Orc Dominion: Zentara Ch. 11

For the next month, while town after town fell to the Zentaran and Orc soldiers, Jeanette and Chief Turogg ruled the Duchy as de facto King and Queen, attending all matters together and with equal say. The Zentaran soldiers who remained with them became used to seeing them rule together, and the Hestens in the castle and town got used to the presence of an orc.

After dispensing orders for the day, Jeanette and Chief Turogg retired to the Duke's old chambers, where Jeanette had a surprise for the orc. Jeanette's had been delaying for days as she wrapped her head around her feelings on the matter. Finally, she realized it was time to tell Chief Turogg. "It's happened, My Chief, I'm pregnant!"

Chief Turogg was speechless for but a moment, then a wide grin formed on his face. "That is very good Jeanette! Very good! You're to have my child! Our orc son will sit on the throne of Zentara!" Jeanette flushed at the image of a grey skinned orc son, fully grown sitting on her throne. Chief Turogg continued. "I cannot wait for everyone to see your belly swollen with an orc babe. My babe!" Chief Turogg wrapped Jeanette in his arms and lifted her up, then spun her around as she giggled.

Jeanette nodded her head. There would not be any way to hide it much longer. She would begin to show, and would have to explain how she came to be with child. She did not think she'd be able to disappear again like she did when pregnant with Agmar. Now she was officially crowned as Queen, and had been acting as Queen. She would have to announce her betrothal to Chief Turogg, marry him, and announce that she was carrying his child.

"We shall have to make the announcement shortly after we return, My Chief. After you are officially awarded your lands and titles, we will have the wedding. All the great nobles of the Kingdom will be there to witness it, so there is no doubt that it is true and legitimate." Jeanette wondered how that would go over. Knowing Chief Turogg as she did, he would no doubt have some new sort of costume for her to wear. It would be difficult enough for her people to see her married to an orc; even more difficult if it appears she's being exploited. That made her think there might be a method to the madness. Her people were already getting used to seeing her in revealing, highly sexualized outfits.

"That will be good, Jeanette. Then all these games will be over and we can be as we are." Chief Turogg stroked Jeanette's side and made her smile. Her hand moved to rest atop of her womb, and she wondered if it would be a boy or a girl; a brother or a sister for Agmar. "Yes, King and Queen of Zentara, ruling both our peoples, without judgment or interference from councilors of chancellors." Jeanette watched his face to see how he would react. She had been dropping hints and words constantly to undermine his confidence in Sir Drake, and to emphasize that they should rule together like equals.

Chief Turogg grunted, not committing either way to her comment. He had not said much, not liking to deal with these political matters. She did not know if that boded well or ill, but she thought it boded well. He would not want to be king, to rule. As long as his people were treated well and he was given respect, the actual managing of the Kingdom could be managed by someone else. She would ensure that person was her.

"In any event, it will be an exciting time. Incorporating the Duchy of Braden, establishing the peace, a child on the way, we shall be incredibly busy." Jeanette smiled to herself at the thought. If all went well in the coming weeks, she'd have everything she needed and wanted.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. A messenger burst in when summoned. "Your Highness, Chief Turogg, there's a rider from Heste! An ambassador, here to discuss terms for a truce!" Jeanette tensed, though Chief Turogg let out a triumphant cry that made the messenger jump. "They will not fight! They yield to my strength!"

Jeanette was less sure. There were still many pitfalls to overcome. They had to hear the terms they were seeking. Nor had they informed the ambassador of the death of the Duke of Braden. Well, the former Duke of Braden. "Tell him we shall receive him in the great hall. Give him food and water if he desires it then send him to us." When the messenger left, Jeanette turned to Chief Turogg. "Remember my Chief, we have to do this carefully. We must act assured of Thesta and Sandora's support. We must not let him know we murdered Gilbert."

Chief Turogg snorted. "As you say Jeanette. All this talk is boring. Let me know if we need to fight again."

The pair went to the great hall where they had been holding court to prepare to receive the ambassador. The room was lined with soldiers and adorned with great treasures collected in their campaign. It was intended as a sign of both strength and wealth to reinforce their dominant position in these negotiations. After a while, the ambassador approached and knelt before Jeanette. "Your Highness, I am Janus, Duke of Farrow. Here to treat with you on behalf of the King of Heste."

"Welcome, Your Grace. This is Chief Turogg, of the Goltenak Clan. He is my equal partner in the current hostilities. All agreements can be discussed before him, and with him."

The Duke shot Chief Turogg a nasty glare, clearly not happy with his presence. "As you say, Your Highness. On behalf of my master, I must inquire as to the health and welfare of his brother, the Duke of Braden, who is said to be your captive. I have been instructed to offer you a handsome ransom for his release, and to inform you that this is a precondition for any treaty between us."

Chief Turogg made a noise, and Jeanette couldn't tell if he was suppressing a chuckle or scoffing. Instead, Jeanette looked at Janus and spoke in a somber tone. "I'm afraid you have been misinformed, Your Grace. We do not have the Duke of Braden. He was killed, by his own men before surrendering the castle to us."

Janus opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't find the words. The ambassador was shocked, and not altogether sure on how to proceed. His instructions had not covered this eventuality. "This...this is most grievous news, Your Highness. The King of Heste will not take the news of his brother's passing well." Janus gave Jeanette a long, suspicious look. "Where are the men who betrayed him?"

"Put to death. Their heads are decorating the castle walls. I can show you, if you like." Jeanette's even voice seemed to disarm him. She wasn't sure where she had learned to lie so well. She had gotten used to it, since first going to the brothel. So many lies; this was just one more.

"Yes Your Highness, I should like to do so. I'm sure my master will want a firsthand report. In the meantime...in the meantime...I will need to send a rider with news to the King. With this new circumstance, I cannot make any firm guarantees. But we can begin initial discussions, so I can communicate with my master what your position is."

"Very well. It is clear that your master is the aggressor, who started this war with malicious and malign intentions towards both Zentara and to my person. Without provocation, he has invaded my lands, killed and terrorized my people, and caused much destruction of property and physical hardship. Your master owes me and my Kingdom a great debt in blood and treasure that must be repaid." Jeanette finished her speech, staring down Janus as Chief Turogg looked at her with a surprised grin.

"Surely Your Highness, such a debt has already been repaid. After all, your own forces, in partnership with your orc allies, have inflicted similar devastation upon the lands of my master. We have both suffered in this war, let us now have peace so we can begin to rebuild." Janus paused a moment, then continued. "And Your Highness, you must appreciate that you have defaulted on a legal and binding contract with my master, to wit, that you were to marry his now deceased brother."

Jeanette knew that this was in a legally grey area, so she chose her words carefully. "The contract for my marriage was signed by my father, King Rolf. Upon his expiration and my assumption of the throne, sovereign power in Zentara was vested in me. The contract should have been renegotiated with the new sovereign. Regardless of the validity of the contract, the response to its question is not violence and slaughter. Your master has attempted to use Zentaran lives as a bargaining tool, which is incredibly immoral."

When Janus didn't say anything, Jeanette continued. "But this is history, now. The war has started and we find ourselves where we are today, with Zentara in control of the Duchy of Braden, in command of a large army, and with the support of the Kingdoms of Thesta and Sandora in bringing this war to a conclusion. Your master on the other hand is isolated and his armies have been smashed. We will tell you what our terms are, and you can accept them or not as your master wills."

Outwardly, Janus remained calm but inwardly he was fuming. Even if she was a Queen, this little girl was dressing him down. Worse, he had no idea how to respond now that his instructions from King Connor were obsolete with the death of the Duke of Braden. "I am listening, Your Highness, what are your terms?"

"As recompense for your master's aggression, and to provide a buffer against future attacks, the Duchy of Braden will be ceded to Zentaran control. The Kingdom of Heste will provide three hundred thousand gold marks to the Kingdom of Zentara, paid in annual installments of ten thousand gold marks for thirty years. Finally, King Connor must denounce the marriage contract as having always been invalid, and assume responsibility for the conflict. In exchange, the Kingdom of Zentara will cease its attacks on Hesten territory; and return any castle, villages and towns currently under occupation that fall outside of the Duchy of Braden."

Janus bristled at the list of demands. It was going to enrage the King. Not only was his brother dead, but they demanded his lands and title as well. "Your Highness, these conditions will be quite onerous for the King. Demanding the entire Duchy of Braden, it is little better than highway robbery!"

Jeanette's voice rose with anger. "Are you calling me a bandit, Your Grace? What does that make your master, who plotted to seize my entire Kingdom? Tell your master that if he does not submit to these demands, he will face not only the combined might of Zentara and the Goltenak Clad, but also the military power of the Kingdoms of Thesta and Sandora. He has the choice of either surrendering the Duchy of Braden, or losing his throne entirely when Heste is partitioned between us."

Janus ground his teeth, knowing he and the rest of Heste were stuck. Before he left the Hesten capital he had heard from the Thestan and Sandoran ambassadors, informing him that they were once again prepared to intervene to ensure peace and Zentaran independence. Who would have thought that the young Zentaran Queen could not only convince the orc tribes to cease their attacks on Thesta and Sandora, but also convince them to join in her war against Heste? It must have cost her dearly. No wonder she was demanding so much from them. "You have made your position quite clear, Your Highness. With your permission, I will send word to King Connor and will keep you apprised of his response."

Jeanette nodded to dismiss him, and Janus bowed and left the room. Jeanette and Chief Turogg rose and left the great hall, preferring to discuss their thoughts on the Hesten position in private.

"You were as a lioness, Jeanette. I am impressed. I did not think you would be able to press a man like that with just your voice."

"What do you think I would require? My body? There is more to women than just their body, Chief Turogg." Jeanette sighed at Chief Turogg's attitude. She loved him, but his thoughts were quite provincial sometimes. It would take a lot of work to bring him around to seeing women as equals. Or at least, seeing women beyond being the sometimes useful possessions of men.

"It is a woman's only weapon, is it not?" Chief Turogg chuckled as Jeanette shook her head.

"Well, now you should realize that a woman's tongue is good for more than just one thing. Soon you might even realize that our minds can be worth more than our body as well."

"It is true Jeanette that you are more of a delight than the orc women I have known. They are not nearly as talented as what I have found in you." Chief Turogg wrapped his arms around Jeanette and kissed her, then guided her into bed.

It took only a week for King Connor to write a reply, which brought Janus back to Jeanette and Chief Turogg again. It was good that Janus was accepting Chief Turogg at these meetings, even if he didn't say much. It boded well for his acceptance back in Zentara. Jeanette looked to Chief Turogg, who then began. "Well Duke Janus, what does the King of Heste have to say to our demands?"

A look of distaste crossed Janus' face at having to discuss this with the orc, but he quickly suppressed it. "I have received word from him, yes. He has instructed me to accept your demands." Janus deflated slightly while Jeanette looked triumphant.

"Your King has proven himself to be wise. This small sacrifice will bring peace and keep him from losing everything. We will have the treaty written up and it can be signed, then you can go from this place. We have everything we need to take control of it." Chief Turogg dismissed the ambassador, and Jeanette issued orders to begin drawing up the treaty.