Page 43 of My Fated Orc Hero

We stay like that for a while, wrapped up in each other. But eventually, real life comes knocking - literally.

But it’s more a pounding. I hear his minotaur buddy, Kalen's booming voice at the door. "Thokk! in there forever. The whole town's is buzzing!"

I groan, burying my face in Thokk's chest. "Do we have to go out there again?"

Thokk sighs. "He said ‘buzzing.’ “I guess we should find out exactly what that means.”

"Let’s do it,” I say as I kiss him on the arm.

We get dressed and head outside, but apparently Kalen hasn’t hung around to say more, so we head further into town. And this time, there's no collar, no pretending to be a prisoner. I walk proudly at Thokk's side, our hands intertwined.

Let them buzz.

Pretty soon it’s apparent that the streets are indeed full of a new energy that definitely hadn’t been there before. Monsters, or creatures, or whatever of all shapes and sizes are milling about excitedly. As we pass, conversations halt and heads turn. I resist the urge to hide behind Thokk.

Come on, Zoe. We've faced down elders and angry mobs. We can handle a little attention.

To my relief, it would seem that “buzzing” is, for the most part good. The looks we're getting aren't hostile. Curious, yes, even a little wary, but not angry. Not at all actually I realize. A few brave souls even approach us.

"Is it true?" a troll asks, eyes wide with interest. "Are you really mates?"

I smile, but resist the urge to show off my mark. Somehow that feels a little uncouth. Instead, I just tell him. "Sure are."

The troll's jaw drops. "Wow," he breathes.

Then I notice a group of unmarried male monsters eyeing Thokk with a mixture of envy and hope. One of them, a sasquatch, elbows his friend and whispers loudly, "See? If Thokk can find a mate, maybe there's hope for us too!"

"Did you hear that Thokk! Things are changing!”

I don’t think he heard, but he gives my hand a excited tug as he keep walking.

But then, as if to remind us that the change won’t happen overnight, we pass by a group of older monsters, and I overheara gruff voice muttering, "This is madness. A human, here? It'll be the ruin of us all."

Thokk tenses beside me, but before he can respond, another voice chimes in, "Oh, hush, Dalen. The elders have spoken. If they say she's alright, then she's alright."

The first speaker, Dalen, snorts. "Elders can make mistakes too, you know. Mark my words, this won't end well."

For a moment I fear Thokk will confront, but instead he just chuckles and shakes his head.

“We can’t expect everyone to just jump for joy overnight, Thokky. Give them some time.”

He grunts in agreement. Truth is, the vast majority of the faces are now welcoming. There is a strong bit of curiosity too it seems, based on periodic whispers. For the most part though, it seems the townsfolk are heading back about their normal routines.

As we make our way through the village, I can't help but marvel at all the sights I was too scared to really appreciate before. The architecture is a fascinating mix of medieval and magical, with impossible angles and glowing runes etched into the stonework.

"Oh my god, Thokk, look!" I tug on his arm, pointing at a shop window. "Is that a wand shop? Like, honest-to-goodness magic wands?"

He chuckles at my enthusiasm. "Yes, though they're not as flashy as your human stories make them out to be. Mostly just glorified pointers for channeling energy. More for show than anything really. Or so I hear."

I press my face against the glass like a kid at a candy store. "Can we go in? Please?"

“There will be plenty of time for that, hon. Right now, there’s someone I want you to properly meet,” he says as I see Potions and Notions come into view.

He makes a beeline for it.

“I have so many questions-“ I tug at Thokk’s hand excitedly as I continue to look around.

And just like that Elowen appear in the doorway of her shop. "Well now, if it isn't our resident lovebirds. Feeling properly claimed, are we?"

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