Page 48 of Loved By the Orc
I trace her still-bruised cheek. “Your family wants you safe. I want you safe. But… I failed. You were injured—”
She interrupts me. “You rescued me! It wasn’t you who took me—”
It’s my turn to interrupt her reasoning. “It doesn’t matter who. All that matters is that we make sure you’re safe. And if the one who brings you back needs to face that punishment, so be it.”
“Nay,” she says. “I’ll talk to my father. I’ll talk to King Brachard.”
Oh, someone is getting her father, all right. But I shake my head. “It will be okay.” And then I hug her close to me. Feel her trembling body; her slender shoulders as they shake. No one has ever trembled for me. I should be the one to make sure she always smiles.
“Female,” I growl. “It will be all right. No matter what, remember I love you. Just like I’ll remember you love me.”
Her arms come around my middle and squeeze me tight. “Var. You’re scaring me.”
I tilt her chin up. “There’s no reason to be scared. It’s simply a punishment I have to face. Will take one day at a time, yes? In the meantime, you’ll be safe. I’ll pay my dues, and then we’ll see where we stand. You and me against the world, okay?”
“Okay. You and me against the world.” Her lip trembles as she repeats my words, a phrase that she so often used with her father is what I know will bring her comfort when I use it with me. It doesn’t dawnon her how I know the phrase. That I eavesdropped on their conversations.
Her father steps up without looking at me. He takes his daughter’s arm and pulls her toward him. As soon as she leaves my grasp, two other West Mountain orcs—members of their royal guard—take my arms. Without a word, they lead me away.
I can hear her father’s softly mumbled words trail behind me as he consoles her, either reassuring or distracting her.
But then Negan breaks out in a loud shout.
“Daddy!”
“I know,misha-mine. It will be alright.”
“No! I don’t understand!”
Her father pulls her to his chest, muffling her crying as I’m forcefully dragged away.
Negan:
“Daddy, you don’t understand. Varguk didn’t hurt me. He rescued me! Saved me from those savages.”
“I know, my Negan. I know.”
“Then why is he being treated like a prisoner?”
“‘Tis for the best, sweet daughter. Let’s take you in to see Mag and your friends right now, aye? We need to get you out of the view of the front gates.”
I’m too distressed to ask why though it seems like an odd thing to say. But my father leads me away. Down the walkway, down the cobblestone path to where the healer’s hut stands. As soon as we start toapproach, Joanna jumps from the hut and takes me from my father. A look passes between them before she hugs me to her breast.
“I’ve got her, Oshin.”
Just then my Uncle Latsil comes out of the hut and ruffles my hair. He gives my father the same look that Joanna did. Something is going on, and I’m not sure what it is. But I do know that Mag will talk so I’m more willing to go into the healer’s hut. Without a word, my father and Latsil go off together.
Joanna leads me inside where Mag waits.
“Come, child,” she says. “Let me look you over.” Before I even sit, she starts prodding my arms and legs. I know what she’s silently asking.
“I wasn’t hurt. Not badly anyway. Most of the time, Varguk and I were hiding out in the basement of the mating hut where they had locked me. No one knew we were down there. They were searching all the grounds while we were safe. Together.”
Joanna’s twisting her fingers like she’s nervous. “You were an innocent, Negan. We all need to know… are you still? Or did they force you? Get you with child?”
I wince. It seems everyone knows of my predicament, but it’s hard to take offense with Joanna. She’s so sweet natured. I know that she’s asking such a personal thing for a reason.
“Nay, I was with Varguk,” I respond. “My choice.”
