early this morning. He didn’t say where, but he appeared to be in a hurry and in a dark mood according to some of the staff here in the Great Hall.”

“Running away perhaps…” Someone mumbled.

The councilman talked amongst and over themselves, struggling to know what to do next.

“A decision cannot be made until the Duke has been tried for his crimes.” One finally said.

“Have guards sent to seek him out, find him!” One yelled.

“If he doesn’t return in three days, we must concede that he is guilty.” Another declared.

“Young Lord, permit us to hold any further discussion until the Duke is found?” The glassy-eyed councilman asked.

I bowed my head, “Granted. Thank you gentlemen, I look forward to seeing this through.”

“As do I.” He replied with a weak smile.

The meeting seemed to awkwardly end as everyone eyed one another with wide expressions and vacant smiles. Admittedly, I had done the equivalent of dumping ice cold water on all their heads and left them with barely a solution. Was I really the best I could offer Berdusk for a better future? I had to believe that my mother taught me what she did for more than just being the pawn of someone else. Change would come slowly, but it would change. And I prayed that it would eventually lead me to Drunrag and he would stay by my side to the long, bitter end.

Selhar grabbed my hand next to me, “Are you mad?” he whispered as he began to pull me away. “You didn’t tell me you would do this.”

“I had to.” I said.

“But…” He bowed his head. “You told me you wanted to travel, to sing and make art and meet people. What about Drunrag?”

I felt my smile fade from my face, “Those dreams would mean nothing if I ruined your dreams, Selhar.” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “I had to do what needed to be done. I will not regret this.”

He nodded, but couldn’t meet my eyes.

We began to walk down the hall when I suddenly felt a faint burning in the pit of my stomach. I stopped and placed a hand on the flat of my stomach and wavered. This feeling, so familiar, so painfully vivid in my memories. I stumbled back and leaned against the wall, my breath suddenly becoming shallow and desperate. I placed my other hand on my chest, feeling the quickening in my heartbeat.

Lordhovid. It was back.

“Altan!” Selhar reached to catch me, his eyes wide.

I held him back, my eyes unfocused as I felt the burn begin to spread. “Selhar, I need to get out of here.”

“What? Why? What’s happening?”

I looked up at him, but flinched as a wave of feverish heat punched into my loins. I bent down and gasped for air. “I’ll explain later, but I need to leave…” I reached into the pocket of my tunic and found the crumpled letter from Gaius Gideon. “Here. Take me here.” I shoved the paper into his hands before I gasped again and collapsed to the ground. The heat was unbearable, worse than it had been before. And through the pain and fog, I could feel the tight, unyielding pull in my gut that tied me to my beloved.

Want to be updated on new chapters? DM me to be added to the tag list! I'm so sorry that I missed you guys last chapter!

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#my evil plan is finally coming together #am I...a writer?#drunrag x altan #monster boyfriend #orc boyfriend #orc x half elf #romance #monster romance #dnd inspired #my fic #writing #original story #fantasy story #creative writing #queer romance #mm romance #against all odds #orc #monster lover

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oubliette-odette · 6 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 25

Look who's baaaaaccccckkkk.

I've written a few chapters ahead so that it will hopefully help me to stay on top of this story and not fall behind....again.

But life loves to be silly and change our plans, so let's hope we can stay consistent this time.

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Content Warnings: unhealthy parent dynamics All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

Altan POV

I looked back down at my breakfast and was resigned to starve. I had no appetite. Not since I woke up with the vial missing. My hand consistently reached for my chest to hold it and found nothing there, leaving me feeling hollow and heavy inside. Where had I misplaced it? My father had insisted I bathe and change last night after our conversation, and I took great care to place it where it wouldn’t get lost.

I wasn’t stupid enough to not suspect my father, especially seeing how pleased he was this morning. This playing nice was all some sort of act, but I also didn’t doubt that the Lady of Triel was a means to handle our - or should I say his - debts. I wouldn’t abandon my brothers so carelessly. I would do what I needed to, to satisfy the masses and then if the gods be willing, I would disappear and I would find Drunrag

Which meant I needed that vial.

But even without the vial, I had to trust that he was still alive. I would know, wouldn’t I? I would feel something change in me if he were gone? But he and I weren’t connected anymore, maybe I was being dramatic for thinking there was something still holding him to me. I ran my hand through my hair and siged. My mind was racing too fast to keep up.

“You are not feeling well?” My father asked from across the table.

I looked up and met his eyes. I couldn’t read him. Was it truly concern I was reading in his voice? Or was there an edge to it?

I stuttered to speak, “I-I…I’m not feeling totally myself this morning.” I admitted. “Perhaps I should get some fresh air?”

My father was silent as he in turn studied me, read me. It seemed we were both still playing the game of guessing who was a step in front of whom.

“We’ll be leaving to return to Berdusk shortly, the Duke and Lady Allara are waiting for us.”

“Isn’t Berdusk days away?” I asked, before realizing that I actually had no idea where we were.

My father’s mouth tweaked at my question, “You recall how you came here through a portal, yes?”

I gave him a curt nod, “Yes, yes I remember. Then let’s just skip the meal and be done.” I pushed the food away from me and folded my arms indignantly. I was ready to be out of my father’s direct gaze.

He waited to answer before giving a short nod. “Very well. I will inform the hunters.”

“How is it that the Hunters work for you?” I asked. I knew it was unlikely that I would get an honest answer, but I had to at least try.

“The Hunters and I have a common goal, or shall I say, a common enemy.” He said, he dabbed a napkin across his lips before rising to his feet. “As long as our goals remain the same, we hold a partnership with each other that requires no monetary cost.”

“I see.” I said.

“Shall we, then?” He asked, gesturing to the door out of the kitchen.

I said nothing, but led us out through the door. I spared a glance down to see if I caught the vial on my father’s person, but as I suspected, it would not be so easy to find.

“Looking for something?” My father asked. His eyes were narrowed.

I met them with a vacant expression. “Nothing of real interest.”

We followed the path back down the stairs to the underground maze of caverns and tunnels. It was confusing, and we were met with a cloaked Hunter who led us through in torchlight to the same large cavernous room. There were a trio of Hunters already in the room, drawing symbols within a circle on the ground.

We watched silently as the portal opened like a maw in the middle of the air, centered above the magic ring. The space within was blurred and unfocused and shimmered like water, but revealing a landscape much different than the current dank room we were in.. It was a curious form of magic, but also fascinating.

My father once again let me take the lead and I stepped through with him behind me. I felt a rush of vertigo that time and I forced my eyes shut as I waited for the sensation to pass. When I opened my eyes, we were standing in the Great Hall of Berdusk.

“Easy enough.” My father announced, smiling congenially as the portal winked closed behind us.

Business resumed almost immediately and a guard rushed towards us from the edge of the room. “Your Grace, a message for you.”

It was nothing more than a scrap of paper. I tried to read from the corner of my eye, I had only the chance to read a few words before my father slipped the paper into his robes.

Your Commander is not loyal.

“Hmmm, a beautiful morning indeed.” My father breathed out. He looked down at me with a grim smile, “Shall we go meet your fiance?”

“I’d actually like to freshen up first.” I said, before clearing my throat, “I…I’d like to be looking my best.”

He nodded, “Of course. On your way, then, try to be quick, son.”

I bowed my head solemnly. “I know what is expected of me.” I turned and began the descent down the stairs and out of the room.

As I stepped out I quickened my pace and raced towards my quarters, but not before a hand grabbed me and pulled me into a small hallway.

“What are you doing here?” Selhar’s face was panic-stricken and frantic. “Where is he?”

“Selhar?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

He shook his head, “No, you’re not supposed to be back here. He promised me he would keep you safe.”

“You’re not making any sense.” I said, and I grabbed his shoulders, trying to still his shaking body. “Selhar, what are you talking about?”

“Your…your partner. The orc. He promised me that he would try to keep you safe. I believed him. Why are you back?”

I had never seen such extreme emotion on his face in a long time. Not since our mother’s passing, and I felt the jump in my own heartbeat as I looked back at him. “He…He’s.” I sighed. “I don’t know where he is, Selhar. I think father has him.”

“Where?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“I hate him.” Selhar said, his voice came out like a hiss. “I hate him so much.”

The hallway was somber as I let my brother’s words hang between us. My mother and I had failed to protect him from the cruelties of Duke Hilmar, and the guilt that I didn’t even know what my brother had been going through suddenly overwhelmed me. This wasn’t just about me and Drun. This conflict ran much, much deeper.

“Listen, Selhar.” My voice was soft, “I’m not giving up yet.”

He shook his head, “But he’s brought you back here twice. You won’t be able to leave now.”

I nodded, “I know. But maybe you can help me?”

His eyes widened. “How?”

“I need you to get in touch with Commander Gideon. Tell him that father suspects him of treason. If he can, I need to meet with him as soon as possible.”

“Is that all?” He asked.

I thought for a moment, then continued. “I think father has something that belongs to me. A glass vial with red liquid inside. If you can find it somehow, I need that back. And don’t let the Duke find out.”

He nodded, a small wry smile formed on his face. “I’m the middle child, Altan, father doesn’t pay attention to me unless he’s mad at me. It will be easy.”

“He’s waiting for me. I have to meet my…fiance” We both grimaced at that. “I’ll find you after that.”

He nodded and turned to go.

“Selhar.” I said as he was about to leave. “I’m sorry for whatever he’s done to you.”

He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter if we’re able to stop him.” And then he turned to go.

There were a set of guards outside my room as I approached it. I felt the small pit in my stomach tighten as I approached them.

“I assume you were sent by my father?”

They nodded.

I rolled my eyes and forced my most petulant voice.. “I won’t meet with anyone until I am clean from my travels. Would you be kind enough to get someone to start my bath?”

“Young lord…” One of them began.

“Please.” I bemoaned. “And if I come out of here with you both still here, I’m reporting you to my father, he’s waiting on me, which means he’s waiting on you.”

I didn’t wait for an answer and strode into my room where everything was as exactly as I had left it. Strange to believe that it had not even been a week since I had left. So much had happened. I hoped my whining was good enough to get rid of the guards at my door. And I hoped that Commander Gideon would arrive in time for him to not be seen by them.

I paced, thinking over everything.

This was what I knew at that point.

The first, that my father had an arrangement with the Red Hunters that meant they had a mutual goal that enabled them to work together so long as that mutual goal remained. I didn’t know what that goal was, but perhaps if I could find out what it was, I could use that to my advantage.

Secondly, I knew Drunrag was being held somewhere as leverage for me to obey and listen to my father and I also believed he possessed the vial as added leverage, but my father was holding that information from me until absolutely necessary should I misbehave again.

Third, there were spies within the Great Hall who had informed my father of Commander Gideon as an enemy to my father’s goals. I wasn’t certain if these spies were part of the deal with the Red Hunters, or separate, but it was important to note that I couldn’t trust anyone at this point besides Gideon, Doxxah, and Selhar.

Lastly, a portion of my father’s debt relied on me uniting with Lady Allara. The consequences of not doing so were unclear, and I also didn’t know if it played into the arrangement with the Red Hunters. But I could only hope that it was the case, since all of the details seemed so close together.

I didn’t know how to connect all of the details yet. I was never the most clever, though the gods know I tried to be. I only knew that I had multiple things I needed to see happen before Drunrag and I could be together again.

The first, was to prevent Commander Gideon from being arrested or blamed for treason and perhaps reveal the moles within the guards’ ranks. He was my greatest asset and ally with influence and rank.

Second, my arranged marriage had to be stopped and if I was lucky, I could incite problems with deals my father has with the Red Hunters that would help with my third, and perhaps most important goal which was to stop whatever other plans my father has. I needed to prevent him from ever doing something like this ever again. Perhaps it was time the Hilmar name faced the consequences and no longer be in power.

I was deep in thought when I heard a knock at the door.

My heart leapt the same time I sprung to my feet and raced for the door. I cracked it open and let out a breath when I saw the towering figure of Commander Gideon . There was no sign of anyone else.

“Quick. Inside.” I said and released the door.

The Commander slid into the room, an impassive look on his face. I was about to close the door when Selhar grabbed the door and followed in. “Not without me.” He said quietly, but the determination in his voice was not to be dismissed.

“Did anyone see you?” I asked.

They both shook their heads.

“We don’t have much time. My father is about to have guards on me again and I don’t know if we’ll have another chance like this.”

“I understand the Duke has marked me as untrustworthy.” Gideon said. “Much gratitude to you for warning me. I am in your debt.”

I bowed my head, “You are my ally, and selfishly I must admit I cannot do this without you.” I turned to Selhar, “Either of you.”

“Where is the young orc?” The Commander asked.

“Somewhere imprisoned by my father. I believe with the Red Hunters? I do not know the location, only that is resides underground.”

“Red Hunters?” The Commander and Selhar exchanged glances at one another, eyes wide. “Gods helps us.”

“Commander, I believe you need to disappear before you are intercepted by the Duke.” It was unfamiliar to me to be so commanding to another, but the commander eye’s were locked with me, listening intently. “I don’t know what I’m doing, so I trust you to guide me.”

“Ask me what you wish, young lord and it will be so.”

Selhar nodded, “And me.”

I looked between them and let out a sigh. “If I only I knew.”

“Do you have a plan?” Selhar asked.

“Only the beginnings of one.” I said. “I don’t know if it will work. But it’s the only plan I have left.”

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oubliette-odette · 3 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 31

Okay so I didn't get a post out like I planned, because I got so sick between my travels and basically have been sleeping for the last week. Everyone remember to take vitamins, get vaccinated, wear masks, and stay hydrated! Okay?

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 Content Warnings: violence, light torture All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

It felt as if my mind was no longer mine. I was caught in a vicious cycle between hurt and lust. Bitter pain and earnest desire. I thrashed on the floor and wished I could stop because the pain was too much. It would have been better if the Duke had managed to knock me out, because now I was stuck in a frenzy I had no hope of getting out of.

Altan. I could feel him. I felt how far he was from me and I ached to be near him. He was the only person who could help me, save me. Stop this pain. At that moment, I needed him more than air or food or medicine.

I was left alone in the cage, but I could sense the Duke’s looming presence as he watched in mute fascination at my thrashing. I looked up at him and caught the glint of satisfaction, exultation in seeing me writhe and growl on the ground like some common animal.

If he had stayed in the cage, I would not have hesitated in ripping his throat out with my teeth. To kill the man who hurt my beloved would have brought me the greatest satisfaction.

But instead, I suffered in a cage, unable to do anything.

Time felt slow and dragged as I labored through each breath. The longer I laid without Altan near me, the harder it was to remain controlled. But I was in so much pain, every breath made me shudder and shake. Would I be able to survive this? I wondered how much longer I could fight back all that was stifling me.

“Do you wish to die now, orc?” He asked.

I rolled my eyes back to see his sneer and I growled in response.

“I rather enjoy seeing you struggle like this.” He said, “You finally are where you belong.”

I rolled onto my back, the hay beneath me scratch and dug into every open, infected wound and I bit back the yell I wanted to let out.

“Oh how interesting.” I heard the Duke say.

I couldn’t see him, but I felt his stare.

“Pain seems to arouse you, I see.” He said. “Had I known that, I would have played with you much sooner.”

I recognized that I wore nothing but the ripped and torn pants that I had worn traveling with Altan, nothing hid the effects of lordhovid from the Duke. I tried to roll back, but I heard the crack of a whip and suddenly a sharp sting on my arm.

“Don’t move.” The Duke said. “I’m not done with you yet. Not until I see you breathe your last.”

I let out a broken breath. He couldn’t mean to torture me until my death. No one could be that cruel. I felt another sharp sting on my arm and I felt the hot blood that slipped free from the newly opened wounds and began to drip to the floor.

“Since you seem to be aroused by this pain, I won’t disappoint you with my performance. I’ll be sure to tell Altan just how hard you fought and how you enjoyed it like the beast you are.”

“Fuck…you…” I managed to groan out.

He paused and raised an eyebrow. “Is that all you can say?”

He raised the whip to strike me again when I heard the creaking of a door opening and someone shouting to stop. The room stilled and I inhaled deep, holding the pain in.

“You’ll have to delay your delectations, my Lord.” A harsh voice said, they sounded panicked. “We have a problem.”

“What do you mean?”

I rolled back on to the flat of my stomach and exhaled, my body finally feeling a moment’s rest. My consciousness was wavering. I blinked and recognized nothing in front me, it all becoming a indistinct blur. A heaviness overwhelmed my body and mind.

“Gideon. He’s found us.” I heard the person answer.

“Shit.” The Duke sword. “Where is he?”

“Our secrets are no longer a secret, my Lord.” Another voice sneered, they sounded more confident and disdainful. “You’ve not been as careful as you promised.”

“What exactly are you insinuating here, Mavis?” The Duke yelled. “I’m not the one about to attack this hideout.”

My eyes fluttered closed, I was drifting, losing focus.

“No, but this is your fault and word has reached us that your son has already begun to usurp your power in Berdusk.”

Son.

Could it be?

I felt separate from my body and I struggled to open my eyes. I thought I felt my fingers clenched into fists but I wasn’t certain what was real and what was becoming delusion.

Moments passed in a strange stillness, a darkness that felt like the bring of something permanent, something I wasn’t ready for, before I opened my eyes again and all the sensations flooded back and I gasped in pain. My vision was clouded with shadows and my hearing was unfocused and everything was garbled. I needed to stop fighting the darkness, but I needed to resist that sweet emptiness a bit longer. There was someone who needed me.

I blanked again and managed to make out the shape of the Duke, his posture tight and coiled like a wild animal, I could hear the sounds of his shouting and then the shapes of red rushing to him and pulling him away.

I heard the clang of a metal door and suddenly hands on my body. I didn’t know where they were taking me, only that there was no place on me that didn’t scream for them to stop touching me. I growled out in pain, I had had enough and I felt their hands tense on me.

The darkness taunted the corners of my eyes and begged me to release my control to it, but I instead fought back harder. I was the son of many proud orcs. I would not be broken by this.

I was uncertain of where this strength came from but I flung myself back and threw off the people on me and with a roar I flailed and fought back. At the first sign of red, I would follow their unclear shape and rip it out of my way. The thrumming pull of my mate kept my feet moving forward, and the burning inside me fueled me. Perhaps this was the trail to my death, but I would die for him, not for anyone else.

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oubliette-odette · 4 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 28

Heyo! How would you feel if I said that I finally have details of the ending basically ironed out the way I want and have about 20 more chapters planned for you? Honestly, I'm kind of stoked, because I think what I have planned is pretty great. When I first started writing about Drunrag and Altan, it was supposed to be just a couple of short chapters of fluff and nothing more, but my own journey figuring out my sexuality and stuff opened up a door that made my curious mind and heart wonder, "But what if there's more to Drunrag? What is there's more to Altan? And their story?"

And so here we are, basically writing a novel at this point for a small but lovely group of people who all say really nice things about my boys even though I never consistently schedule out my chapters and have spent more time writing about our boys apart than together. (I'm so sorry for all of that).

Someday I hope to be better at interacting with you guys because you all are so funny and sweet and I think we'd all be friends irl.

Take care and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Content Warnings: unhealthy parent dynamics All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

Altan POV

I was used to the weight of my brothers laying on top of me. It was a comforting feeling to be weighed down by Robin’s warmth. Only his soft breathing cut through the quiet of the night. Everything was dark and simple, formless shadows in my vision. I could make out the shape of the guard who stood at the door, but nothing more. I had been lying awake for what felt like hours, just listening, thinking, and imagining. I had spent countless nights imagining while laying in this bed, tonight I couldn’t stop myself from pretending the weight on my chest belonged to Drunrag’s arm as he held me in his sleep and the soft breath tickling my neck was his. I could see his rough hands brushing against my arm, as he pulled me closer to him. He would be warm next to me and I would be helpless to not be drawn to it.

Drunrag had to be alive. I didn’t feel it in my bones like I hoped, but I held onto that belief, it was all I had.

I heard the cracking of a door opening and suddenly a strip of light exposing the torchlight from without, in the hallways. I did not move, but watched with narrowed eyes.

Selhar slipped in, and I heard him give a sharp retort to something that the guard had said to him. The door closed and the room returned to darkness again. I heard the guard resettle into his position in front of my door and then felt the warmth of Selhar sidle into the space next to me.

“Everything alright?” I whispered.

He hummed softly.

“Good news?” I asked.

He hummed again.

“Well?”

I felt his hand tap me on my side and I reached for it. I felt a paper drop from his hand into mine and I grasped it tightly. I held it to my chest and willed sleep to come quickly so that I could read it in the morning.

Yet, in the morning, I was awoken to my doors being banged open and my father’s shouting voice.

“What’s going through your head, son?” I blinked up blurrily and felt Selhar and Robin’s bodies tense next to me. Feeling that shot me awake and I rose up, keeping the paper crumpled tight in my hand. “Do you have any idea what you are doing?”

I raised my chin and held his gaze.

“What you’re demanding cannot be done.” My father continued. His posture and his facial expression reminded me of a snarling beast, a rabid dog, foaming at the mouth and chomping to dig his teeth into me.

I put a hand on Robin and Selhar, each on either side of me and shifted to sit myself in front of them. “What exactly is so impossible? He is alive, isn’t he? I don’t find my request all that unreasonable.” I kept my voice light, but I knew my father caught the hardened expression on my face. He hated me, and while that used to be the thing I feared most and went through painful obstacles to prevent and avoid accepting, I finally exulted in that reality. We both understood where one another stood, and that gave me power.

“Selhar, Robin, leave the room.” My father didn’t look away from me when he growled the demand.

“No.” Selhar said, his voice was venomous.

Robin said nothing, but I could see his head shifting between myself and my father. He was too young to understand, and too young to be subjected to this version of my father.

“Selhar,” I said softly, “Take Robin outside.” I turned my head and I saw the silent pleading on my brother’s face.

“Altan.” He breathed.

I shook my head. “I’ll be alright. Go.”

Selhar’s eyes darkened and he looked behind me to where our father stood. He grabbed Robin by the arm and pulled him off the bed and towards the door. The guards that stood there silently moved aside.

“A moment with just my son, please.” The Duke said to the guards and they followed my brothers out the door.

I remained sitting, the paper in my hand, my heart pounding, but my face passive. It would be alright. Soon the dam would burst, and it would be over.

“I had believed that we were on the same page when the Red Hunters brought you to me. But I see that you are more spiteful and ungrateful than ever before. Why do you resist this? After all I’ve done for you?”

“Talking about this doesn’t fix things. It never has.” I answered calmly. “I’ve told you what I want. The wedding will not happen unless you bring me Drunrag alive.”

“No.” He said. “That will never happen.”

I had to hold my face together, had to remain strong like stone. “Then for the safety of our people, I cannot agree to this wedding.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” He exasperated. “You keep speaking about the safety of our people. From what?”

I blinked slowly before answering. “It wasn’t obvious to you what I meant?” I smiled meekly. “I mean you, father. You are no longer fit for your position. And you may think that because I am your son that that means my witness means nothing, that the council will simply laugh me off my theatrics as an ungrateful, spoiled child. But I am prepared for that, and they will listen to me.”

“You’re threatening me.”

“Yes. If that’s how you wish to see it.” I said. “I already told you the games would end. I won’t subject Selhar or Robin to what you did to me.”

“What I did to you?” I caught the way his entire body was slowly clenching, like a wild cat ready to pounce. “I did what I had to! Do you forget the debts I’m trying to pay off? The measures I’ve gone through to prevent economic collapse to our people? I let your mother coddle you because I thought it was what was best, I had to fight bigger battles than that and yet I’ve been proven again and again I was wrong to do so.”

“My mother at least told me she loved me.” I said, and I saw his eyes flash with disdain, “To her I was her child, her son. But you were more concerned about how I could benefit you in your plans and what you could do to cover up the flaws that made me undesirable for them.”

I finally slipped off the edge of my bed and walked towards him. “Without repeating myself too much, this isn’t really a conversation that helps either of us. We know one another 's motives. I know you wish me to be your pawn to pay off the debts you accrued and I want the prisoner Drunrag - wherever you have him - brought before me and the Council where a decision will be made that protects us and his people and benefits both sides.”

That was when my father smirked, “And how exactly do you plan to accomplish such a feat? As you said, the Council will hear me before they will ever listen to you.”

I lifted my chin. “We shall see.”

“Your plans won’t work, son.” He said, and he sighed.

“This is what you wanted from me, isn’t it?” I asked. “I’m finally taking charge and doing something. You should be proud that I’m finally taking responsibility..”

“Son, this is not what I meant.”

I smiled wryly, ‘I’m aware, but I’m not really afraid of what you think you can do to me.” I yawned and raised my chain as I regarded him. “Was this all you wanted to speak with me about?”

“Altan.” His tone felt like a warning.

I lifted my eyebrows, “Yes?”

He held his tongue and held my gaze for an uncomfortably long period of time before he sighed and I saw his body release a portion of his tension. He stepped back, “You will learn the hard way it seems.”

He walked out of the room with no other words.

I unwrinkled the paper from my hands and recognized Commander Gideon’s untidy scrawl,

I cannot return to the Great Hall, but I am safe. Your brother was very clever in finding me - and just in the matter of time. Thank you for the information you gleaned from the Lady of Triel. I agree with her that this evidence is enough to topple the powers that be. I trust the Gods are on our side and our efforts will not be in vain.

Doxxah believes they are familiar with the herbs that Lady Allara may be under and is researching for an antidote that may help Allara resist the effects on her mind.

I believe I was able to locate the Red Hunter’s hideout, or at least one of them. There is no guarantee that Drunrag will be there, but I promise I will not give up until he is found. I do not know how long I will be, but if you are in an emergency and need refuge, you will find allies at the Soaring Elk. It’s near the edge of town and few guards ever travel there. You will be safe there for as long as you need.

Selhar said quite confidently that he believes you will win this battle, and I believe him to be right. Whatever the future holds for you, I know it to be good. For you, and for your beloved.

My loyalty goes to you,

G.G.

I folded the paper again just as Selhar returned, sans Robin. “What happened?” He asked urgently.

I shook my head, “Nothing yet. I don’t think father is ready to make the next move yet.”

“What are you going to do next?” He asked. “Father knows you’re opposing him, he’s going to fight back.”

I nodded, “Yes, but I think he still misunderstands me and won’t expect my next move.” I sighed. “At least I hope that’s true.”

“I think you’ve definitely rattled him.” Selhar’s voice lowered. “I think if the guard hadn’t been there, he would have hurt you.”

“He didn’t.” I said. “And he won’t. Not anymore. Have you had any luck finding that vial?”

He shook his head, “Nothing, I’ve been through Father’s office twice. There’s nothing.”

“How do you get around so easily?” I exclaimed. “You’re honestly terrifying.”

He grinned. “Mum taught me.”

I felt like my heart softened. Of course she did. I reached and tussled his hair. “I’m going to be summoning a meeting with the Council, would you join me and bear witness to father’s crimes?”

He let out a breath, one that felt like the release of something, “It would be my honor.”

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oubliette-odette · 5 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 26

Do you ever write a chapter and just...hate it?

That was this chapter and I've been working and reworking it over and over again and this morning it finally clicked what I was missing and so I hope you enjoy this chapter more than I do, because I have beef with this chapter.

Altan POV

“So,” I began, trying my best not to fidget, “How do you find Berdusk?”

The Lady Allara seemed to be a timid creature, we had been walking along the grounds for at least an hour and conversation was dreadfully, painfully slow. Some might be surprised to know that her conversation skills were inferior to that of orcs.

“Oh, it’s quite nice.” She replied, blinking her wide eyes at me. She had an uncanny gaze that never strayed from my face. I could never tell if she was pleased when she looked at me, or simply frightened out of her mind, either way her wide, globulous eyes and her open mouth smile never was not on me.

There truly was no time to be amused by anything, but I couldn’t help but think that Drun would find her just as unsettling as I, and there was some warm comfort in that. Despite the distance and not knowing his condition, I still felt him near me. He was in my every waking thought and motivated every breath I took. He would return to me, that I was determined, and in the meantime I forced myself to believe that all was well and that what I was doing was enough.

I looked behind me and bit back the sigh I wanted to release when I locked eyes with the guards who followed us close behind.

Earlier that day, Commander Gideon had only just left before those same guards had returned with the servants to prepare me for the day. Since then, they had not left my sight, even within the privacy of my own room. It took much wailing and gnashing of teeth to convince them to let me bathe without one of them watching me. The absolute perverts.

“Do you miss Triel?” I asked Allara. “You’ve been gone almost a fortnight, is that correct?”

She shrugged, “I’m content to go where father takes me.”

Odd answer. I looked over at her again. Her expression was vacant of most any emotion. She didn’t look anywhere but me, in fact I don’t think she had looked out at the gardens once.

“My mother started this garden, you know.” I changed the subject. “She brought seeds from her homeland, isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes, quite.” She neither blinked nor looked away from me, not even once.

I swallowed thickly. “My lady, is everything alright?”

“Perfectly.” She said, “And you?”

I narrowed my eyes while I looked back at the guards, “The same, I suppose.” I said vacantly. They wouldn’t give away anything. Even if they knew, they’re helmets concealed too much of their face to even help.

“How about some tea?” I asked. I needed to distract myself from her and a drink and something sweet to eat from the kitchen seemed like a good idea.

“Whatever you wish, my lord.” She said, “That sounds perfectly splendid.”

“Do you like tea?”

“Oh yes.” She bowed her head.

“Hmmm.” I nodded softly. I clasped my hands behind my back as I led her and the two guards behind us back into the interior of the Great Hall. I glanced back one last time to the gardens, appreciating the work that had been done to keep my mother’s plants alive. Someday, Drun would see it, I vowed.

The kitchens were pleasantly warm and quite busy when we entered. The head cook glanced up and nodded sagely when I walked in. They were used to my brothers and I coming in after our studies to enjoy a sweet treat with some tea. It was a safe space amongst so few of them and the cook was always kind even though I had never seen them speak a word in all my time knowing them.

They moved quickly to set two seats for myself and Allara to rest and then placed a setting for each of us to receive tea. A kettle was already beginning to boil.

“My lord, what a surprise!” I turned and gasped when I saw in the corner the large shadowy shape of a Dragonborn. How had I not seen them there? Doxxah was carrying a tray of baked goods, steam still rising from them.

“Doxxah! Wonderful to see you.” I said. I gestured for Lady Allara to take a seat, which she obliged with no objection. I stepped away, closer to my old friend.

“Likewise my lord, though a bit unexpected.” Doxxah gave a knowing stare. “Would you care to help me?”

I glanced at my fiance, who sat contentedly on her chair, her feet swinging slightly back and forth. From my distance it even seemed she had more of a natural smile on her face as she held her cup of tea. I turned back to Doxxah and nodded, “I would be honoured to help.”

“How is the Lady Allara?” Doxxah’s voice was soft, not carrying above the sounds of the kitchen in use. We both glanced over at her, but the girl did not seem to notice the conversation being about her.

“Odd.” I said. “But not unkind.”

They nodded in acknowledgement. “And how is your paramour?”

“I do not know.” I answered. I glanced at the guards standing at the door. “I am…a bit stuck.”

They nodded. “Take heart, my lord, things will work out.” They placed a clawed hand upon my shoulder and winked. “You have many who are eager to see you happy.”

I bowed my head, “I know that, I am grateful.”

“There’s a but in there.” They said.

“But what if even after everything, my happiness can never be mine?”

“Hmmm, an honest question.” They reached for the last tray they had that had rows of steaming cinnamon rolls. I reached and pulled them from the tray and onto the serving plates on the table next to us. “Truly I am not the right person for this question, for I am ever the optimist. If you are not happy, my lord, then that is not your ending. Do not settle until then.”

“But what if he’s gone?” I breathed. I wasn’t certain if they could even hear me. To utter my greatest fear aloud, that Drunrag might be dead without my knowing, haunted me. I was suddenly shivering where I stood.

“Oh my young lord.” Doxxah lifted a plate with a roll on it and placed it into my hand. “Do not dwell on what we do not know. Take heart and in the meantime, warm your stomach with what is good. I have to be going, but I am always nearby.” They bared their teeth in a friendly, but also quite ferocious grin directed at the guards. They lifted their stack of trays and waved to the cook who was already working on a different dish before they made their way out of the kitchen.

I sighed. I supposed Doxxah was right. I had no way of knowing and thinking about it so obsessively made no difference. I needed to follow through on my plan.

If I’m not happy, then it’s not the end. Not yet.

Lady Allara didn’t react as if I had even stepped away when I sidled into the seat next to her and placed a plate with her own cinnamon roll in front of her. “For you.” I said.

Her eyes locked onto me, a sudden passing expression of fear on her gaze. “You are very kind.” She said, her voice was lower than normal, more mellow and somber. “I’m sorry.” she whispered.

“Sorry?” I asked. “Whatever for?”

She looked down into the bottom of her cup. “Our parents aren’t very honest people, are they?”

I drew my hands back from the table and onto my lap. “Allara, is there something you know that I don’t?”

Her hands were shaking and she couldn’t meet my eyes.

“Whatever you can do, don’t play their game.” She finally met my gaze. There was hate and rage in those eyes, her demure appearance shed away to reveal a creature filled with spite and revenge. “My father and your father…they each hold each other in a chokehold of secrets. There would be no reason for a wedding if those secrets were conveniently revealed.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How might one go about that?”

The doors suddenly burst open and I jumped, I spun in my seat and looked down at my uneaten pastry.

“There you are!” The Duke of Triel exclaimed, my father just at his heels. “We thought you two would be in the garden. We had to search all over to find you.” His voice was jovial, but when I spared a stare I caught a sharpness in his stare as he closed the distance between himself and his daughter.

“I should have known you’d show her your favourite haunts, son.” My father smirked, but it was not a kind one. “But at this hour? It is only an hour before suppertime.”

“My daughter tends to have an upset stomach if she’s consumed too many sweets before a meal. She’s probably got some shaking in her. Ah yes, there it is. Come my love.” The Duke of Triel spoke quickly as he ushered towards the young woman and pulled her away from her seat. I watched as her eyes met mine. There was nothing vacant or uncanny in them. They were alert and locked onto me and then, the duke’s hands were on her and she was dragged away and soon out of my sight.

Did they truly think I was an idiot to not see what was happening here? I looked over to my father, glaring.

“Any particular reason you’re so displeased with me today, son?” He asked dryly, “Or is it the same as usual?”

“What are you doing to her?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” My father asked. All innocence in his tone.

I rose to my feet. “You’re both up to something, and we’re being used as your pawns. I won’t accept such dishonesty, especially from you. It’s time we stop following in the steps of our forefathers. Look where it got you. Where it got our whole family. If I am to take your place as Duke, I will set the precedent now that this will not continue.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure what you’re seeing that’s making you so upset, son. I expect a bit more congenial attitude at supper. And you better be dressed.” Was my father’s only response before he turned and walked out.

I slumped back into my chair and looked down at my tea and cinnamon roll, both still warm. I took a bite and felt the hot buttery bread soften and melt in my mouth, cinnamon pervading any other flavor. I suddenly felt hot tears on my face.

“Drun.” I said under my breath, burying my face into my hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing without you.”

I should have hurried back to my quarters to dress for supper, but I held back for as long as I could. I savored each bite of the pastry, and then slowly sucking the icing and cinnamon off of my fingers. I imagined another world where Drunrag was sitting next to me, sitting on his hands as he expectantly watched me try something Doxxah taught him how to bake. I showered him with praises and let him lick the sugar on my lips before kissing me deeply.

My stomach twisted at the sight of it all. If only it could be so blissful. More tears spilled over.

“Brother.”

I raised my head and Selhar had taken Allara’s empty seat. His eyes were wide with concern.

“I’m fine.” I said, “Just thinking too much.” I sat up straight and wiped my hands clean. “Will you be at supper?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s just for you and Allara and the Duke. Father insisted on privacy.” He dropped his bottom lip. “Whose pastry is this?” He suddenly asked, a touch of his young childhood whine snuck into his voice as he looked down at the roll before him.

“Yours, if you want it.” I sniffed and wiped my nose. “Lady Allara was meant to eat it, but she had somewhere else to be.”

“But I think this might be yours.” He said, sliding out a small slip of paper from beneath the plate. In small, loopy script was written, “Altan.”

Selhar kept an eye on me as I unfolded the slip, but his mouth was already full of the warm roll.

Altan,

I don’t know if I will ever have the presence of mind to give this to you, but you must know the truth from my side. You and I are victims of dishonorable men who happen to be our fathers. Neither of us want this marriage, I’m aware. So let us help one another.

My father, the Duke of Triel, is the father of at least five illegitimate children. There may be more. I have in here included the names of those I was able to track down. Since my father discovered my knowledge of them, he has kept me drugged so that I will not reveal his secret. But you may be able to do something with this information.

Lastly, even when I am under the influence of the herbs my father forces on me, I am still aware of many things. I’ve heard our fathers speak about the underground guild known as the Red Hunters. I have always understood them to be a neutral force that is swayed by whatever is the stronger power. At this time, the Red Hunters and your father’s partnership is built upon a common enemy: the orcs that reside in the Fields of the Dead. The Red Hunters are promised a share of those lands after the orcs have been cleansed and your father intends to use the rest to expand the Trade routes that exist beyond Triel and Berdusk. Perhaps a bargain can be struck if you can offer something greater.

Should we both remain in the chains our fathers built for us, please know that I will not hold any ill will towards you.

Yours,

Allara

I passed the note to Selhar and rose to my feet. “See if you can get this to who it needs to. I have to go.” I reached for his head and tussled it lightly. I didn’t dare say anything else with the present company, but I met his stare and we each shared a nervous smile. “And take a sweet to Robin. He’d like that.”

Things would be alright, I thought to myself, I still had my brothers to look after. Drunrag haunted my every thought, but I had to be realistic. My brothers were just as important and I would not abandon them.

The dining hall was vacant of any guests except for myself, Allara, The Duke of Triel and my own father, the Duke of Berdusk. It was a small, intimate dinner arrangement that only took up one end of a very elongated table. I wished that Selhar and Robin could be there, if only to distract me from the uncomfortable stare I would get from the three other guests.

Allara’s expression had returned to its vacant, empty stare and she answered everything with the same politeness and poise that I was familiar with. I searched for some sign of that trembling, human girl beneath, but whatever the Duke had done to her had suppressed her completely. I eyed the Duke cautiously as he sat across and to the right of me.

In a rare act of humbleness, my father had left the head of the table vacant to sit next to me on my right and across from the Duke of Triel. It certainly gave the appearance of two happy families preparing for a joyous wedding amongst friends.

It was just so far from that when we all knew that Allara and I were being used as toys in a game that we never were explained the rules to. And one of us wasn’t even given the presence of mind to fight back.

The food in front of me was decadent and elaborate, I envisioned the cook when I had seen them earlier that day, bustling from one end of the kitchen to the other. It was a wonder they managed to make it all on their own. But the passing thought that I kept coming to was fear that maybe if I took a bite, I too, would end up just like Allara, caught in a web that put me exactly where my father wanted me to be. Compliant, pleasant, obedient to his every desire.

“Something the matter?” My father asked under his breath.

I looked over to him, blinking.

“You haven’t taken a single bite.”

Certainly words like that ease one’s worries when they believe they’re about to be poisoned. I felt my stomach as it twisted and I took a spoonful up to my lips and prayed silently to the gods that I would somehow be spared. Oh gods, spare me.

I waited for the inevitable to happen as I slowly chewed and swallowed the warm food. My father didn’t glance over in my direction as I held my breath and waited.

Nothing happened, thank gods.

“So, Altan.” The Duke Triel asked. “Your father and I took some time to discuss wedding dates. We believe sooner is better than later. What with kidnappings and other dangers about, we believe it’s best to heighten security and quicken the pace.”

“Is this something that can be negotiated?” I asked.

I felt a harsh boot jam into my foot below the table. I didn’t flinch or look away from the Duke of Triel.

“Well…is there a reason you would like to wait?” He asked.

“Oh yes, you see. I don’t think marrying so quickly is a competent choice on either of your parts. If such dangers are causing risk to myself and my betrothed, then such dangers also exist for our people. Until we can assure competent security and my kidnapper is brought before me, the wedding will not happen.”

“Son.” My father’s voice was tightlipped and forced. “This is not the time nor place.”

“Is it not?” I asked. “I was under the impression that you expected me to become the next Duke, what with all of those council meetings I was forced to attend. Should I not be thinking about the greater good for our people, and yours?” I nodded to the Triels. “I doubt a single council member would disagree that safety is our upmost priority, not secrecy. The people will want to celebrate this wedding, and I will have that for them, especially after so many years they’ve spent grieving the loss of our Duchess. But if you had wished me to be submissive as before, perhaps you should have expressed your intentions differently.”

Neither Duke spoke, which let me continue, “And seeing how between myself and Alarra, I seem to be the only cognizant one present in a conversation, I suppose the decision is left up to me, isn’t it my betrothed?” I asked sweetly.

“Whatever you wish, my lord.” She responded with her saccharine tongue. “I am happy to be by your side.”

I grinned. “See?”

“She has not been well, my lord.” Her father replied.

“That’s apparent.” I sniffed with contempt. “I promise the both of you, that whatever secrets you have hidden so deep beneath your fine coats and thick necks, I will expose the both of you, unless you promise me my kidnapper returned to me alive.”

“An empty threat son.” My father said, “End the theatrics now.”

I turned sharply to face him. “Is it? You don’t know what I know. Two can play this game father, and you were such a good teacher.” I said, my grin widening. I rose to my feet. “But the game will end and when it does, I hope your names are sent straight to the nine hells.”

I didn’t wait to be excused, nor did I look back to see their faces. Half of the battle was convincing them that I was worth being feared, intimidated by and carrying the confidence to not care what they thought.

I stepped out into the hall and let out a deep breath. I predicted that things would likely get worse before they got better, but I was determined to see this through.

I was followed back to my chambers with an extra guard in tow. I glanced back at them and winked before stepping into my room and hearing one of them following in behind me.

I was surprised to find Robin asleep on my bed. His face had sticky bits of frosting on his cheek. He looked peaceful. I let out a sigh. There would be no rest for me, not yet.

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oubliette-odette · 10 months ago

Text

The Reluctance of Love Pt. 21

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racism. All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

This was my fault. I had let my guard down.

My heart was pounding fast inside me, but it was no longer for the rush I felt being near Altan. No, I was feeling the thumping of my body fearing for my life, for Altan’s life.

I pulled Altan in front of me and put myself between him and the men “Run!” I pushed him ahead of me and he began to scramble forward.

I snapped the longest piece of the arrow that extended out the side of my leg and grunted at the jolt of pain, but I’d have to deal with the rest later. I kept running, forcing my body to suppress the pain. I glanced back and saw two of the three men were racing down the hill towards us, the third let loose another arrow. I heard its whistle and felt a sting as it sliced the side of my arm, barely missing me. I hissed, but I didn’t slow. I didn’t have time to linger on the pain. I was the son of Uluraat orcs, and we did not let pain stop us from protecting each other.

There was a roar in my ears as I kept just behind Altan. I glanced back and saw that all three were now in pursuit. They each had hoods concealing their faces as they sprinted towards us. We had an advantage, but if we slowed at all, they would gain on us.

“Altan,” I called, “Hold tight.”

He looked back at me, his eyes wide as I suddenly swept him up and into my arms. His arms found my neck and he held on tight to me. We both knew I was faster than him, I could carry him as long as I needed to. To keep him safe.

“What are you doing?” he yelled, “You’re injured!”

My expression was grim as I met his eyes for only a flash, “I’ll live.”

He frowned, but said nothing. He looked back, “They’re not slowing down.”

“Neither will I.”

“How long can you keep this up?” His voice was shaking.

“As long as I have to.” I said. My words came out more like grunts as I tried to keep my breathing level. My body was pounding to a rhythm that I had long since forgotten.

“Drun, your skin is burning.” Altan said.

“It’s good.” I grunted. Orcs' bodies were built for war, for hunting and survival and when our bodies were pushed to the extreme, there was a sudden rush that made our blood burn and our bodies be able to push through extreme injuries or exhaustion. It worked and felt similarly to lordhovid. I had not felt such sensations since I was much younger, and there was a part of me that missed the feeling of pushing my body to its limit. There was a roar in my ears that dimmed all sound except for the sound and feeling of my feet pounding into the earth, I could feel the soil break beneath me. My leg had an ever present throb that I couldn’t quite shake, but I was determined. I couldn’t slow down. I couldn’t.

Altan clung to me, saying nothing, I could feel his own heart pounding against my chest. He watched with wide eyes ahead of us and then looked back and said, “We’re losing them I think.”

I didn’t respond and still I didn’t slow. My breath was coming out of my mouth in short, loud puffs and I clung to Altan, making sure he would never fall from my grip. I was fueling every part of me into running. Faster if I could. It didn’t matter how long it would take, but I would get Altan free. My arms were beginning to tire and my leg was starting to scream at me. I didn’t dare look down to see how much blood I was losing. I couldn’t care about that, not yet. At the speed I was running I was praying that I would ourselves reaching my father’s camp soon. I may have an advantage on our pursuers, but I also knew that my body wouldn’t keep this up forever. Eventually I would collapse.

“Drun.” Altan pulled himself up. I could sense fear in his voice and I looked back. I saw nobody there and even though I kept running, I began to slowly pull back.

“Your leg.” He said, looking down. “Let me dress it.”

I shook my head, “No, it will be fine once we get to camp.”

“Drunrag.” Altan pushed. “I won’t accept you losing so much blood that you faint.”

I shook my head. “Not possible.” Orcs don’t faint, we die before that could ever happen.

He frowned and his face became grim. “Drunrag Uluraat, we are doing this together. Let. Me. Help. You.”

I read the determination in his expression. He would not accept no for an answer.

I slowed to a stop and I suddenly grimaced as the pain overwhelmed my senses. He kept his arms around my neck as he swung his legs free and hopped down to his feet. He reached for the bottom of my tunic, not even asking before ripping off the bottom portion.

“There’s a lot of blood, the arrow has moved a lot.” he looked up after assessing what was left of the arrow sticking from my thigh. “I’ll do my best to control the bleeding, but I don’t think I can remove the arrow just yet” He started to wrap the cloth around my leg, keeping it tight just above the wound.

“Thank you,” I said, then looked behind us, assessing our surroundings. “We probably don’t have much time.”

His eyes were narrowed and concentrated on the wound, he didn’t give any sign that he had heard me as he tightly knotted the bandage.

“Tighter.” I said roughly, I wiped sweat from my brows and looked over my shoulder, my heart skipped a beat as I saw the distant shadowy shapes of our pursuers that hadn’t been there before.

“We have to get moving.”

“If you keep running, it could injure you more.” He protested.

“We can deal with that later.” I looked back again and then back to Altan. “Are you ready?”

He looked at my leg nervously before nodding and letting me lift him back into my arms.

I started to run, but immediately I realized our error for stopping. My body protested with every step and I felt as if the exhaustion from the last three days had caught up with me. I groaned as I felt the intense searing pain as I moved my leg again and again. The motion was suddenly near unbearable and I began to limp.

“Drun.” Altan’s voice was distant in my head, I could only hear a shrill ringing. “Drun!”

I continued to run, to struggle onwards. Every orc warrior kept standing until their last breath, and I would do the same to make sure that Altan was safe. I met his eyes and we both knew I wasn’t as fast before, and that I was fading, but I had to keep going. It was our only chance. Stopping now would mean death.

“Drun,” Altan’s voice cut through again, he gripped my neck tighter. “They’re gaining on us.”

I turned around and realized that they were on horses now, with two additional riders with them. I felt the weight of what that meant.

There would be no escaping them.

I slowed down, holding Altan close to me. “Altan, promise me that whatever happens, you’ll keep running towards those hills until you find my father. Do you understand?”

He jerked in my arms and looked at me with a grim expression. “Drunrag. What are you saying?”

“Promise me.”

He shook his head. “No, we’re doing this together.”

“Altan.” I said, his name hurt on my lips, and I ached to swallow the emotion away from my voice. I set him down and grabbed his shoulders. “We are always together, but we also need to prepare for if something gets worse. I need to buy you some time.”

“But you’re injured.”

“They slowed us down on purpose, this is what they wanted. But I’m also the son of the greatest warrior I know.” I said. “I will fight, whatever it takes. For you. For us. If you can keep running and get to my father’s camp, they will bring reinforcements to help. We’re not far, but I have to make sure one of us gets a chance to get there.”

He shook his head. ‘I don’t like this. Drun, I don’t want to leave you.”

I lifted the vial from his neck and then placed my hand on his chest, above his heart. “We can find each other again. Do you trust me?”

His eyes softened and turned sad. “Drun, you’re saying this like something will go wrong.”

“It may,” My voice was sober as I set him down on the ground. “Do you trust me?”

He nodded, “I trust you. Always.”

I gave him a grim smile, “Then go. To the hills, follow the smell of the smoke and don’t look back.”

Altan’s eyes hardened to steel and he nodded. “I love you, I’ll come back for you.”

I nodded. “Nod merad,” I cupped his face and leaned in, letting us both savor one last final kiss before I let him go. I felt that feeling of completion, of unification before I pushed him away and my voice cracked, “Go.”

There wasn’t time to say or do anything more. His eyes were on me a few moments longer, we both seemed to be trying to memorize all of our features in a matter of seconds, before he turned from me and began to run.

I looked back to the shadows of the riders ahead of us and I felt the cold reality of what I was doing. Orcs fought in packs, while I stood alone. These riders outnumbered me. They had arrows, weapons, horses - means to not only defend themselves, but also the means to kill me if they so chose. I was not loved by the Duke or his council, very likely they would not hesitate to kill me. I had nothing to defend myself. All that Commander Gideon had given me was a small dagger. It would be enough to throw at one target, but there would still be four more, and they likely wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate.

Perhaps the blood soaked soil of the Fields of the Dead would promise me victory. I breathed in deep and prayed to the orc-god for his blessing. His lust for blood was what kept the land fertile and safe for my people, he was always near to them when they stayed so near where war had been. I hoped I was still given the grace to be acknowledged by him.

I looked back over my shoulder one last time and I saw my beloved’s back becoming smaller and smaller as he ran towards the hills where my father would be. Please be good to him, I prayed. Please let him live.

I wondered if I would see him again. Or if I had already said goodbye to him. I remembered how it had only been a few hours ago today. I remembered what had told me, “If I am lucky, I would have all of you.” Was today all I could ever give him? I wanted to give him so much more. I would give him everything I had if I had the chance then.

I heard the pounding of the hooves and turned back, I slipped the dagger free from its sheath on my belt and I held my stance.

My eyes focused on the riders and as they came closer, I began to catch details of them that I had not been able to see before. One of them had their hood flown back, revealing their shaved head and glowing red eyes. My heart faltered as I recognized what this meant with their bright red garb.

I was familiar with this guild of hunters, though I had never encountered them before. The Red Hunters: a shadowy group of mercenaries that lurked in shadows all across Faerun, that could be convinced to hunt down anyone or anything for a bit of coin. Their methods were uncommonly violent and their work was renowned for their special brand of cruelty. They were trained killers, but they were also trained in other arts: tracking what is supposed to be untraceable, killing what is unkillable, torturing what should be unbreakable. They all shared the common features of the red of their eyes - a malformation from a drug they consumed to heighten their senses - and shaved heads.

I didn’t know how the Duke was able to pay such a high fee when I knew of his debts. And I also didn’t know what that meant for my fate. Was I to die by their hand? Or be taken somewhere much worse?

Gruumsh, hear me, I am unworthy of your blessing, but I ask it all the same.

Let me live so that I may see him again.

Let me live.

The party of riders slowed and approached me. They each pulled back their heads and I saw that they all also wore masks that concealed all but their red, burning eyes.

“Orc.” One of them called, their voice biting.

I did not answer, only returning with a glowering stare.

“Where is the young lord?” The same one asked.

I did not answer again.

The one who spoke turned to the one to their left and in a different language made some sharp command. The one who received the orders began to urge their horse forward, and it was then that I loosened my grip on the knife and let the weight of its hilt swing until my fingers caught hold of it by the blade. My eyes locked on the rider’s neck that was moving towards me and I let the knife fly, watching the blade sink right where I aimed. The rider gurgled before they slid off the saddle and fell to the ground, either dead or dying.

“You will go no further.” I shouted, my voice came out as more a roar than a yell. I did not care that I might have appeared more beast than man at that moment. I wanted them to know I would die before they got their hands on my mate.

“Orc.” The first speaker called. “You will not repeat such an act of violence. You have made your talent apparent, now listen carefully. You will not live if you act out again, and then who will protect your lover then?”

“What are your demands?” I seethed where I stood. They would use Altan against me, they knew it would work. I had never possessed such a weakness as strong and obvious as him before and I was too desperate to sacrifice him.

“You will come with us. There is a Duke who would like to see you. Alive, unfortunately. But I’m not afraid to kill you all the same if you do not obey me.” The leader urged his steed forward and they approached me until they were stopped only a few feet from me.

As I stood, my eyes just above their horses' glassy eyes and I only had to look up a bit to meet the eyes of the leader.

“You will not hurt him?” I asked.

They shrugged, “We’ll see. Will you go willingly?”

I tried to read their eyes, but those red, hollow eyes expressed nothing but contempt and apathy. There would be no gambling with these people. I bowed my head.

The leader turned back and called out to the other three riders. I watched in mute horror as two of them burst into a gallop towards the hills, pulling the crossbows from their hips.

“No!” I yelled. I somehow knew they would not respect my desire and lunged out to stop them, but I felt something lodge into my thigh - my good one - and I faltered and landed on my knees.

The two riders who were left circled me and the leader scoffed at me. “Pathetic. I thought orcs were a little more impressive than…this. You’re a bit of a disappointment, aren’t you?”

I felt another painful sharpness in my leg and I looked down to see that two crossbow bolts were now lodged just above my knee on my right knee. It took everything in me to hold back the groans of pain, I clenched my jaw and I sat up, my knees were shaking beneath me.

“What made you think we would actually honor any request you made?” They asked.

“Idiot” The other chuckled.

I glared at each of them, my hands were fists at my side. I had nothing to fight back. I was grounded by two wounds that kept me from running. What was next?

“Cuff him.” The leader said darkly.

The other retrieved chains from their pack and my eyes flashed with horror as I recognized cuffs for my feet, my hands, and a collar for my neck.

They were going to chain me like an animal.

I started to flail as the rider dismounted and approached me with the chains. I wouldn’t be treated so disrespectfully. I may not be the perfect orc I was supposed to be, but I understood my honor, my pride. I would not accept this. The last thing I remembered was the shrill scream of their mount as it rose to its hind legs and then feeling a hard, painful collision to the back of my head.

Altan. I thought as darkness claimed me. I’m so sorry.

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oubliette-odette · 11 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 20

Guy guys guys, I'm really excited about this chapter.

Please enjoy, hopefully your patience is rewarded.

And then also my apologies for what's about to happen...

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racism. All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

I was losing my sense of control around Altan. I started to notice how he was teasing me with slight touches as we walked next to each other and how when he would start to tell me a joke, his hand would suddenly be taking hold of my forearm and brushing his fingers down it familiarly. I was startled each time and my mind would be empty of any ability to speak. When we would stop to eat, I would find him sitting so close next to me that he was leaning against me and he would pass me his waterskin to share after he had drunk from it, his eyes like fire as he watched me drink from it.

I at first was ignorant of what he was doing, but when he set his bedroll closer and closer to me each night, I started to piece together that he was teasing me. He was purposefully crumbling my sense of resolve. And I didn’t know how to stop him now that it was starting. I liked it too much to tell him to stop. We had stopped two more nights where I stayed up to keep watch. It was a gift from my ancestors, but it did have a slow drain on my body and I was losing the discipline that I normally had.

Altan was about to become my ruin and I was terrified of it.

I had the feeling that we were close approaching my people - I could smell the faint waft of the smoke of the camps and hoped that we would make it before nightfall. And then I could get some sleep, get a hot meal in my stomach and regain my composure, maybe spend some time away from Altan to clear my head. Though Gruumsh be damned because I knew the moment I brought Altan into that camp that my family would throw us into a tent together and wouldn’t let us free until we finally mated. And I wouldn’t put it past any of my siblings or even my father to be sitting outside the tent listening in. I was mortified at the thought. Did they not know this was already more than I had ever bargained for?

I had a feeling that I was greatly outnumbered when it came to whether or not I should sleep with Altan as soon as we were safe - Altan’s vote was also likely against me.

I groaned inwardly and ran my hand through the hair that fell loose from my topknot and took a deep, strained breath and kept my feet walking. I hadn’t seen a sign of anyone pursuing us in the last two days and I dared to believe that we were safe, but I wasn’t ready to relax yet. My senses were focused as much as they could be on catching any signs of someone nearby: smells, sounds, sights - I was trained to find them through any means if I needed to.

“Drun!” Altan exclaimed excitedly, breaking my thoughts and I looked down to see him pointing. “Water!”

I followed his direction and saw a pool of clear blue water. It was being fed from the river that we had followed for a short time until our path strayed towards the Fields of the Dead where my family was. It was wide and looked to be deep enough for a swim, but not much deeper, its waters a pale sky blue that honestly looked inviting after the dust and sweat of days of travel on me.

“I’ve been longing to clean this stench off of me.” He said, lifting the black robe that he had been wearing when we ran away. “I’m going to burn this thing when we finally get to your home.”

I looked around, assessing the options. I was eager to be moving, but I also couldn’t deny that I was eager to wash off the sweat and stink on my body.

He grinned up at me, “It’s safe, yes? It will be fast.”

I did one final sweep and I nodded in assent.

He whooped and was suddenly breaking into a run. The image of him, dancing and careening with that golden light that seemed to follow him in any weather or condition, left me breathless and I found myself stumbling in pursuit of that light.

Our packs were left at the edge of the water and I saw that Altan had already flung his boots from his feet and he was shedding the dust-coated black robe that he had been wearing. I was caught where I was, my feet suddenly stone and unmoving, watching breathlessly and anticipating the visage I was about to be blessed with.

I saw golden brown skin that looked warm to the touch. Oh gods I was lost in the smooth, vastness of his back, his lithe frame that inspired sinful thoughts in my mind. He was standing at the pool’s edge, barefoot, and only wearing a pair of cream-colored braies. He stretched his arms out high and I caught the slight, gentle curve of his waist. The reflection of the water in front of him danced and rippled across his soft stomach and I pulled in my breath as my eyes wavered and followed it down to where his hips slanted downwards before I couldn’t see anymore.

He was sculpted elegantly and with sophistication where it counted - giving him a look of someone royal, fit and austere, but there was also the overwhelming softness that pervaded all of that. He was quite possibly the trap that would send me to damnation and I was prepared to descend to whatever depths I had to to get a taste of such temptation.

“Fuck.” I breathed. I was doomed. Damned. Fooled. Sinking deeper and deeper into this fever dream. Lordhovid may have had me burning for Altan, but even with it gone I still felt something deeper that was buried inside me that left a primal thirst for him. This wasn’t about lust anymore. It was a need to be reunited with something that belonged to me.

He whipped his gaze to me and his eyes were alight with something victorious and exultant as he caught my frozen stance. His lips teased into a smile and I caught the glint of the sharpness of his teeth as he tossed his curls behind him and he began to step into the water. His eyes were still on me, tempting me, pulling me.

He had wanted this. I was sure of it and I fell right into his game.

Was I upset by that, though? My brain was too unfocused to know what to think.

“Are you going to take a swim or not?” He called, the water was now to his waist - gods that waist why did it haunt me so - and his fingers were dancing over the surface, leaving gentle ripples that spread out and stretched towards me.

I don’t know how, but somehow I managed to clumsily step towards the water’s edge and I fumbled with my boots, my pants, my shirt until I was bare of anything except for my underclothes.

Altan’s eyes were locked on me, fiery and wanting. I returned the want in my gaze and I was suddenly being pulled to him. I was in the water, wading towards him. I could feel the coolness of the water on my skin, but I didn’t recognize it as I took each step closer to him.

“You temptor.” I breathed, disbelief in my voice.

He grinned. “Yes, me.” He winked and beckoned me closer with the slight curl of his finger. “Perhaps I wasn’t only wanting to wash myself.”

I stopped just short of a few feet and I held myself stock still. “What do you plan to do?” I couldn’t deny the slight fear I was feeling. I couldn’t deny what I was wanting - I wanted Altan, I wanted him, oh gods I needed him - but I still was scared of what was happening to me, happening to us and I was scared of where it was leading. My hands were caught in fists at my side and I struggled to hold his gaze as the reality of what our bodies were leading us towards was more clear. There was no question we were both breathing harder, but also holding our breath, holding back the urges our bodies and our hearts were pushing us towards. We were standing at the edge of a cliff, one more step and it would be the tipping point that would send us both over the edge to somewhere new and entirely unexplored.

He closed the distance, I saw his eyes take me in and I felt the bubbling sick sensation of shame. I was nothing like he deserved, I thought. I was brutish, I was scarred across all parts of my body from the spars I had as a child. There was a dent in my stomach from when I was gored by a boar during one of my hunts as a young boy, now only a white patch of hardened scars remained. I itched to put my hand over it, to hide it. My tusks suddenly felt too big, my skin felt rough and hideous. I wanted to hide.

But Altan’s eyes met mine and I wondered what he saw, because in his eyes I continued to see the wanting, the desire to be with me.

His hand was suddenly on my stomach, water was slipping free and trailing down from his hand and down my skin. I shivered, but held my gaze.

“Drun.” He breathed, he seemed to be almost out of breath as he pressed his hand further against my abdomen and then his other hand was reaching, raising up and caressing the side of my face.

I was lost in his golden gaze. His eyes - now heavy and weighed with desire - were like pools of warmth - reminding me of the dizzying dance of our campfires. I couldn’t look away. My breath was catching as I felt his hand on my stomach trail up towards my chest. I was caught in his grasp. I was nothing more than a marionette, and he controlled the strings.

“Altan.” My voice hitched and I was embarrassed at how apparently aroused I was. I felt the heat between my legs and I was grateful the water covered anything I didn’t want him to see.

His eyes crinkled as he grinned.

He pulled back and turned away from me. “I’m so sorry, love, I couldn’t help myself. I think I’ve teased you enough, my dear.” He dunked his head under the water and I saw bubbles on the surface.

What? My mind stuttered.

He breached the water and flung his hair back and he was now standing, staring at me, dripping wet.

What the fuck was this man doing to me?

I shook my head, “Enough teasing.” I waded towards him and reached for him, snatching his arm and pulling him towards me. He was weightless as he eagerly let himself be pulled into my arms. Suddenly my arms were around him, his bare chest, wet and dripping pressed against me. His golden eyes looked at me with such intense want. My one arm was around his waist and I let out a gasp as I took in everything I was feeling, everything I was seeing.

Gods, I could have died at that moment.

“What will you have from me?” I gasped, my eyes searching his.

“If we’re lucky, I will have all of you.” He said, his voice teasing, but then he sobered and his eyes fell on my lips. “But for now, I will have a kiss.”

I bit back the refusal. Orcs do not kiss each other; tusks against tusks were uncomfortable and so it was only ever done during angry sexual encounters as a way to show dominance - some of my siblings had chipped their tusks from tussles with their mates that way. But Altan was not an orc, and as my attention fell to his lips, I wondered if they would feel as soft as they seemed.

Suddenly I was carrying him, I had lifted him and held him up to match my gaze and his hand was suddenly caught in my hair, pulling my topknot free and his lips were on mine. I felt his legs wrap around my waist and his hips rocked forward and I swear I saw stars. I wasn’t sure if I was standing anymore or caught underwater, I was too lost in feeling everything, savoring this moment. His lips, his lips were so soft, yet so earnest as he tried to pull himself closer to me, even though we were chest to chest and I was holding him against me. We were eager to draw each other into one another’s space, there was no such thing as too close - too much. He pulled back and ran a finger down one of my tusks before placing a gentle kiss on it. I shivered. His face was so close to mine, I could feel his breath and smell the earthy clean smell from the pool. The hand still caught around the back of my head pulled me close to him. His eyes closed and we were kissing again. He was good at it and I was losing myself to it. His tongue was suddenly in my mouth and I could taste him. He tasted sweet, warm and my breath hitched again as I heard a gentle whimper escape his lips. His fingers curled and pulled my hair tight.

“Drunrag.” His voice was nothing more than a whispery breath. “I love you.” His lips brushed against mine as he spoke and I felt the words. Felt them and knew them to be true. That feeling that he was some other part of me that I needed to be whole thrummed with confirmation that yes, he was mine. He was mine and he would complete me.

“Nod merad.” I growled. “Nod djenifad. Nod sanitrash.” I slipped into orcish and my voice came out low and desperate. “Na dovid dra ek na kamiam weltha dra. Dra duwam. Nod raebukam.” Every possible confession I could make, I whispered against his lips and I drank the way he clung to me. I held him close and I poured everything I wanted him to know into my words. “Na wukka tompa zak dra.”

He sighed and pulled himself back, taking in the sight of me. “Are you going to tell me what any of that means?”

I smiled, and shook my head. “Not tonight, no.”

He feigned disappointment then ran his finger down my tusk. “You will teach me?”

I nodded. “Yes. Once you learn to behave. You have been teasing me these last two days.”

He at least had the decency to look coy. “I’m sorry, my love. You…” He chewed on his bottom lip. “You have no idea how hard it is to be next to someone as handsome as you and not be able to do or say anything.”

I jerked, “Handsome?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You do not think you are handsome?”

I shook my head, “Not even by orc standards. I’m rather average.” I couldn’t begin to wonder what those not of my kind see in me.

His jaw hung low and he vehemently shook his head. “False. You are lying to me. There is no one as handsome as you. My Drun.” He said, his finger was still stroking my tusk again and I was struggling to stay focused. “Perhaps you really were made for me.” He said, wistful.

I shook my head. “You have strange ideas.” I ignored the pulsing deep inside me that confirmed what Altan was saying was true. I slowly lowered him back down to the ground, the water rippled around us. “We should be moving on soon if we want to get to my father’s camp before it is late. Wash up quickly.”

I knew it was abrupt, but if Altan continued to tease me with his golden aura, I would have found myself on top of him and taking things further well into the next day. I waded away from him and dunked my head into the water and held myself there.

Gruumsh please keep me strong. And promise me that I will have sleep tonight or else I will break.

Altan looked reluctant to wear the black robe when we stepped out of the water - I made it a point to not stare at the way his now wet braies clung to his hips and thighs and…everything else. I reached for my shirt and held it out to him. “Here, take it until you’re fully dry.”

It was a big mistake to offer it, because as soon as I saw Altan wearing my tunic, there was a dangerous sense of possessiveness in me. My mate, wearing my shirt. It was far too large for him, but it also looked right for him to be wearing it. The inner voice in my head purred with delight at the sight.

We were relaxed on the last leg of our journey. I - now lacking a shirt - and Altan carrying our boots in his hands as we both walked barefoot. Something eased between us and we found each other trading soft gazes at each other and I found myself drifting closer to him just so I could brush against him. He hummed next to me and I closed my eyes and let my feet guide me as I listened to the melody he crafted.

At the end, I opened my eyes and found his eyes on me.

“Your voice is beautiful.” I said, and I leaned down to kiss him. I admittedly enjoyed kissing - I don’t believe anyone else could have made it as nice as Altan did.

He hummed in approval as I found my hands holding his waist and pulled him towards me, my arms slid around him perfectly and I wondered if maybe we really were created for one another. I leaned down, cupping his face with my hands and letting the light of his golden love warm me inside and through me. I pressed my forehead to his, holding each other still for a moment. And then my lips found his and we savored the taste of each other. He was sweet and lovely and I loved him. The word I had skirted around, tested and wondered until finally I knew it's truth. I loved him completely.

I didn’t smell the humans until it was too late.

I heard the quick sharp thwip of an arrow just before I felt the hard impact on my thigh and suddenly a dull, throbbing pain. I grunted, stepped back and looked down to see an arrow lodged in my leg.

“Drun!” Altan yelled, his hands clinging to me. We both whipped around to see at the crest of a hill three men, all of them pointing arrows at us.

“They found us.” He breathed.

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oubliette-odette · 11 months ago

Text

The Reluctance of Love Pt. 19

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 18 Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racisms. All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

Altan POV

We traveled the rest of the day without a hitch and by midday we were under the cover of the trees. My body was tired, but I didn’t want to slow us any more down than I already was. We didn’t speak much while we were out in the open. Drunrag’s eyes were everywhere as we dashed through the open plain from one small tree or boulder to another. We were fortunate that no one spotted us and both of us let out a long sigh of relief when we found ourselves in the dark shadow of the forest.

“Have you been here before?” I asked.

He shook his head, looking around. “It is not familiar to me.”

These were the forests that my father liked to hunt in the most, many deer and elk had been found daring through the dense trees. I remembered that I always prayed that the deer would be spared, and would cry when my father returned with their carcass.

I hadn’t visited it much since I uninvited myself from hunting excursions, and while my memories were less than pleasant, I found that with Drunrag next to me, those memories didn’t feel so dense and pressing. Everything felt less large and scary with him next to me.

I reached for his hand to hold it, but I hesitated, pulling my hand back to my side. I knew he was still nervous to show affection, though it was clear we felt something for each other. I looked up at him, wondering. I knew without a shred of doubt that I loved him. I would wait however long I needed to to be able to hold his hand without scaring him.

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked.

His eyebrows raised and he looked down sidelong to me, “Yes?”

“How did you manage to remove lordhovid?”

He closed his eyes, taking a breath, “I don’t remember much, so the exact details I don’t have. But the matriarch of my home gave me this horrid drink that burned it out of me. It was learned from some of our most ancient rituals. And she made that vial for if ever I was to change my mind.”

I grabbed the vial, it was cool to the touch and the red liquid inside strayed over to my right until I adjusted the chain around my neck. “Would you…would you ever drink it if you had the choice?”

I looked up at him, I couldn’t deny the hope in my voice and in my gaze. I wanted to know if I could ever get the chance to be loved by him completely and wholly, in every way imaginable.

His steady gaze fell and I noticed how he tripped over his feet after the question. He coughed and looked away from me.

He didn’t answer at first, his eyes had glazed over and his gait slowed as he pondered the question. Physical intimacy seemed to be his greatest insecurity and fear. Admittedly, I didn’t really understand it at first when we first met. I was immediately attracted to him and was willing to share one night with him to get rid of the symptoms of the orcish lust - the thought of it didn’t really scare me and I honestly looked forward to it. Since then, I must confess that I spent many nights dwelling on it and what it would be like to share the most intimate of touches and sensations with him. I wanted to see all of him. Feel all of him and share everything in return. Even after lordhovid had passed, I still found myself at night dreaming of what it would be like to be held down and ravished by him. I blushed even remembering those dreams.

But it was truly a moral dilemma for him to make that choice to do anything like that. I wondered if it made me a bad person that I was so ready and willing. I felt such immense guilt that even before meeting him, I had kissed many boys. I had been lonely and I was desperate to find ways to defy my father after my mother died. I was grateful that our time apart helped me to see that it wasn’t anything wrong with either of us - it simply was that we were different, and that neither of us were bad or weak for the choices we made.

In hindsight, I do not know if I would have been given the chance to know him as slowly and carefully as I did if we had started our relationship following the lust of our bodies. Everything about loving him came from the slow and patient tenderness that we shared with each other. We had managed to find something delicate, but beautiful tied around the deepest feeling of yearning. We learned of each other gently and he held me grounded through it. I was able to learn the way he reacted to me with even the smallest, chastest touches. It was my honour to see him smile at my jokes, and I was honoured whenever I saw him display uncanny bravery in situations I knew he was uncomfortable in. And through each moment we found ourselves facing obstacles, and he wouldn’t flinch from it, but instead pressed himself deeper into danger, under the dark gaze of my father to be with me, it assured me again and again how I would never find another as good as he. He was perfect, and I would see no loss if we never were intimate. He filled my heart already enough by just being who he was.

“It’s okay,” I started to say, “I won’t ever…I won’t ever make you.”

“Thank you,” He said, his voice was low and I could sense the strain. “Altan…I…” he cleared his throat. “I do not want you to think that I do not feel anything for you.”

“I don’t believe that at all.” I said. “We’re here, running for our lives because we wanted to be together, right?”

He nodded. “Yes. That is true. However, I do not think I could ever drink it.”

“Oh.” I said.

“I would never want to love you under such influence.” He said, “I would prefer to love you as me, and you as you. Drunrag and Altan. No lordhovid, no lust. Just love...just us.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. Drunrag was epically romantic, and it was something that continued to surprise me again and again.

“And I…” He bit his lip, looking for the right words, I looked back up at him, expectant for the next words. “I am also scared to hurt you.” I noticed his cheeks were darker and his hands looked unsettled and uncertain where to be.

I bit back the smile creeping onto my lips, and I did my best to answer gently. “I know this is not easy to talk about.”

‘I want to.” he said. “I..I want to be able to talk to you about this. I’m just…inexperienced.”

I nodded, “I’m not sure that I’m much more experienced than you, but let me assure you that there are ways we can make sure that neither of us get hurt. I’m not scared of you hurting me at all.”

“But orc mating is,” He closed his eyes, grimacing. “Orc mating is different. It’s violent. Our bodies are built for strength, dominance, stamina. I do not know what I will be like and I don’t want you to be afraid.”

“We can always start slow and see what happens.” I finally reached for his hand and held it between both of mine. “I trust you Drun. Even just you expressing that fear tells me that you are more in control of yourself than you give yourself credit for. But we don’t have to do anything until you feel ready to. Perhaps when things feel safe for us?”

He let out a deep breath, “I would like that, yes.”

I nodded, and then holding the vial up I said, “Do you trust me with this?”

He nodded, his grey eyes holding mine. “I trust you completely, Altan.”

I looked down at it and twirled it around, “I’m glad you do.”

“You would drink it?” He asked.

"In a heartbeat if I knew you wanted it.”

His mouth fell open and he shook his head, “Why?”

I shrugged, “Sleeping with you seems…wonderful.”

I saw his eyes dart away from me and he pulled his hand free from me. “I hope that I do not disappoint you.”

I laughed, “I’m not sure that’s possible, love. You’re built like a god.”

He choked back a laugh. “Like a what?”

I winked at him once his eyes met mine. “You heard me. Once I get my hands on you…well…you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Seeing Drunrag flustered was a pure delight. I probably should have felt bad for teasing him so, but I enjoyed watching his body react. He was biting his lip, and his eyes were unfocused and distant - I imagined his brain was running hundreds of small, risque scenarios in his head - as were mine, if I was to be totally truthful, Drunrag was honestly corrupting my mind with all the things I wanted to do with him - and his muscles were tight, taut and thick as his entire body grew tense. I wondered, even without lordhovid, was Drunrag’s body still experiencing reactions to me? I truly didn’t understand how any of orcish mating customs worked - and I still didn’t totally know why or how we got ourselves into the situation - so watching his reactions left me curious.

Drunrag seemed incapable of speech after that - my poor dear - and so I comfortably filled it with stories: tales from my mother’s people over the seas in Evermeet. Stories from my childhood days and how I caused my father the greatest amount of grief as I stole away from him at every chance to explore the city, to uncover every possible secret passage, to taste every sweet morsel the cook made and to make friends - though those had always been few and between. My father controlled who I met and the ones he approved of didn’t really seem interested in being friends with a half-blood child who’s choice of interests didn’t involve a sword or girls. Drunrag was a rapt audience - I could see the micro changes in his face as he took in each story and I learned that his eyes grew sad whenever I talked about my mother, or the parts of my childhood that were less than idyllic. He never said anything, but I didn’t need his words to know he was attentive.

I changed the subject and started to tell him bawdy tales that I learned from the cooks and Doxxah and we both found ourselves caught holding our stomachs with laughter over some of them. Oh how I loved hearing his laugh. It was a full bodied laugh, and rivaled the volume of my own - which was loud and irreverent - and his deep rumble in his voice left my chest fluttering when I felt it vibrate through me.

Oh gods, I thought, I loved him.

“We should rest soon.” He said, after a time, looking up. “It’s growing dark.”

I hadn’t realized that until I followed his gaze and saw through the canopy of the trees that the sky was muted and dim. Night was coming.

“We can light a small fire tonight.” He continued. “I don’t sense anyone near. Haven’t since this morning.”

We traveled only a bit more until he found a nice thick cluster of trees circling around to conveniently make a small clearing that just fit the two of us perfectly and not much more. It was cozy, but more importantly it helped conceal us.

Drunrag worked on starting just a small, humble fire and I set to pulling out the food that Doxxah had packed for us. We managed to have a small meal of dried meats, fire roasted potatoes and the last of Doxxah’s cinnamon roll. Night and its blanket of dark overtook us quickly and I was grateful for the dim crackling glow from the fire to keep us company. Drunrag sat across from me, his eyes lost in the labyrinthine tendrils of the flame as he chewed. It gave me the perfect chance to stare at him. Devils take me for being so gods damned obsessed with him, but I was so lucky to get to look at him.

“You should get some sleep.” He said, and his eyes shifted from the fire to mine. He caught my stare and I saw even in the shadows that his cheeks started to darken. “I’ll keep watch.”

“You didn’t sleep last night either,” I protested. “Let me keep watch.”

He shook his head. “It will be fine, I can manage for a few days more, and then we will be with my people.”

I frowned, “Drun…”

He shook his head. “Sleep.” He reached behind him and pulled a bedroll that he passed to me. “I will watch over you.”

I still didn’t like the answer, but I knew he wouldn’t lie or exaggerate the truth. I tried to recall if I remembered reading anywhere about orc stamina - I had to believe that being skilled hunters and warriors whose survival instincts excelled beyond most that they would have the ability to go without sleep for days - but I still didn’t like how seemingly useless it made me.

“Well at least let me sleep next to you.” My voice came out a bit petulant, like a whiny child, but I didn’t really care at that moment.

“Not a good idea.” He said, his body suddenly tense. “Not yet.”

I narrowed my eyes - was this another indication that I was affecting him? I held his stare and willed him to give in, but his own returning stare was hard and determined.

“Djenifad, I need to focus.” He said, his voice was gentle and I did feel like he was suddenly speaking to me like I was a child. “I cannot keep you safe if you distract me.”

I could not argue further, so I unrolled the bedroll and pulled the thin blanket over top of me and I laid down on the other thin blanket beneath me. With it being autumn, there was a slight bite to the air and I curled up to hold the heat in me. I looked one last time to Drun and I saw he was sitting more relaxed and his gaze was now caught up in the stars that peeked through the trees. He had a hand resting on a knee and he was twiddling a piece of dried meat between his fingers. He seemed to be lost in many thoughts.

“Drun.” I said.

He hummed in response, not breaking his gaze.

“How do you say goodnight in orcish?”

“Shad klizmad” He answered, his voice low and reverent. His gaze fell and his grey eyes fell on me, they were like clear glass in the fire’s light and I swear the stars were caught in them.

“Shad klizmad, nod merad.” I said, the words were awkward and unfamiliar on my tongue, but I saw the way Drun’s eyes grew wide and then softened as he revealed a soft, secret smile.

“Shedz hankshath, djenifad.”

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oubliette-odette · 11 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 17

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Word Count: 2257 (average 17 min read) Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racisms. All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

Altan POV

It was two, maybe three miles of walking in the dim torchlight through the underground path before we noticed the compact dirt and mud slowly transition to rock and stone. We started to recognize that the tunnel was leading us to some kind of cave. The walls became jagged, not uniform and smoothed down like the dirt. The walls were slick with damp and I felt my shoes struggle to stay balanced.

Drunrag’s hands were immediately on mine as he led me delicately through the uneven parts. His eyes were keen and I knew he could see better in the dark than I could. And it showed as he stepped carefully and purposefully, and I did my best to leap behind him and land where he landed.

The cave widened and we found that the mouth of the cave was cleverly concealed behind foliage. There was a sound of rushing water and we quickened our pace to follow it.

Drunrag pulled the foliage back and I stepped through and waited for him to follow. Everything was difficult to see during the night, but it looked as if the entrance of the cave opened just below a bridge that crossed over a small, steady stream that ran off from the river we could hear. There wasn’t enough water to reach the mouth of the cave and we were able to quickly scramble through the rocks and pebbles to get onto soft land.

Drunrag threw the torch into the river and watched as the light fizzled and died out. He took a hold of my hand and said softly. “I can see enough to lead us on.”

I trusted him with complete complicity and I squeezed his hand in return.

“Do you need to rest?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Let’s go.” I answered.

I didn’t know what time it was, but I could make a guess that we were approaching the peak of night. Everything was dark and I found myself holding onto Drun’s hand like a vice. I had read once that orc’s made great hunters thanks to their ability to see well in the dark. A perk to having an orc for a partner, I thought wryly.

“How far are we?” I asked. “From the city?”

Drun looked around, I couldn’t see much of his features, no more than a shadow in the dark, but I could see the whites of his eyes as he observed our surroundings. “We look to be just a half mile from the gates.”

“That’s not far enough.” I breathed. “The guards are probably on horseback and will gain on us in little time. At least we have the shadow of night as our advantage. Do you see anywhere we can hide ourselves?”

I was able to catch my breath as Drunrag planned our route. Even with everything happening, I couldn’t stop myself from exulting in some small way at that moment. My hand was being held by one who I had spent the last few months literally dreaming about. I knew we weren’t totally free yet, there was still so much risk, but I felt something strong and pounding inside me telling me how right this all was. I didn’t doubt or regret choosing this over a comfortable life.

“This way.” He said softly and he began to pull me through the darkness. “I see a copse of trees over there.”

We walked swiftly, yet quietly. I knew I was holding Drun back, that I was the slow one in the group, but he said nothing and he kept his hand on mine and never let go. The grass was dry and brittle and even with our careful steps rustled and crumbled loudly beneath our feet. Every so often, I would find myself looking back, waiting to see a line of torchlight pursuing us and every moment I didn’t see it, I grew more worried.

We rested in the dark cover of the trees and gathered ourselves before moving on to our next destination. Drun’s attention was tuned in to everything around us. I could hear him sniff the air and adjust our course to avoid something only he knew about.

“Are you alright?” He asked. He was so good at being worried for me. I felt warm every time he asked me.

I nodded. “Fine.”

“We should only rest for a moment here,” He said, his eyes looking at the town behind us. “I’m nervous still being so close. We should go as far as we can and take a long rest when there is some distance between us. Perhaps at dawn.”

Dawn. That was still likely hours away from now. I let out a breath.

I saw him shift to look at me again, “Will you manage?”

“I will. I have to.” I answered, determined. I adjusted the pack on my shoulders and rose to my feet. It was laughable how even as I stood at my full height, Drunrag managed to reach my shoulders sitting. I still wasn’t used to how large, how massive he was. He probably could carry me if he wanted. The thought of it was tempting.

I brushed the thoughts aside and changed the subject, “Do you have somewhere in mind we should go?”

“North.” He answered, I detected a touch of reluctance in his voice as he said it. “My family would be able to provide us asylum. They live in the Fields of the Dead.”

A pleasant name for a stretch of land, but it was the unfortunate burial ground for hundreds of soldiers from centuries worth of battles and conflicts throughout our history. I remembered hearing stories of the undead that would rise and wander through the fields. How the soil smells of blood. I wondered how or why a tribe of orcs would find themselves living there, but I dared not ask questions. The idea of seeing Drunrag’s family was something I had never considered. I had foolishly made the assumption that there was little contact between them. I sensed the anxiety it caused Drunrag to take us there, and I couldn’t help but feel a similar sense of dread at the idea of it.

“Oh.” I responded. “Will…will we be safe there?”

“They would be wise to not touch you.” His voice was heavy and low and it made my body shiver as I felt the possessiveness of those words.

“What about you?” I asked.

There was not an answer for a long while and I worried that I had asked the wrong question.

“I can handle my family.” He finally answered.

I hoped what he said was true, because I still felt a pit in my stomach at the thought of having to face them down.

We let the silence settle as we adjusted our packs, caught our breath and stretched, only it ended quickly when Drun grabbed my arm suddenly and hissed, “The gates are opening, we need to leave.”

I whirled around and saw the faint dim specks of torchlight in the distance and felt my heart begin to pulse loud and pounding inside me.

Hand in hand, we set out in the field. I was once again blind in the night and let Drunrag guide us through. He would shift our direction every so often and he often looked back to assess our pursuers. We were traveling once again in open fields. In daylight such a thing would spell our doom, but in the thick of night with little moonlight, we were safe, hopefully long enough to find cover.

My breath was all I could hear as I did my best to keep astride with Drunrag. I knew he was slowing down for me, but even still my legs were starting to scream at me for rest after having run this much already. I didn’t pull back though, instead I gritted my teeth and pressed on.

“They’re gaining on us.” Drunrag said between breaths. “We’ll need to find cover soon.”

We picked up speed and I started to feel like I was being dragged behind him.

“Here.” He said and we were suddenly taking a sharp turn and climbing up a small slope until we were resting against large protruding rocks. They were chill to the touch and I pressed my cheek against it. Drun then enveloped himself around me, I felt his broad chest against my back, heaving slow, steady breaths. His arms were on either side of me, pulling me tightly to him. I let myself be held as he pressed us against the rock and we both held still and waited.

I did my best to still my breathing, but I was still winded from running. Now that I was pulled into Drun’s embrace, my cheek was pressed against his chest and I felt the even rise and fall of his breathing. I could see hardly anything except the arm that was around my front that helped me to stay right next to him and then the dim view of the fields below us, a large dark blanket of shadow with no shape or form. I burrowed closer to him and I felt his chin rest above my head and he squeezed me tightly to him.

We heard the pounding of hooves and from my limited perspective, I caught sight of four separate torches emitting light across the field. They looked to be at least a half mile away from us, so I couldn’t recognize anyone from where we were.

My body was stock still and unmoving as I watched between Drun’s arms. The men were spread out, circling around and advancing forward. Their horses were light on their feet and danced across the field from one side to the other, covering distance in only a few seconds.

Drun turned his head away from them and buried his head into me. We held still, so still. My heart was out of control inside me, begging that we live through this, that we get through this night.

I closed my eyes, a prayer on my lips to protect us, oh great gods preserve us.

“Not here!” A voice called. It sounded like it had only been a few yards away. I felt the twitch and flex in Drun’s body at the sound of it and he gripped me tighter. I heard the pounding of the hooves fade off as they returned back to the team and they continued on.

We each were frozen for a time before I felt Drun’s muscles relax and he pulled away only slightly.

“What now?” I barely breathed the words out loud.

“We wait.” He answered.

We didn’t speak, we didn’t even so much as look at each other as we sat in the horrid dark of night. The sounds of the guards in pursuit were fading.

I started to lift my head to look out when Drun pressed me closer to his chest. “Not yet.” He hissed. “There could be more.”

I held back and I let myself be held. Drun’s body was warm, his chest damp with sweat. Under normal circumstances I might have found that to be a sensual thing…but I barely registered it at that moment as I held my breath.

I didn’t know how much time passed, only that my body ached and certain parts felt numb before, I shifted and shuffled and stretched until I was facing him and I leaned my back against the wall. I kept my hands up to my chest. I felt his arms adjust around me and pulled me safely into his chest.

“Where do you think they are? Still searching?”

“Most likely. I can smell them nearby,” he said. “We can’t accept the risk of continuing our travel if they're still out there.”

“So.” I started, “We wait?”

I felt his head nod against the side of my head.

I took in a deep, long breath and took in Drun’s scent. It was a manly smell - mostly sweat now, but I noticed the underlying reminiscent scent of Doxxah’s bakery and then an even more permanent smell of earth and ash on him, reminding me of when I first met him on the sunny day on the coast, dressed to work in the hot fires of the forge.

I jerked back when I also caught a faint whiff of something sweet, more fragrant. “Is that…cologne I smell?”

I wish I could have seen his face as I heard the bashfulness in his voice. “Doxxah helped me.”

I leaned in and took in another long breath, “It’s…it’s nice. Kind of fruity. I think it suits you.”

I felt him tense and he shivered.

I lifted my head up. “Are you alright?”

“Tickles.” He answered.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I didn’t realize until then how my nose was practically pressed into his collarbone. I moved to adjust myself, but his arms didn’t let up.

“Don’t. I don’t mind.” He said, his lips were just above my ears and I felt the vibration of his voice. I too shivered in response.

We held each other there and I found myself struggling to keep my eyes opened and my mouth would open wide with a long, drawn out yawn.

“You may sleep, if you want.” He said, “I’ll keep watch.”

I blinked and shook my head, “I’m okay, I’ll stay up.”

“Orcs are built to endure.” He said. “You need rest.”

I knew he was right, but I was feeling so helpless at that moment. I opened my mouth to protest when I felt a hand on the back of my head. He cradled it tenderly and whispered in my ear. “Nod Merad, sleep.”

I didn’t know what the words meant, but he said them with such gentleness, it was soothing and kind. I didn’t know that orcish could be gentle, and I closed my eyes wondering what other gentle words I would someday hear from him.

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oubliette-odette · 8 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 24

This is a shorter chapter, but we have to get Drunrag's POV on what's happening here, right?

I promise things won't be bad forever...maybe...

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racism. All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

I woke up to an intense pounding in my head and a ringing in my ears. I struggled to open my eyes, and I processed everything slowly, struggling to make sense of my surroundings. Here is what I knew for certain: I was laying on cold stone, ground in the center of a room and I was not alone. Beyond that, my brain could comprehend nothing but a pain that pervaded all other senses, all except that slow ringing in my head. My eyes remained clenched shut. Though I could not consciously think in that moment, I think I knew in some way that if I opened them, it would be accepting that the pain I was feeling was in fact real, and I could not escape from it.

“Master, he’s coming to.” Someone hissed nearby.

I fought to remain in the coldness of unconsciousness, but there was an ache in my fingers, in my stomach, my shoulders, my legs, everywhere that would not let me rest. I fought rest until I could no longer, and as I blinked my eyes open, I suddenly recollected everything that had brought me there to that moment where I was clouded with pain.

First, the hunters had shackled me with heavy chains on my wrists, ankles and my neck. A chain kept me tied to the back of one of their horses. I was expected to keep up on foot with the gallop of their horses. If I could not keep up, I was dragged for a time before they stopped and kicked me back onto my feet. I was bloody and raw from being dragged with no shirt, no shoes, and the chains soon stung against my raw skin where they rubbed and chafed.

Like magic, we stepped from the fields into a cool, gray room of stone. My delirium couldn’t understand how we transported ourselves so quickly, but I was dragged by the chains to a room that held dim light. My clothes were ripped from me and I stood naked in the room, taking in the tables around the perimeter that boasted a large paraphernalia of torture devices. Whips, nails, knives of all sizes, a saw. My blood went cold as they forced me to take a seat in the chair that waited for me in the center of the room and restrained me with wide leather straps on my torso, my arms, and lastly my legs. They left the chains on me and the sound of the clinking chains echoed in the dark chamber.

I had not heard from anyone since then and I remained in the dark and cold of the cellar. There was a dull pain in my body that seemed to permeate across all parts of my body. Even with the pain, my body grew too exhausted to stay awake any longer and I found myself drifting into a restless slumber.

I didn’t hear when they returned, I only heard the ringing in my ears and the rhythmic throb in my leg.

“You’re going to want that looked at.” A voice said in front of me.

I didn’t lift my head, not at first. It took everything to move. But eventually when they didn’t speak again, I slowly raised my gaze up.

Duke Hilmar, dressed in white robes, looked down at me with a steely gaze. Behind him was one of those hunters, their red eyes were all that I could see beneath their hood, but it gleamed with some cruel satisfaction. I returned my attention to the Duke standing before me. His smile was unkind and I felt a shiver of fear run through me.

This man would not help me. Or take any pity on me.

Duke Hilmar grinned back at me, “I’d like to spend some one on one time with my son’s seducer.” He smirked. “What do you say to that?”

I didn’t have words to answer him, my lips were pressed tight.

“Perhaps you would like something to drink?” He asked, then took a step back. His eyes didn’t leave me, and I could see the way they shone with some evil satisfaction that he stood so much taller than I. That he could easily break me if he wanted to.

I shook my head. I didn’t trust this ruse.

“Oh, come now.” He said, pouting. “I am the only one here who can give you the reprieve you seek. You live under my command when you eat or sleep. Consider this my one act of mercy. I’m giving you this opportunity freely. Take it before I destroy you.” In his hand was a small metal cup with clean water inside.

I shifted my attention from the cup back up to him, but I gave him no answer. He had not broken me yet.

He sniffed, “Fine then, I suppose we can skip the formalities and skip straight to the point. I could kill you, orc. You’ve poisoned my son to turn against me, and you’ve made a mockery of the Hilmar name. But killing you just isn’t enough. Because now you’ve turned my son into something I cannot forgive. That he would willingly choose you over anything. That he would even consider sleeping with you. It’s completely vile. You’ve mixed up his mind and confused him. And so I won’t let you die, orc. That would be too kind. No. I plan for you to suffer a prolonged and painful existence.

“You will be pleased to know that my son is above us now, making the final preparations to leave for his wedding. The wedding you so carelessly tried to interrupt. I believe he has finally come to his senses that such impulsive and truly impermanent romances such as yours are nothing compared to the fulfillment marriage can provide. He has made this choice on his own. He has chosen to abandon you, and greater for us all. He will make a fine leader some day, and an even greater father.”

Every word sliced through me, I tried not to let it show, but I don’t believe I could hide it, not then. “You’re lying.”

“You think so?” He asked, his voice light and unbothered. I hated his face, moreso when he smiled that wicked grin. “Then explain why he gave me this?”

The vial. Dangling from his fingers. Undamaged and filled with the blood and ashes of my people. Containing the anchor that tied Altan and I to each other. It couldn’t be. Lies. It had to be lies. I blinked furiously, my face burning hot with emotions I couldn’t completely decipher.

“You see the truth for what it is then. Good. You understand your place a little better then. So, that leaves us with you. What should I do with you? Free you?” He pondered for a moment, then tsked softly, “No, you would run right back to him, I know you too well now. But perhaps I can offer a bargain.”

I glared up at him, waiting for the next slice of cruelty.

“You will be kept here with the Red Hunters and you will do as they say. Behave, and you may have the chance to see sunlight again and gaze at my son from a distance living life without you in it. But understand this, even still I will starve you, isolate you from everyone you ever knew. You will not know kindness or rest and you will not see my son again without my say so and he will never see you. He will forget you, and he will not know that you live in the shadow of his glory. Your kind must remember that you are not meant to stray from where you belong. If I see any more of you in Berdusk, I will bring them down for you to watch as I slit their throats. They will know that you are the cause of each and every one of their lowly and pathetic deaths.”

My body tensed and flexed, anger forming in the pit of my stomach.

“Now, let’s see how you handle our little toy.” His hand hovered over the table before he stopped and looked somewhere I couldn’t see. He strode out of my vision and I heard the sound of metal against metal, and a hot sizzling, sparking sound.

The Duke returned, a red hot brand in his hand in the shape of a fiery sun.

“The Phoenix is a symbol of the undying, the undefeated.” The Duke said, “You will remember that the Hilmars remain above you, ever conquering.”

My heart was pounding so fast inside me as I watched the brand come closer and closer to me. I held my breath and clenched as I felt the sizzling heat hover over my chest.

“If you pass out, you get another mark. Understand?” The Duke asked.

I didn’t answer, but instead held nothing back as I screamed when the metal met skin.

***

I woke up in a different room, and hissed as I felt the burn on my skin. It was raw and I still smelled the burning in my nose. I was on a bed made up of a straw mattress and a thin, worn sheet. I looked around and realized that I was not alone.

A Red Hunter stared at me, smug. “The master says you can stay here and recuperate. But if you fall asleep, I will tickle you.” They lifted their hands, showing long, thick nails filed down to sharp points.

I knew he was not joking about such a threat, whether it made sense or not.

“Also he insists that you eat this.” With the soft part of their boot, they edged a plate towards me. On it was a roll and a bit of dried meat. It was deceptively normal looking. I looked up at the hunter, but I could read nothing in their hardened gaze.

“Eat,” They said.

I reached for the roll and bit into it. It tasted normal, and my stomach grumbled happily as I continued to eat it.

Only after I had eaten the roll and was part way through chewing the meat did I realize that my vision was beginning to blur and I couldn’t focus.

“What did you…” I couldn’t finish, I collapsed back onto the bed and winced as every part of me screamed in pain.

I blinked and suddenly Altan was there, standing in front of me. Glowing in a light that he created alone.

“Altan.” I choked, suddenly tears were running down my check. I surged forward, ignoring the pain I felt as I fell onto my knees at his feet. “Altan, why are you here?”

“To sing you to sleep, my love.” His voice felt distant, far away and his hand reached for my face, caressing it. “You’ve been so brave so far.”

“I cannot.” I said, shaking my head. “Don’t.”

His voice was suddenly in my head, singing soft, soothing, ethereal and haunting. I tried to clasp my hand over my ears, but his voice was in my head. I knew that all of this was fake, a hallucination from whatever had been cooked into that bread. But his voice sliced through every possible distraction and even as I tried to resist it, his voice urged me to close my eyes and just rest.

“Altan, no.” I whispered out before my eyes fluttered closed, the music lulling me beyond control.

Altan stared silently as the Red Hunter clawed into my bare skin again and again. The tears had not yet dried from my face as he swept a sharp nail across my face, and then all I could see was red.

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oubliette-odette · 9 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 22

A/N: FRIENDS IT HAS BEEN SO LONG!!!! I'm so excited to have a new chapter out for you all! The new year kind of threw creativity and inspiration out the window, and for some reason this has been one of the hardest chapters to write. I lost count how many times I tried to rewrite it. I was just simply stuck and didn't know if I should just take the easy route and wrap the story up or work a little harder to get to the story I wanted.

Naturally I chose the hardest option for myself. 😂

Anyways, it's so great to finally be moving this story forward again. I once again apologize for the upcoming pain I will be causing you all.

I hope this year is being kind to each of you and may you continue to be well and happy. Your support means so much to me and I consider you all friends. 💚

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racism. All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

Altan POV

Damn you Drunrag. My mind repeated again and again, in rhythm with the pounding of my bare feet on the ground. Damn you for being so gods-damned selfless.

And damn me for running, I thought, sobered. Why the hells did you leave him?

I didn’t know why I left him, I would have rather died with him next to me then be left running and wondering if I would ever see him again.

My hand was gripping the vial around my neck. It was my lifeline. If I drank it and felt the pull between us, I would know he was alive. If I drank it and felt nothing…

No, Drunrag was alive. He had to be. He was…Drunrag. That meant he would live. For me. For us.

My breathing was ragged. I was so far from being as impressive at controlling my breathing and my gait as he was, and I felt like I was flailing across the open plains like a fool, but I had caught the whiff of smoke and was now following the sight of the smoke ahead of me.

I didn’t know how long I had been running. It could have been hours, it could have minutes. It didn’t matter when it meant keeping Drunrag alive.

I caught sight of the cluster of tents where the smoke was coming but was intercepted before I could approach it when an orc who was at least a head taller - if not more - than Drunrag seemed to appear from nowhere, a spear in hand. I nearly stumbled as I tried to stop myself from running into him.

Their eyes narrowed on me and their voice was gravelly and rough when they spoke. “Numhelad, chu omur?” They had a spear aimed at me.

Oh Drunrag, you couldn’t have taught me even one useful word in orcish, could you?

I was breathless and heaving and I lifted my hands. “Please.” I gasped. “Help me.”

The orc’s eyes narrowed more, confusion in his voice, “Quet?”

I couldn’t hide the desperation in my voice even if I wanted to. “Drunrag.” I yelled. “Drunrag needs help.”

“Drunrag?” The orc perked in recognition.

I nodded, “Yes! Drunrag! He’s in danger, we need to save him!” I pointed to where I came from. “Please, he’s out there. He could die!” I managed to hold back the words I wanted to scream at him, that I loved him and that if he died that it would mean that I would die with him. That I needed him to be alive. I needed him to be there.

Something must have clicked because the orc gave me only one last piercing glare before his shoulder dropped and he pointed to the campsite, already breaking into a jog. “Thila.” He grunted.

I could only assume he wanted me to follow as he continued his jog towards the camp. I had only just started to regain my breath when I broke into a run again to keep up, my legs felt like cramping, but I ignored it. I was so focused on keeping up his pace that I didn’t see the flash of steel. The orc in front of me was suddenly on the ground, growling and howling, a spear protruding from his abdomen.

I whipped around and saw two Red Hunters on giant horses, their speed was unrelenting as they were heading straight towards me.

Red Hunters meant only bad things. My heart plummeted at the sight of them.

The orc beside me was dying, I had no means to save him. I looked behind me to the village, then to the Red Hunters. There was no time to save him, no time to save myself, no time to warn them.

I looked down at the orc again. This could be Drunrag’s brother, a family member. I couldn’t leave him. I knelt down and pressed my hand to his chest, I could hear the wet rattle in his breathing and I sensed the life slowly escaping him. His blood would soon be spilled upon these fields that were already soaked with the blood of so many others. I didn’t know his name, but I was the reason why he was dying.

His eyes met mine, but they shifted to become unfocused and losing consciousness. On his side, he had only one hand free and he was struggling around his body, searching for something. His lips were trying to say something, but I couldn’t understand.

His hand finally grasped around a horn, made of bone and carved into the shape of some great beast. He pulled it from his belt and handed it to me, his eyes focused on me one last time before his head fell back.

The Red Hunters were on me and one of them reached down and tried to grab me from my collar. I scrambled away, clinging to the horn. This may be my only chance to save myself.

The riders were circling around me, I could only see their hot, ember eyes and knew they were just waiting for me to give them the right chance to snatch me.

“We have your orc, young lord.” One of them hissed.

“Come with us and you may get to see him one last time before he dies.”

I shook my head, “A Red Hunter never speaks the truth, I don’t believe you.”

Please, tell me Drun is alive, I thought to myself. Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead. Please gods, don’t let him be dead. I looked down at the orc beside me, and I didn’t want to imagine him as Drunrag, left out there somewhere with his blood slowly going cold inside him.

“Astute, little lord. But trust us or not, we will be taking you back to The Duke.”

The other one’s mouth twitched into a wicked smile. “‘Unblemished’ was his request. But that all depends on you.”

I was trapped. They circled me again and again like vultures and I was left with little options before me. If I ran, they would overpower me in seconds. I looked at the spear beside me, lodged into the chest of the orc who had helped me. I knew I wasn’t fast enough or strong enough to pull it out.

The horn in my hand felt smooth besides a few chips and nicks in the bone from use. I knew there would be consequences for blowing it, but if it saved Drunrag, perhaps it would be enough. He was willing to sacrifice his life for me. I was willing to do the same.

Perhaps it would be my final act of love and would be the final note on a story that was doomed from the beginning and would end with only sacrifice and heartache for both Drunrag and myself. Or, perhaps this would be my act of defiance, my cry for hope for love to endure. Perhaps Drunrag would hear it and we would find each other again.

There was only one way to know where our story would go.

I put the horn to my lips and with a large breath in my lungs, blew through the mouthpiece with all the force and power I could muster within me. A round, bellowing sound of a horn burst into the sky and echoed through the plainlands. The hunters were on me as I began the second blow and their hands yanked me up onto the steed and the hornblow was suddenly thrown away from me, cutting off the bellowing sound, the fields were then eerily quiet. I felt an arm around my neck, choking the air around me.

But it was enough. It had to be enough.

“You foolish boy.” The one holding me breathed into my ear. “I will enjoy punishing you for that.”

They tightened their grip and I felt faint as I struggled to breathe. My head felt light and I saw black bleeding into my vision. I could only think of Drun. His face in my vision, his rare quiet smile that filled me with pure light. Those silver, stormy eyes that always looked at me with only kindness, and understanding.

In the distance, I heard the bellowing response of another horn.

Thank the gods, I thought. Even as I struggled to think, even as my consciousness was sleeping, I couldn’t let this end without a fight. My hands grappled around the Hunter’s arm that held me. I kicked and struggled, I let my nails dig into his flesh. I pulled my weight as far as I could to throw him off his horse. I heard his voice catch as he struggled to keep control - he had not expected me to fight back - and he yelled out when all of my weight began to pull him off his center of gravity. I may not be as strong as any of these hunters but I was also too desperate to lose to them.

His grip slackened and I let myself fall to the ground. My body rattled at the impact and my vision went black for a few seconds, but I quickly scrambled to my feet and raced towards the camp. I didn’t look back and kept running, as wild and unsteady as my feet were. It may have been foolish, it may have been futile, but I also never considered myself to be all that wise.

I heard their hoofbeats, heard their yells and when I looked back, I saw that one of them had a crossbow aimed at me, and I heard the bolt release. I ducked and rolled and felt the lightest grazing of the bolt by my arm. I looked back and saw that the hunters all stood still, watching me.

“You spell the fate of your companion if you keep going, young lord.” The one who had grabbed me yelled. “Go to their aid and he will not live.”

“Fuck you.” I seethed. “Is what my father paid you worth this much?”

“That depends.” The Red Hunter answered, shrugging. “What can you offer me?”

All I had left in this world was myself, Drunrag, and the vial that kept us together. There was nothing I could give them. My breathing was heavy and I struggled to maintain my gaze with the leader, I felt so small at that moment.

“As I thought.” The leader responded. “You will be coming with us now. Unless you’d prefer we kill your friend.”

I held my stare. “Can you promise me he is alive?”

They shrugged, “It’s as you said, you can’t trust a Red Hunter. But irregardless, you are now in our care.”

But before any of them had the chance to approach me, there came another bellowing horn, closer now and I whirled around and felt the relief as I saw six or seven orcs all riding horses the size of giants towards us.

“Take care of them,” I heard the leader say, “I will take care of the boy.” He urged his horse forward and lowered his hand for me. The other two riders already began to aim their crossbows at the orcs.

“No!”I shouted, but I knew that I had no power in this situation to stop this from happening. I saw the bolts fly from the crossbows and heard the sharp thwip as the bolt lodged itself into the chest of one of the horses. I heard the shrill cry of the horse as it reared on its legs. The orc that was riding it held on and I caught it whispering in the horse’s ear before it settled. It was injured, but it did not seem to be dying. The other horses were pressing ahead. Another bolt, however, hit the neck of an orc and he fell off, a cry gurgling from his lips.

I didn’t want more death on my hands.

“With me, young lord.” I heard the Red Hunter’s voice behind me, and I swirled around to meet his gaze. He wasn’t grabbing for me like before, but instead waited expectantly for me. “Or he dies. They die” He glanced up.

I made one final glance at the approaching orcs, they were coming for me. No, they were coming to the aid of the call they believed was from their family, their friend. I was not one of them. I closed my eyes and took a breath. I wouldn’t be the one responsible for them dying today.

I was lifted up as soon as I raised my hand and the Red Hunters in unison turned away from the orcs and broke into a fast canter. I was once again caught in the grip of one of the hunters, but this time I didn’t struggle. I didn’t fight. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the person at my back was Drunrag, taking me away. A part of me hoped that maybe the orcs would catch up and still take the Red Hunters down. But perhaps they would take me with them in the process.

The rider that held me whistled low and loud and I looked up. He didn’t look down at me, but I saw the blood-coloured eyes up close and I shivered at the sight.

The other Hunters returned the whistle and I suddenly felt a strange buzzing in my years.

My breath caught at the sight of a black shadowy whirlpool that stretched in front of us. It was some kind of summoning magic, though I had never seen one like this before. The air suddenly felt cold, like the whirlpool was pulling any warmth that existed. I looked back and saw the orcs were still in pursuit, but the Red Hunters continued to charge towards the whirlpool, urging their mounts faster before finally leaping towards the center of the pool.

Cold, icy sensations ran through my body and I gasped as we were enshrouded in black. I could see nothing.

And then suddenly we were suddenly no longer in the Fields of the Dead. We weren’t even in Berdusk as far as I could tell. I blinked furiously and looked around, my body shivering. We were standing in a dark cavern, dark obsidian rock above and below us. The Red Hunters all stilled their horses and their eyes were on me.

Cold dread washed over me.

I had to believe that this was the right choice. To save Drunrag. To prevent his family from being involved.

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oubliette-odette · 8 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 23

Yaaaaayyyy! I'm back. I'm so sorry for the inconsistent scheduling! I promise I'm not going to abandon this story until it's over. You can trust me to hold to my word. I'm just as desperate to see our boys together and happy as you are.

But until then....we gotta cause as much angst as possible.

So without further ado, please enjoy. :)

Altan POV

I barely had a chance to catch my breath before I was suddenly pulled from the horse and dragged through the cold, wet caverns and up and up until I was brought into a large, expansive room with wooden beams as columns holding up a great, massive room.

No one spoke to me, no one offered me clothing. No one looked at me. My eyes wandered to every corner and shadow, hoping to spot Drunrag close by. He had to be alive. He had to be there.

“There you are!” I heard the voice of my father exclaim and I whirled around to see him rushing towards me. “You’re safe!”

I jerked back nervously at his reach. “Don’t touch me.” I started to say, but my father’s hands were on me before I could say the words.

“What did that beast do to you?” He jerked me around and his eyes were locked on my bare, exposed legs and the wrinkled oversized shirt. “What did he do?”

I shook my head. “That’s far from the truth, father.” I attempted to pull back from him, but his grip was strong and I was caught in his intense stare, but I felt like he was looking at all of me, but never met my returning gaze. “Where is he?” I asked.

“Where he will never hurt you again.” He said. “I will see him punished for his crime. No monster who touched my son this way will be treated lightly.”

“No, please, listen to me, father.” I pleaded. “I’m fine. He didn’t do anything to me. He’s innocent. You have to let him go.”

“No, you’re mistaken, son.” My father said gravely. “I have realized what has happened. He has charmed you. He has made you believe that you love him, but it is a lie. That is the only logical explanation for why my son would ever willingly involve himself with the enemy.”

I was stunned and I looked up at him with a newfound fear. He wasn’t just determined and spiteful, he was delusional. “You really believe that?” I asked breathlessly.

He looked at me with such intensity. “You have not been my son since you left home. I can only be led to believe he has done something to you.” His hands were on my arms and he jerked me back to study me further. “I should have realized sooner that he had done this to you.” He jerked to a stop and his eyes narrowed. “What is this round your neck?”

I snatched it before he could grab it. “It is mine.”

He shook his head. “This must be how he has charmed you. Give it to me.”

I pulled myself as hard as I could back from him and stumbled free from him, my hand went to the vial and, gasping, I looked hard into my father’s crazed gaze. “I said don’t touch me. You don’t have any power over me anymore. You never did.”

“Son,” he started.

“My name is Altan!” I shouted. “I have a name! I have an identity!”

“A…Altan.” he corrected, his voice soft. But it was already too late to stop what had been waiting to be released for so long.

“Hate me for all I care but you will not call me crazy or charmed or anything. Look at me and see me. This is who I am. It won’t change even when you remove that charm. You can’t fix this.” I pounded my hand against my chest. “I am Altan and I can’t be what you want me to be and nothing has made my life more miserable than knowing you hate what I am; but please don’t make me into someone I can never be. I would rather die than deny who I am any more. You can hate me. You can hate what I do. You don’t have to like me. But do not change me more than I have tried to do for you and for gods’ sake you will not hurt those I love any longer. I will not shrink to be what you want and if you so much as dare to try again, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

The words surprised even me as they came out. Kill? Did I truly mean it?

My father’s face was vacant of emotion, but his eyes never strayed from mine.

“Altan.” He repeated, slowly. “I hear everything you speak.” He placed his hands together and breathed in deeply, summoning his thoughts. “Perhaps…perhaps it’s time we have a conversation like men instead of like father and son.”

I took a step back. “I’m not interested in that. I want you to give me Drunrag and let me leave this place with him.”

He shook his head. “Son, you know I cannot do that. He is the enemy.”

I sighed exasperated. “He owns a forge on the Sword Coast. He has never once accosted Berdusk or any of its citizens. You forget that the contention between orc and man ended hundreds of years ago. We weren’t even alive. We no longer need to fear them or continue feeding into that rhetoric.”

“What would you have me do? Open the doors and let anyone into our town? Risk the safety of our land and people for the sake of making friends with strangers?” He sighed. “This is why I’m concerned about you. You are so naive to what is really happening outside your home. You think you understand this world after you ran away, but you know so little, son. You have to understand that I have only meant to protect you.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t believe that for a moment. After mother died, you didn’t speak to myself or my brothers for days. You left us to grieve alone while you invited diplomats to a feast the next day to arrange trades. You don’t really have any concern for me or my brothers. You only care about yourself and how you appear to others.”

His jaw tightened and I caught a glint of fire in his eyes. I realized how similar to my own it was. Were we truly so similar? “You accuse me of not caring?”

“I accuse you of caring about other things more. Money. Status. Vanity.” I explained.

“Do you see nothing good in me?” He asked.

I shook my head. “Tell me you never hated me and I might consider kind words.”

His head drooped and another sigh escaped his lips. “Altan…”

I lowered my gaze to the ground. “I think we understand ourselves better now. I’m not really interested in fixing what’s happened between us. Take me to Drunrag and we will make our leave.”

His hands tightened to balls. “You may believe differently than me, but I cannot let him go.”

“Why?”

“Because…I need you.”

I did not expect those words to come from his mouth. “What?”

“I need you, Altan. I have made promises to people more powerful than me that involve you.”

“You what?” I asked.

He had the decency to look ashamed as he explained. “I’ve kept this from you and your brothers, but we…we are in debt to many people. I’ve done my best to pay things back, but…certain deals had to be made in order to reduce the debt.”

“The Lady Triel?” I asked. “Is she one of them?”

He nodded. “You are promised to the Lady Allara of Triel. I cannot undo that.”

“And if I refuse, what then?” I asked, my heart was pounding loudly inside me, “What happens if our debts can’t be paid?”

“I do not know…but I fear for your brothers.”

“So…my future is no longer my own.” The words came out flat, not a question.

“Sometimes, one must sacrifice to ensure a better future for the ones that follow.” My father said. “As the eldest, that is your expectation and your honor. I had to make a similar choice when I was your age. I chose your mother over what I wanted to ensure a better future for our people, for you. You wouldn’t abandon this family to fend for themselves, would you?”

“I swear to the gods if you are lying to me…” I seethed.

“There is no lie, Altan.” He gestured to a desk behind him, stacked with papers. “Look for yourself.”

“But…how?” I asked.

He did not meet my eyes as he answered. “If it is any consolation, this is the debt of your grandfather, passed on to me. I have had to make deals with the most unsavory people to pay off what I could. This arranged marriage could be the last deal I have to make to save us from further shame.”

“Does Allara know that I am sworn to her purely for your convenience?”

“It is kept only between her father and myself.”

“And what of me? Does she know I will never love her?”

“That will be your responsibility to share.”

I closed my eyes. My heart was breaking. My head was torn between the choices before me. My brothers’ faces haunted the back of my mind. Drunrag’s too. I needed one while the others needed me.

“If you do this, I promise you I will not harm the orc.” He said. “I will let him go…perhaps when things settle, we can find a way for the two of you to meet again someday.”

“Someday?” I asked. My hand was clasping my chest, trying to claw to my heart.

“By marriage, you will inherit all of Triel family’s inheritance as he bore no sons. You will be the one who rules by her side in Triel and you will be quite busy. Busier than even I am, as Triel is larger than Berdusk. I have tried for many years to prepare you for this day and I pray to the Gods you hold yourself honorable during that time.”

“So…Drunrag must go.” I breathed aloud.

Why did the gods hate me so? All I had ever wanted was the freedom to go where I choose and love freely. Yet somehow I was now seeing a future where I would never leave beyond Triel, nor love the person I would wake up to every morning.

“This is truly the last debt that must be paid?” I asked.

He nodded. “The final debt to save us all.”

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oubliette-odette · 11 months ago

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The Reluctance of Love Pt. 16

Bless you all for your patience as I wrestled through weeks of illness. Gotta love the holidays for all the little family get togethers that happen where people share their lovely germs.

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Word Count: 2257 (average 17 min read) Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racisms. Steamy scenes will come to those who are patient. :) All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

I felt a soft touch on my arm and I whirled around to see Commander Gideon.

“The festivities are ending, you haven’t much time before you’re expected to leave.” He said, he turned and invited me to look back over to the other side of the room where the Duke was deep in a discussion with another older gentleman. The girl and Altan were still standing with them. I looked away.

“I will leave soon.” I said. “May I say goodbye?”

Gideon looked at me with a strange glint in his eyes. I couldn’t read him. His hand was on his hilt and I felt like I should brace for something bad.

Instead he took my arm and said softly, no louder than a whisper. “Come with me.”

Commander Gideon was the closest man who would equal my own brute strength and I feared resisting him in that moment. I followed him across the floor. We passed small gatherings of people and their heads swiveled around and then immediately up to to gawk at me. I saw Altan’s stare in the crowd and felt the distress in him.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Hush, not yet.” He replied.

I looked back and Doxxah gave a small nod at me. I didn’t know what I was supposed to interpret that to mean, but I trusted all was fine if they didn’t seem alarmed.

I was pulled out of the Great Hall and into a hallway that was not lit. I was swallowed by the soft, heaviness of velvet curtains. Typically darkness was not something that inhibited me, orcs could see well in the dark. The room was magicked somehow and I could make out nothing in the darkness of the room.

“I understand the Duke intends for you to leave by tomorrow.” He said, his voice was low, little more than a rumble in my ears.

I nodded, but realized in the darkness that he likely couldn’t see. “Yes. I am not to see Altan again once I leave.” Or I will be dead. Those were the words I couldn’t speak aloud. I was scared of death, but even more so dying alone without my family ever knowing.

The Commander hummed in response. “You should know that The Duke is using you both for his own gain. He means to send Altan from Berdusk to another city north of here, a place called Triel. You were not to know of it in hopes that the two of you would not find each other even if you should pursue one another.”

“What does he gain from us being apart?” I asked.

“I have learned that the Hilmar family, since before Taleisin, has accrued many debts. They are a family of noble standing, but their money was not managed well. Altan’s father chose a marriage of convenience to help assuage debts, but the Elves of Evermeet - the Lady Telmira Hinrathri - would not agree to aid the Duke when they learned his true nature.”

“Is that why the Duke seems to hold so much resentment for Altan and his mother?” I asked. “Altan told me he was not told where his mother was buried, as leverage for the Duke to control him.”

“Aye” The Commander replied. “The Duke uses information and blackmail to leverage people to aid him. Though they are in debt, he has been able to stave many repercussions because he possesses information on everyone. His access to information and secrets is unfounded.”

“So this arranged marriage,” I said, my head spinning. “Is it another attempt to pay off the debt?”

“The young woman that Lord Altan has been betrothed to is the daughter of a nobleman from Waterdeep. They are considered one of the richest families in Waterdeep. It would behoove me to believe that this arrangement is another attempt to decrease those debts. And The Duke will use his own son - one he struggles to control - to leverage the deal. You were the unfortunate victim of this situation.”

“What are your intentions?” I asked. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I have many reasons that I wish to see you free, alive and with the young lordling, but time does not permit me to go into all of them. But as Commander of Berdusk’s garrison, I believe it is my honor-bound duty to assure that the leaders of this city remain honourable as well. I have been performing my own personal investigations, and - regrettably - your arrival has aided me greatly in gaining collateral against the Duke.” I felt his hand on my arm, “But I must wait to make my move, and I will not let you or the young lord suffer before my work is finished. I’m going to see that the two of you make it out tonight alive and unseen.”

“What?” I asked, my heart skipped a beat.

“Stay here and wait.” He said. “No one will see you here.” His commands were simple, direct. I obeyed by saying nothing and staying exactly where I was.

The Commander left and I stood in the dark. I wondered if I was about to be taken to my death or if I was to be surprised with something more friendly.

I waited with hopeful, bated breath that Commander Gideon was a friend and that I hadn’t sealed my fate to a traitor.

I was rewarded when I heard in the darkness the soft familiar exhale of my merad, my heart and the shuffling as he struggled through the dark.

“Drun?” He breathed out.

“Here.” I managed and I reached out in the dark. “I’m here.”

His hands collided into mine and I clasped onto them quickly and tightly. “You’re here.” He breathed aloud. Suddenly his arms were around me and he was holding me. My arms instinctively wrapped around him and pulled him to me. We held each other in the darkness in the silence and said nothing. I heard his breathing, a soft shallow pulse as he buried his head into my chest and squeezed. The panic, the fear, the rage everything I had faced down the last few weeks, it vanished from my mind as I held him. My beloved, my companion, my mate.

All of the beautiful words of beauty that had ever been invented or created for art and poetry, I understood them all to be for Altan. My Altan. There were not enough words to make it clear what I felt when he was near me. To hold him in my arms was my joy, my honour.

“I must insist that we get the two of you out of here as soon as possible” Commander Gideon’s voice interrupted us. I felt the curtains shift around us and I felt the presence of him near.

“Where?” I asked. My heart was beating fast inside me and I was eager to leave. My arms did not betray holding my love as I searched the dark for Gideon.

“Perhaps some help?” Doxxah’s voice cut through the dark and I swiveled my head to follow it. I heard the sound of a door opening and faint, dim light revealed the entrance to a door that led downstairs. Doxxah was holding a torch that illuminated the dark hallway that we found ourselves, which I caught Commander Gideon standing next to us.

“Doxxah?” Altan exclaimed. He traded looks between Gideon and the Dragonborn and gasped. “I should have known you’d be involved somehow. How long have you had all this planned?”

“Questions later.” The Commander said gently and pushed us towards the door.

I caught a cold draft as we made our way down. Doxxah followed us down and gestured to two large packs sitting on the floor. “Some gear for the two of you. It’s got enough rations for about a week. And a cinnamon roll for you, young lord. Best of luck to the both of you.” They said cheekily.

I felt Altan’s hands on my arm and I looked down to look at him. His own expression reflected the same shock and confusion.

“Why would you do this?” Altan asked.

Doxxah shrugged. “Commander Gideon and I have many reasons to see the two of you free. We haven’t the time to get into it. You’ll need to follow this underground channel all the way to the end. It opens up just outside the perimeter of Berdusk. You’ll be about 20 miles away from the Reaching Woods, if you follow the river, you’ll eventually get to the woods. Use those woods if you must to conceal yourself from anyone who may pursue you. From that point forward, you decide where you must go.”

Commander Gideon stood at the top of the steps “I will do my best to delay anyone pursuing you, but eventually the Duke will likely send part of my garrison to pursue you both. I do not believe he will be merciful to either of you, should he catch you. Haste should be your focus. Haste and stealth.”

Altan looked at each of them and bowed low before them. “Thank you, Doxxah, thank you Commander. We are in your debt.”

“And I shall not forget it. Now go.” Doxxah’s voice was light, friendly, betraying the danger of this situation. They handed me the torch, which I held tight like a vice. “I hope I will see you both again someday under happier times. And Drunrag, remember, no matter what, don’t give up the fight. Fight for what you treasure.”

I nodded at Doxxah, “I will.''

I turned towards the Commander, giving him a slight nod which he returned in kind. Then I took ahold of Altan’s hand - so small and so perfect - and pulled him towards me as we suddenly broke into a run. While holding his hand, I spared a moment to exult over how wonderful that felt.

We didn’t spare a moment to speak or even look at each other, we simply ran. The torch flickered furiously as we pounded through. The tunnel looked like it had been built many, many years before, the ground was mere dirt and the tunnels were held up by lumber. The air was musky, a bit damp in place and the air was thin and faint. We found ourselves panting furiously as we ran.

I found that my pace was far faster than Altan’s and my legs being longer I realized I was practically dragging him behind me. He finally pulled me back and with gasping breaths exclaimed. “Drunrag, I cannot keep this pace.”

I stopped and took in large, swallowing breaths as I watched him slump and lean against the tunnel wall.

“I’m sorry.” I said, “I didn’t realize.”

He shook his head, “Don’t apologize, dear.” He managed a weak smile and he looked up at me. Already his eyes were brighter than before and I caught the glimmer of mischief in that smile. “You were only making haste as the Commander instructed. Only my legs are much shorter than yours.” He laughed weakly. “Just let me catch my breath and we will continue.”

“Would you…”I started, then hesitated.

He eyed me curiously. “Yes? Go on.”

“Shall I carry you?”

His eyes widened and he laughed nervously. “And then what would we do when you collapse from exhaustion?” He shook his head, “No, Drun, I will manage, maybe just set yourself at a nice jog?”

I braved a shy smile, “I can do that.”

He grinned, “You’re truly remarkable, Drun. I can’t quite believe this. I didn’t see this happening for us.” He broke into a laugh. “I hadn’t expected our running away to feel so exciting. Even though I’m terrified and I’m not sure what we’re even doing, I also feel like laughing. You’re here with me and we’re running away. Drun…does it feel real to you?”

I shook my head, “Not yet.” I didn’t think it would until I knew we were both safe. Yes, Altan was here in front of me. Yes we had managed to get out of the Duke’s Hall with help from some inside friends. But I didn’t know what that meant yet, or where we would be. How safe would our future be if the Duke is desperate to see Altan married and absolve him of his debt? I didn’t know the answers to so many questions yet, but I could admit that we were one step closer to whatever we were dreaming for ourselves and our future.

“Shall we continue?” I asked after a few minutes.

He gulped and nodded slowly. He reached for my hand again and squeezed it. “I’m ready.”

We began to move again, with urgency in our steps, but I held back and controlled my pace. We didn’t run, we both knew that we needed to save as much of our energy as we could should we need it.

“Do you think your father knows of this place?” I asked.

“I wasn’t even aware of it. And I’ve explored those halls since I was young, I thought I knew every secret nook and passage.” He confessed. “This had to have been built for the protection of whatever noble family lives in the Hall as an escape from danger, so possibly he’s aware of it. What I’m wondering is if my father would expect us to use it.” He looked up at me. “What if at the end of this tunnel he’s waiting for us?”

I met his gaze, “I’ve been thinking the same.”

“Do we surrender?”

I shook my head, Doxxah’s words in my head. “No, we will fight back.” I stopped and reached for the chain that held the vial and lifted it from my neck and held it in my hand. “This vial…it’s able to bring back lordhovid if we need it.” I let it dangle between us.

“What’s in it?” His eyes followed the dangling vial, “Is it blood?”

I nodded, “It’s my blood mixed with those from my ancestors. Once drunk, it will return the lust to both of us. If we are separated, it may be the only way that we can find each other again. I want you to have it.”

He reached out his hand and I let the vial drop into them. He held the vial delicately.

“We should only use it if it becomes an emergency.” I advised. “Once drunk, there will be no way to remove the lust until it is acted upon.”

“Meaning…” He looked up at me, daring to look shy and coy. “We mate?”

I flinched at those words, I still hated the sound of them. But I nodded.

He brought it over his head and let it settle onto his chest. He looked down at it. “All of this time…you’ve felt nothing for me from lordhovid…and you still did all of this for me?”

I felt as if my face was starting to burn. I couldn’t meet his eyes. “I won’t lie and say I haven’t been confused about what all of this means and what I want. I’m still scared, but…” I couldn’t form the words, and the thought of trying to make sense of all of it in this dark, dank space didn’t feel right.

Altan’s grip on the vial was tight and he looked down at it with a unique smile. “I think I understand.”

I wanted to smile, but the reality that our window of escape grew smaller as each second passed, I cleared my throat and said, “We should continue onward.”

With hand in hand, we found ourselves picking up the pace and heading onward.

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