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“Why didn’t you tell me when you first suspected?”
“I don’t know, I thought maybe … I guess I thought you would believe I was trying to manipulate you, somehow.”
“By getting pregnant? That makes no sense.”
“You should tell that to human men. They don’t seem to understand that part.” I sighed and squeezed his hand back. “Jovak, do you really think this is the only way to escape these shackles around my mind and heart? Just like that?”
“I think it will not hurt.”
“Okay, fine.” I take a deep breath and look into Jovak’s eyes. I see all of the things he’s done for me, as well as what I’ve done for him. I see all of the times we had wonderful conversations around the fire or while on the road. I see him teaching Laney how to use a slingshot to down pheasants to add to the stew pot. I see all of the times we made love …
The warmth that blossoms in my heart when I think of these things, if that’s not love, then what else is it?
“I love you, Jovak.”
The words don’t hurt when they come out. Quite the opposite. And I don’t feel weighed down with doom. If anything, I feel light and free.
“I love you, Jovak,” I say again. “And I’d like nothing more than to be your mate for real this time.”
He smiled and moved in for a kiss. I lifted my chin to accept it.
“Well, it’s about damn time.”
We both turned to see Laney standing there, looking at us.
“How long have you been there?”
“Long enough,” she says with a wink. “So, do I get to be a flower girl? Or don’t they have those at orc weddings?”
Jovak looks at her and scowls in confusion.
“What is a wedding?”
18
JOVAK
Ipaced across the floor of Amy and Moldar’s hut, grumbling constantly.
“It is ridiculous that I am not allowed to see my mate on the day of this human wedding ritual.”
Amy and Laney exchange smirks and then look at me. “You can see her, just not until it’s time for the march of the bride.”
“March of the bride? Is she going into battle?”
Amy cackles with laughter. “In a manner of speaking, yes, yes, she is. Marriage could be seen as one long battle from a certain point of view.”
“Indeed, my mate has the right of things, Chief Jovak.” Moldar is leaning heavily on his walking stick, but otherwise, he’s looking healthier all the time. Last week, he needed two walking sticks braced under his armpits to get around. Now, he’s able to move for short periods of time without any assistance at all.
Most of the tree’s victims have recovered, meaning there will be a large turnout for the wedding. Orc mating ceremonies take place under the full moon. Since this was not incongruous with human ceremonies, that has been left intact. There are also many ways in which our two peoples have similar traditions.
For example, it is quite normal for both of our kinds to have a holy person officiate the ceremony. I’m glad about this because it means that humans view mating as sacred like we orcs do.
There are other rituals we share. Both humans and orcs tend to have large feasts after the wedding ceremony. We both have dancing but in wildly different interpretations of the word. We plan to do both kinds of dance after our ceremony.
I look down at my ceremonial garb. The chest plate has been constructed of the armored back of a great lizard the humans call analligator. A fearsome predator whose skin makes for good defense. It will symbolize the way I aim to protect my mate from all harm after the ritual.
Hanging from each of my biceps are golden bands with feathered charms attached via small silver ingots. The feathers are each from a bird native to these lands, but the tradition goes back to Protheka. A pattern of red, black, and white goes around both armbands, the feathers swaying in the wind coming in through the open window.
