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After the most vigorous scrubbing of my life, I emerged from the steamy waters and almost felt human again. Melis dressed me in thick layers of hide and leather, same as the rest of the orcs. I needed to look the part if I was going to stay here, she said. I didn't bother to tell her I had no intention of staying.
"You know," Melis mused as she pulled my hair into a braid. "It's not often we see humans around here. You must have gotten really lost to have ended up in our neck of the woods. What did you say your name was again?"
"Rosa." Despite her brash nature, Melis had a gentleness about her that set me at ease. If I could have even one ally in this strange new world, maybe I'd feel less vulnerable and alone.
Melis finished tying the braid and stepped back. "There. Now you're ready for the day."
I stood in front of the mirror and hardly recognized the woman looking back at me. Despite the layers of hides and furs, they somehow accentuated my curves more than the simple human clothing I'd worn to hide my body. I looked almost...beautiful.
I turned to Melis. "Thank you," I said at last. "For helping me."
"Why wouldn't I?" She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Yes, it was the king's orders, but even so. How shameful it would be to fall to infection instead of your enemy's blade."
I hadn't expected that response, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. We'd grown up learning that orcs were filthy, savage beasts, but that wasn't the full story. It wasn't even true. Living here among them I'd learned they were anything but. They took pride in their work and their strength, and that also meant making sure nothing could take that honor away from them.
Although I was still the orcs' prisoner, they had treated me with nothing but esteem -- in their own way. They could have left me for dead in that trap. They could have executed me. They could have made an example of me in the throne room, or even in bed...I shivered at the thought.
No, they had taken me in. Healed me. Cared for me. And although their customs were different than what I was used to, the more I saw the more I realized that there was more to the orcs than met the eye.
Perhaps they weren't the bloodthirsty monsters everyone thought they were after all.
"Where is Ag--" I stopped myself just in time. "--the king?"
If Melis noticed my slip-up, she didn't say it. "He's with the younglings this morning. Makes it a point to spend time with them at least once a moon."
That gave me pause. "Children? Here?" I don't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't the alpha-male orc king taking time out of his royal duties to see the children.
Melis shrugged. "It's not as unusual as you might think. The younglings must learn the ways of our clan. When the king comes, he takes them on field trips into the forest. They learn the history of our people, how we came to be and why we do the things we do. Oh, how they look up to him."
Unbidden warmth bloomed through me, and this time it wasn't from the bath. The thought of such a powerful warrior king smiling at a baby warmed me more than any fire ever could. One hand moved almost subconsciously to my stomach and rested there. Maybe, one day, I could share the same joy with a child of my own...
Melis must have picked up on my thoughts. Her voice took on a more somber tone as she added, "alas, the birth rate isn't what it used to be." She sighed. "They are growing fewer in number each year, and I fear..." Cutting herself off, she shook her head and straightened. "Never mind all that. It is unimportant."
"I...wait!" I didn't have a chance to ask her what she meant. Melis snapped back into her no-nonsense attitude and ushered me out the door and back into the village once more.
Melis put me to work gathering fruits and firewood with a small team of other young orcs. Both men and women. They watched me warily but made no comment as we worked. The labor gave me something to focus on, but it also gave me time to think.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I'd been wrong to judge the orcs so quickly. Yes, they were different than humans. But despite their rough demeanor and curious stares, I'd seen kindness from them too.
Be that as it may, however, I didn't belong here. No amount of orcish clothing or hospitality could change that. My stomach churned as I thought about my family and my tribe back home. Would they know where I'd gone? Would they think I was dead? Would they come looking for me?
While I was the king's prisoner, I had no way to know. And even if I did find a way to escape, what then? When I accidentally triggered the trap, I passed out before anyone came to get me. The next time I woke I was in the orc village, and I had no idea how far or in what direction they'd taken me.
Not to mention that the strange energies around the Rift made pathfinding difficult for even the most experienced trackers. I was stuck here until they decided to let me go. I just hoped my family was okay.
