Page 16 of Yuled By the Orcs

Wait.Theirhome wasOrcMountain— butLydia’slurch of alarm at this recollection was swiftly swept away byEzog’ssteady, reassuring presence, by the pleasure and heat swirling from his every powerful thrust inside her.And, too, by the feel ofTryg’ssoft kiss to her head, his arm firmly pulling her closer.

“Ach, sweet thing,” he said, as his other hand clasped toEzog’sshoulder. “Myelskanspeaks truth.Wecannot now leave you alone in that house, ach?Butshould you come to our home, we’ll keep you safe, and help you gain work that pleases you.Andm’boy and his mate are there too, ach?”

Histone was light and smooth, but there was a clipped, decisive edge on it, as well.Asif he would bear no argument on this, and ifLydiaeven made an attempt, he would…

“Youken what shall come to pass, my pretty pet,” came his silken voice, “should you seek to defy me upon this?Haveyou forgotten whoseelskanis now deep inside you?”

Andoh, that threat was already far more compelling than any uneaseLydiahad ever felt aboutOrcMountain— and a hungry, desperate shiver rippled her from the inside out, convulsing her againstEzog’ssweet, gentle invasion.Andyes,Ezogfelt it, his eyes fluttering hard as they glanced towardTryg, as if seeking his permission, too…

“Iken she needs a reminder, then,”Trygsaid smugly, andLydia’sglance up found him slowly grinning between them, sharp and sly and wicked. “Ploughyour new gift for me, ach,elskan?Makeher beg and scream for us.Teachher that she shall obey us, and come with us to our home as we wish.Forshe isours.”

Andthis time,Ezog’ssmile was just as wicked, lighting up his dear, beautiful face.Hiseyes catching onLydia’sown slowly widening grin, sharing her eagerness, her thankfulness.Hergreat, great gratitude, for such a perfect, generous gift.Fora home.

“Ach,Ishall,”Ezogwhispered. “Withjoy.”

EPILOGUE

Itwas almostYuletideatOrcMountain, andLydiatruly could not have fathomed just how many preparations were involved.

“Didyou saytwelve hundredcookies?!” she echoed towardAlma,OrcMountain’skind, pretty head housekeeper. “Asin, more than a thousand?!”

BesideLydia, her silver-haired friendOlgawas loudly snorting, and folding her arms over her chest. “Iken you’ll still run outta cookies with twelve hundred, sister,” she said flatly. “Ain’tyou seen how much those orclings eat?!Painsme to say, but better make it fifteen.”

Almawas wringing her hands and looking distinctly distressed, glancing around at the kitchen’s already-packed storeroom. “Butwe only ordered enough flour for twelve hundred!” she replied. “Andit’s too late to ship in more, unless we can send someone to…”

Shewinced and chewed at her lip, and just then, a familiar head poked around the nearest stack of barrels. “Whoneeds to go where, now?”Tryggrsaid cheerfully. “Toa market again,Iken?”

AlmaandLydiaboth gaveTryggrdeeply grateful smiles, whileOlgahad already turned to scribble some quantities — and then a few more items — onto a scrap of paper. “Here, boy,” she said firmly. “We’llneed ’em by morning.”

Thankfully,Tryggrwas well accustomed to being summarily ordered about, because he only flashed them a tolerant grin, and tossed a nearby cookie — one fromOlga’stest batch — into his mouth.AndwhenOlgaattempted to whack him with her wooden spoon in retaliation, he easily slithered out of her reach, and then snatched a second cookie before speeding away again.

Lydiachuckled, but then quickly went out after him, and caught up with him in the corridor. “Areyou sure you don’t mind going,Tryggr?” she asked him, as she handed over a third cookie she’d swiped for him, too. “Iknow you promisedEbenno more scouting trips beforeYule.”

Tryggr’seyes brightened at the new cookie — he’d clearly already devoured the first two — and he shotLydiaan appreciative half-grin as he tossed it into his mouth. “Ach, but then m’pet let it slip there’s this new book he wishes to have,” he replied, once he’d swallowed. “Forthis newReadingDaytheKa-esh have thrust upon us, the day afterYule!Awhole dayfor reading,Mammi!Ishall be bored enough to weep!”

Lydialaughed aloud, and fought to ignore the sparkle of warmth in her belly at his use of that wonderful wordmammi.Itwas theSkaiequivalent topabbi, she’d learned, and even after a year, she still hadn’t gotten used toTryggrsaying it.Despitehim repeatedly pointing out that she was apparently the exact female version ofEzog, from her excessive generosity down to the way she smelled.

“Leaveit toPa,” he’d told her one day, with a wry shake of his head. “Can’tfathom how long he musta hunted to find a perfect match forPabbi.LikeaGriskon a scent, he is, once he’s got an idea stuck in his thick head.”

Ofcourse,Tryggrwas just as stubborn himself — their similarities were a great source of ongoing amusement forLydiaandEzogboth — and over the past year,Lydiahad happily joinedEzogin doting uponTryggrat every possible opportunity.Sneakinghim treats and snacks, cheering on his sparring-matches in theSkaiarena, and keeping a close eye onEbenwheneverTryggrwas off scouting or working.

“Butyou andPabbiwill send for me if aught’s amiss with my sweet pet, ach?”Tryggrsaid now, his brow furrowing. “An’ you won’t mind ifPacomes along with me too?Justovernight,Iken.”

Lydiasmiled and waved away the question, because she’d long ago come to terms withTrygtaking off on these kinds of last-minute jobs.HeandTryggrwere both integral members of theSkaiclan’s extensive scouting team — these days,Tryggrreported directly to theSkaiclan’sBosshimself — and whileLydiahad been surprised to learn how oftenTrygtravelled, it was also something that was clearly important to him, and to his clan.Andsomething he andTryggrenjoyed sharing together, too.

“I’llpack you both some provisions,”Lydiasaid firmly. “Andwhile you’re at the market, maybe you can remind your father aboutYulegifts?IknowEzogwould enjoy a nice bottle of wine, and perhaps some sweet treats, too.”

Tryggr’ssmile had gone fond, even as he gave a longsuffering roll of his eyes. “Forgotabout the gifts again, has he?” he said dryly. “Howyou two haven’t tossed him yet is beyond fathoming,Mammi.Ach,I’llremind him.”

Lydialaughed and thanked him, and soon found herself back in the kitchen, packing up a large sack of goodies for the two of them to share.Andas she worked, she easily chatted with her now-familiar colleagues and friends — not onlyOlgaandAlma, but alsoOlga’swhite-haired orc mateGegnir, and an elderlySkainamedDufnall, who managed most of the laundry.

Andit had been another surprise, at first, to discover thatTryghadn’t expectedLydiato immediately start taking overOrcMountain’slaundry. “Ach,Duff’sgot it well in hand, sweet thing,” he’d told her, with a careless shrug. “Ifthat’s what you’re hankering to do,Iken he’ll make room for you, but mayhap you’d rather take on aught a bit different, ach?Noneed to rush, you ken.”

Ithad been excessively generous, andLydiahad accordingly taken her time, and given it some thought.Noting, in particular, howEzogspent his own days, now that he’d mostly stepped back from any fighting or travelling.Hedidn’t have a specific assigned job among hisBautulclan, but he spent most of his time in their beautiful, ever-growing garden, out on the south side of the mountain.Andwhen he wasn’t working in the garden, he was helping to stock and supply the kitchen, and making sure the common-rooms and sickroom were well stashed with food, too.

“Ishould be glad to have you join me, should you wish,”Ezoghad replied whenLydiahad asked, giving her his usual soft smile. “Ionly do not wish to bore you, ach?Orfreeze you.”

ButLydiahadn’t been bored — or cold, onceEzoghad supplied her with some warm layers.Intruth, it had been wonderful spending most of her days outdoors doing meaningful work, and getting to know their otherBautulclanmates who worked in the garden, too.Thisincluded two lovely young women namedStellaandGwyn—Gwynalso served as the mountain’s midwife — and a variety of orcs of all ages.AndwithEzog’sguidance,Lydiahad gradually begun to take over the kitchen stocking, too, freeing upEzogto explore new opportunities for the garden and the mountain’s overall food supply.Lately, he’d even begun to look into acquiring livestock, andLydialoved seeing his eyes light up whenever he spoke of it.

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