“Nonsense,” he replied. “I was here early to enjoy the sun, and Zorvut only arrived a moment ago. I understand he’s spent most of the morning with Elgan.”
“Yes, I thought it might be nice for him to have a few more princely options to choose from,” Taegan said, glancing over to Zorvut, who only nodded in reply. He could tell Zorvut still felt decidedly nervous in the presence of the king, which he supposed was understandable.
Before long, the sounds of the procession could be heard even from the gate. Soon it was flung open, and an elven knight came in on a horse to announce them, much like when the procession had arrived. They were welcomed in, and Hrul and his clan all rode in on their massive horses—despite all the carousing the night before, Hrul showed no signs of a hangover. Briefly, Taegan wondered if orcs even experienced hangovers.
“King Ruven,” he called as he came up to the courtyard. “My clan and I thank you for your hospitality.”
“We have been honored to receive you as guests,” Ruven replied, bowing his head graciously. “And I must thank you once more for your role in this peace treaty. I look forward to the continued good relations between our people.”
Hrul nodded, but when he spoke again, he looked to Zorvut. “I bid farewell to you, my son,” he said, gesturing to Zorvut. “There is much you carry on your shoulders, but I know you will not be crushed by the weight.”
“Thank you, Father,” Zorvut replied simply—Taegan was surprised to sense some sadness coming from him. He would have expected Zorvut to feel largely neutral about the whole thing, having admitted he was indeed the black sheep of the family just the night before. Yet he still felt sad to see them go.
“My clan,” Hrul called, turning away from the courtyard and raising one fist in the air. “We ride!”
And with that, the procession began their exit. Only a handful of orcs had come to the courtyard, no more than thirty, and each made a short circuit along the stone path to pay their respects to the king and the princes before following Hrul’s route back out the gate.
The castle gates closed behind the last rider, Zorvut’s gaze lingering on the path for a moment before he turned to look at Taegan. Before either could speak, though, Ruven stood.
“Thank you both for joining me,” he said, giving a slight bow of his head. “Zorvut. I understand this will be an adjustment for you, and I want to acknowledge that this arrangement has largely been a sacrifice on your end. Please rest assured that I will do all I can to ensure you’re treated well here, and we... I am happy to have you.”
It took Taegan a long moment to process exactly what was happening, as this was almost certainly the first time Ruven had spoken directly to Zorvut and Zorvut alone—the same surprise was clear on Zorvut’s face. Before he could reply, though, the king looked over at Taegan and gave a small, wry smile.
“My son,” he said simply in acknowledgment. “I’ll be busy the rest of the afternoon, but I’ll see you both at dinner.”
“Of course,” Taegan replied automatically, unsure of what else to say.
“Thank you, sir,” Zorvut added stiffly, something like embarrassment radiating from their bond, though Taegan couldn’t quite place it.
Ruven did not reply, only nodded once in acknowledgment before stepping away, followed closely by two of the royal guard, leaving Taegan and Zorvut alone in the courtyard with one guard remaining, standing a polite distance behind where they sat. They sat in awkward silence for a moment, then Taegan offered,
“Shall we have lunch?”
Zorvut agreed, so they made their way to the dining hall, still in silence. Taegan found that while the emotions radiating from the pinprick of their bond in the back of his head were familiar, they were not as exact as he would have expected—while he could tell that Zorvut was feeling tense, he could not discern anything more precise, and his face remained largely unreadable. Before they entered the dining hall, he paused and turned to look up at the orc.
“Are you all right?” he asked simply, unsure of what else to say. He could feel a bit of surprise and a tinge of fondness from him at the words.
“Yes,” he replied. “Only, it’s strange to watch them go and not know when I might see any of them again.”
That, at least, Taegan could understand. As they sat down next to each other for a light meal, he found himself wondering about the relationship between Zorvut and his family, but couldn’t find the words to phrase his questions without sounding invasive or insensitive. He ruminated over his thoughts, and could feel Zorvut’s hesitance over his quiet reflection. By the time he was done eating, the awkwardness of their silence was growing unbearable.
“Did you ever get a full tour of the castle?” Taegan blurted out, finally breaking the silence as a servant cleared away their dishes.
“No, I didn’t,” Zorvut answered.
“I’ll have my attendant give you the full tour, then,” he said, standing up and clapping his hands twice—one of the kitchen workers hurried over to him. “Will you have Aerik sent to me in the foyer?”
“Yes, my prince,” the man replied, and left the dining hall as swiftly as he had approached.
“Come,” Taegan said, beckoning Zorvut to follow.
“You have plans?” Zorvut asked, following. Taegan hesitated—mostly he did not want to be alone with the orc any longer.
“Yes,” he said quickly, “I intend to keep working in the archery range. My skills on horseback have been lacking.”
Again, the words seemed to pique Zorvut’s interest, but he did not comment and only nodded in acceptance. The dining hall was just down a hallway from the main entrance, and they paused in the foyer to wait for Aerik who arrived momentarily from a servant’s entrance—though he looked as unruffled as ever, he had come more quickly than Taegan had expected. He hoped the relief he felt upon seeing the other elf was not as apparent to Zorvut as it felt to him.
“My prince,” Aerik said, bowing his head respectfully. “You summoned me?”
