“My only family is my alcoholic mother who doesn’t know I’m there half the time and doesn’t care when I am. All my friends aren’t really mine but Freddie’s. Now I’ve got you… or rather you’ve got me. Either way I’m not letting go.” She nodded resolutely leaving both Algra and Gregory silent.


    “… you’ll do anything I say?” He smirked finally.


    Jte let out a burst of melodicughter at the sudden change in his tone. Then she surprised him by nodding in agreement.


    “You won me fare and square right? I saw you back there. You were pretty amazing. Where the hell did you learn all that…?” She did a cute little karate chop to emphasize her point.


    “Well,” He moved over to grab one of the bowls and handed it to Algra, then swiped another to give to Jte before taking thest for himself. “when we were younger Freddie and some others used to like ying ‘punch the Greg’ so I took some sses to convince them it wasn’t such a fun game after all. I stuck with it. I’ve been learning that stuff for years now.”


    Jte lowered the bowl from her lips and nodded sadly.


    “I’m really sorry for all that. I mean I know I was horrible to you but I always tried to talk him out of hitting anyone.” She exined.


    “Well let’s forget about it. One on one I could wipe the floor with Freddie. Besides you just made up for a lot of being a bitch.” His words caused fresh colour to spill onto her cheeks and the tops of her breasts.


    “I never knew it could be like that… I mean you’re…” She stopped, not quite having the words to express herself.


    “He fucks good.” Algra supplied a simpler option before glugging down more of her stew.


    That made both Jte and Gregoryugh together as Algra shrugged and ate some more.


    “You know this isn’t half bad…” Jte admired the culinary skills of the cook just as he announced his return from the outside of the tent.


    “Enter.” Gregory called out.


    “Is this the ring you seek master?” The ve carried a pillow in his hands, sat on top of which was the ring itself.


    “Yes! Thank you!” Gregory hopped up, set down his half empty bowl and moved to take the ring.


    It was the same one to be sure. He looked at the silver band with those strange etchings along the inner rim and then closed his fist over it. Looking to the ve he reached out and grasped the man’s shoulder firmly.


    “Thanks. Is there anything I can do for you?” Gregory asked.


    The man looked at him as if he’d just sprouted antlers. Clearly this was not a question he was used to.


    “Well… I-I have a brother. He still lives in the londs of the southern kingdom. I have been trying to get him safe passage here but our former orc master could not afford to keep more ves. It would be just him, his wife, his son and his two daughters. All are hard workers. If you could do anything to bring them here…” Hope ignited in the man’s eyes as he looked at Gregory.


    “You want them toe here and be ves?” Jte interrupted, incredulous.


    The man looked to her and back at Gregory, unsure as to whether he should answer. The young man nodded and the ve turned to speak with the scarlet haired girl.


    “I do not know from where you hail but life in the kingdoms is hard for many. We work the fields but own nothing for they are the lord’snds. A poor crop often means some of us will die that winter and the work is back breaking in terrible conditions. Orcs might be a hard people but they treat us fairly. If we get sick we’re taken care of and if they want us to plough their fields then they get of their asses and pitch in. We don’t get beaten or taxed. We get fed and sheltered. If ites down to it most peasants would rather be orc ves. What’s more if we’re good at somethin’ they keep us well tended to. I can cook and I know numbers so I get a share of what my master gets for using my skills. My son would have died on the fields where I’m from but here he’s learning how to shape metal.”


    “That’s a weirdly fair system for one based around very.” Gregory sat back down in the tent.


    “It isn’t very based on taking away freedom and working the saps to hell my lord. It’s more about honourably knowing and bowing to those who earn it. Sir Rudd could probably exin it better than me.” The man scratched his stubbly chin.


    “I’ll ask him and I’ll also try to speak with someone about your brother. Thank you for your time.” Gregory nodded.


    The man gave a deep bow and then turned and slipped out of their tent. Gregory sat and finished his bowl before taking the other empty vessels and cing them outside the tent for someone to take care of.


    “So, who’s the guy we ask about this?” Gregory opened his hand to show them the ring.


    “I will speak of it tomorrow. Your day has been long and you need rest, master. It is a long journey from here to the one whom you seek.”


    Gregory hesitated a moment before shrugging his shoulders and slipping the ring into his pocket.


    “So I have some questions.” Jte looked over to Algra as Gregory moved toy down between them.


    Algra grunted for the girl to continue.


    “What will happen to Freddie?” She nced at Gregory as she spoke, fearful of his reaction. The male didn’t seem to mind.


    “He will work there with the waste. He will sleep in a cage. He will die young. The work is hard. The air is dangerous.” She didn’t seem overly bothered about the nature of Freddie’s fate as she spoke. “The pit is for traitors, backstabbers and those without honour.”


    Jte nibbled nervously on her lower lip.


    “I’ll ask if he can be released tomorrow.” Gregory spoke up.


    Jte looked at him, her eyes wide with shock at the deration.


    “I… Greg you don’t have to. I know what he did. I was just…” She trailed off with a little shrug of her own.


    “You don’t want him to die down there. I have to admit since the guy tried to kill me his safety hasn’t been high on my list of things to do…” Gregory was interrupted by a sudden feral growl.


    Algra moved quickly to her feet and started out of the tent.


    Gregory and Jte looked between each other and then bolted up after her.


    “Algra, wait!” He called after her as the orc marched toward the cages nearby the pit.


    She didn’t stop, even when she passed a rack of veryrge swords belonging to the merchant and snatched one up she didn’t break her stride.


    “I said wait.” Gregory’s voice was quieter, closer to her ear as his arms wrapped around her from behind. The orc froze, the look in her eyes wasn’t entirely dissimr to the one that had been there when they had fist met. The green beauty quite clearly had some extreme violence in mind.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Jte stopped and watched as the man slowly and carefully took the sword from his orcish lover and dropped it on the ground. He then turned her in his arms and kissed her cheek and then her lips, stifling the inferno of rage within the woman’s eyes.


    “He should be dead. I will tear out his eyes for trying to kill you.” Algra grumbled.


    “No you won’t.” Gregory firmly stated. “But thanks for trying.”


    His smile made the orc rx and Jte found she could finally breathe again. Apparently Algra didn’t take kindly to attempts on her master’s life.


    “Hey… HEY! Guys! Jan!” A weak throaty voice came from the direction of the cages.


    Gregory turned to see the filth smeared face of Freddie poking his head through the bars in one of the cages that he shared with three orcs. He didn’t look well.