Roderick and Gorlana Pt. 05

"Valessa... please tell me you're not going to walk back your agreements tomorrow," Roderick said with a suddenly grave concern.

"No. No, we need to keep Gorlana happy. I mean... I guess that's what vexes me, I hate having to cow to her-"

"That's not what it is, it's an agreement of mutual benefit."

"Only because Gorlana stumbled into the upper hand, it isn't fair." Valessa huffed out a frustrated breath.

"By capturing me? Yes you've said as much before, but that once again puts the blame on me, which at this point-"

"No, no I wasn't talking about that. I mean I STILL blame her for that, but..." she sighed, "What I wouldn't give to have almost anyone else on the throne at this point."

"She saved my life," Roderick said flatly, trying to hide his frustration. "After coming here in good faith to negotiate with honour."

Valessa scoffed, "Don't give me a speech. I still respect her enough, It's just... I still don't know how you don't resent her. Gods, I don't think I will ever understand how you feel about her."

Roderick muttered, barely audible, "No, I don't think you will."

Valessa looked up at him all but rolling her eyes, proving again how far she was from knowing his thoughts, "Well in any case I'm getting the sense she's grown more fond of you as well, so if you can keep her entertained and happy tonight, dance with her, show her around maybe, use some of that inexplicable charm you seem to have with these green women, but try not to make her swoon too hard," she giggled in satisfaction, "it could backfire to make her too jealous of me I suppose..." she batted her eyes at him, "Then maybe my handsome prince could entice her to sign an even better treaty tomorrow."

Roderick's face was stoic and silent.

She gave him a resigned smirk and pecked him a kiss, "Roderick, fine, if you say you're not comfortable, then that is enough for me. Look, I think we're both nervous, and tired, perhaps not about the same things, but after the ball, lets both get some sleep tonight, and when you wake up tomorrow, just remember... what you've strived for all these years."

She pecked him a delicate kiss as the song came to an end, and he told her he was going get some fresh air. She walked away without complaint, and Roderick started towards the balcony. To the orc woman he knew would be there, and not at all for the reasons Valessa had said. He pushed through a crowd of nobles that he wanted to be gone from for good, feeling more certain of what he wanted by the second. He stopped for one final hesitation, looking back at Valessa, knowing it would be the right thing to stay and mingle with his fiance instead. Of all things, his mind went to his last conversation with his Granny, as he bid her goodbye at the hospital. He had recalled that as a child he could never get away with a lie to her half-orc nose, and her eyes had seemed to remind him of that fact, as she spoke.

" Well Roddy. I'm not sure this old mind has got any new advice, and I suppose I'll simply repeat what I told you not that long ago. That I'm not sure whether to warn you more about city girls or orc girls, but in the end, I just hope you're happy. "

He turned, with a determined smile, to the balcony.

He breathed in the air as he finally walked out of the ballroom and shivers of relief ran through him. Not just from the cool night, not just from the clearer more refreshing air, but from another sensation. Her. Away from the crowd he finally identified it, a sliver only, compared to what he remembered, but it was there, creeping through the fading effects of the scentsfoil. It was enough to find her though on the wide semicircular balcony. Like a moth to a tiny flickering flame he drifted towards her, admiring the curve of her lower back in the smooth black dress cascading over her wide muscular buttocks. She was looking up at the stars, but as he approached she turned her head over her soft green shoulder and took in a breath knowingly.

Roderick shared a smile with her, "Something tells me I can't sneak up on you."

"You're just lucky there's no twigs to snap here," she said.

"Hey, you didn't exactly do any better sneaking up on me back in Highquarry."

She giggled, "I was talking with Nardill earlier."

"Pfft. That guy..."

"He said you were a better than average tracker... for a human."

He leaned up against the railing close to her, sharing a challenging squint and silently giggling dimple, until they paused and her eyes glanced skyward again.

"The stars were the same in Fringeland. They're different here," she said.

He nodded, "A city this big, with this many lanterns. It drowns the small ones out," he said, and could sense her sadness and discomfort, "I don't like it either," he added.

She glanced over at him and smirked, then noticed the music inside change to a more popular song and the other party-goers on the balcony headed inside with excited comments.

Roderick asked, "I don't suppose you'd like to dance again?"

She sighed, "No."

Roderick breathed in and smiled, "That's a lie."

Gorlana burst out laughing and swatted him, then sighed and leaned against the railing next to him furrowing her brow regretfully, "And that's why we shouldn't. Carthala and I just finished a brief but blunt argument before you came out here, that I'll admit she won. I imagine she told you much the same."

Roderick cleared his throat, "Well she talked to me. About..." he nervously switched the subject. "Hey, I didn't smell the lie, it was just a lucky guess, my nose is still too blunted."

She giggled silently, then crossed her strong arms under the immense taught skin of her breasts, "Not completely though, I can tell."

"Can you? Maybe you're just getting better at reading my face."

She looked down at his chest, standing close, "We're overdue. Do you have it here?"

"The scentsfoil? No. It slipped my mind," he said, looking askance, and noting they were alone on the balcony now.

She ran a claw over his pecs and stopped at his chest pocket, then leaned into his ear and whispered, "Liar."

He smiled with her and pulled it out.

She whispered huskily, "Do you just just not want to give it to me, or were you trying to get me to come back to your quarters to look for it?"

Even with his weakened senses, his nose next to her hair breathed in excited breaths. "I don't know if that would be the wisest place... to be alone."

"You don't tend to make me very wise," she breathed, their faces and bodies, close but not touching.

He held the scentsfoil up and said, "I've never meant to make you less..."

She pulled away and looked at his face with a sudden honest seriousness, "You never have. Despite what I've said before. You've never made me worse."

They both looked down to his fingers, holding the small vial, inches away from the black and purple hem stretched over her bust.

"Except with this," he said, wanting to crush it between his fingers.

"No," she replied. "Even with this. It's made me more... human, even if just for a time. It's let me discover more of that part of myself... and that part of you."

He nodded in thought, "We knew each other more as orcs in Orthalia."

She gave a wistful smile, "And as humans now in Andralia."

"I'd rather simply know you as you are," he said, wanting to say 'love' rather than 'know'.

She put a hand on his shoulder, "Just give me the dose. I've realized it hasn't robbed me of anything truly," she said, looking deeply in his eyes with a supportive smile.

He nodded in agreement, "Me neither," and looked up at her, "So why bother?"

He reached up and kissed her. Her lush dark lips meeting his with surprise and then instant passion and a beautiful low groan. After a euphoric moment that seemed to last forever yet was far too short, he pulled away, each of them gasping in excitement, then he threw the vial over the edge of the balcony.

Gorlana gasped, "Roderick! What have you done!"

He reached for her again, but she had turned away to look down at the trees and flowerbeds below them in concern.

"How much did that vial cost?" she said looking back at him in disbelief.

"I... don't know," he said, his confidence plummeting. "I didn't care, I just-"

"Could have put it back in your jacket pocket instead of wasting it. It doesn't belong to you, it belongs to the professor."

"I'll pay him the cost of it."

"All medicines are precious Roderick. Do you even know what it's made of? Who knows how rare it is, it could be priceless, and he had spoken as though he expected it back after..." she sighed, calmed herself and looked at his reddening embarrassed face.

"I'm sorry," he said.

She gave him a forgiving smirk and said, "Don't apologize to me," and kissed him quickly but heavily, caressing his chin, "I appreciate the gesture, Roderick, but we need to go search for it now."

He cleared his throat, controlling his breath from his rising and falling spirits, "Yeah. Yeah we can head through the ballroom and down the stairs to the left."

"Rgh. And have to explain ourselves? I'd rather not." she said, but with a new excitement still seeming to emanate from her since the kiss, she hopped up to sit on the ledge.

"Then wh-..." his voice caught as she tipped backwards.

Two long beautiful green legs shot up into the air as she flipped backwards into the dark night air over the balcony. The hem of her dress falling blessedly up to her hips and ass to reveal their entire muscular contour before continuing their arc downwards and disappearing with her into the dark garden below him. He heard a clean thud and his eyes adjusted enough to see her dark figure, crouched on her feet and the hint of her glimmering eyes looking up at him.

"What are you waiting for? Come on," she said playfully.

He looked nervously at the long drop, and back at the door to the ballroom.

"Don't worry I'll catch you," she laughed.

He cleared his throat, "You don't need to catch me," he said, pulling one leg over the ornate parapet and hesitating. "I won't be as graceful as you, though."

"That's already obvious enough," she teased, watching him gingerly lower his other leg over the side, and then hang down from his sweating hands, reaching as low as he could, working up the gumption to let go.

"Roderick?" Valessa's voice called from the doorway to the ballroom.

He startled and his hands slipped from the edge. As he fell he managed to stifle an exclamation as he flailed trying to twist his body in the air. Then suddenly two strong green arms caught him with a low exhalation, saving his fall and holding him sideways. He grasped her smooth shoulders, his arm and chest pressed against her bosom as she held him, both unmoving and silent in suspense. Valessa's confused face appeared on the balcony above with a high pitched scoff of confusion, and Gorlana's claws tightened on Roderick.

"Nothing but birds fluttering out here, damn Navarin thinks he knows what everyone's up to, can't even keep track of my damned prince," Valessa's muttered complaints to herself faded as she turned back.

"Valessa?" Darganya's voice sounded.

"I'm coming, I had just thought to tell Roderick where I was going, but he's not here. Who knows where he's gone off to. Never mind... Do you smell something?" Valessa asked.

There was a long pause, until Darganya replied, "No."

"Hm. Okay, come on."

Roderick and Gorlana both breathed a sigh of relief and a chuckle, but she didn't put him down. The moonlight and lantern-light from the nearby walkway reflected in her dark eyes and he rode the waves of her rising and falling chest with a building pressure in his loins.

"Should you go back to her?" she asked.

He replied, "Probably."

"...Do you want to?"

"No."

She kissed him, gently and caringly as she held him. He groaned and kissed her back, feeling like he couldn't care in the slightest what anyone would think of seeing him cradled in her arms. At least until he heard a guard's voice from the pathway behind them.

"Is someone there?"

They both froze, their mouths breathing together as her tusk slid along his stubbled cheek.

"Who goes there?"

"I don't think it was anything," another guard said.

"There was a damned assassin last night, I'm not going to ignore anything."

Gorlana stayed still with Roderick in her arms, with only their quiet breaths in the dark night. They heard footsteps approaching.

"Put me down," Roderick whispered regretfully. Then called out "Good evening soldiers, my apologies. It's just me, Duke Roderick."

"Oh! No OUR apologies, my Duke. Why, um..."

"The Queen and I were looking for a vial of... medicine that I carelessly dropped over the edge of the balcony here," Roderick said, as smoothly as he could.

"Ah. Ah... yes of course. Did you... need assistance?"

Roderick looked at Gorlana and shrugged, "Yes sure, your lantern would be a great help."

They began their search but it was obvious enough that even with the lantern they were unlikely to see it in the dark shadows of the bushes and thick grass.

"Better to look in the morning I'd say," the guard suggested. "Was it an urgent medicine? For the lady's hand I presume?"

"Wouldn't want to miss a dose for that," the other guard said. "Did that once and the Sage swatted me somethin' fierce sayin' it was important to follow Physicker's orders, and told me if I could remember t-... uh oh."

"What?"

"I just stepped on something."

"Oh now ya done it."

"Yeah it's a vial. Only cracked though, not smashed. This look like it General? Er, Duke?" the guard held the vial close to his face to examine it.

Roderick squinted as he walked towards him and nodded, "Yes, but be careful if you cracked it-"

The vial suddenly shattered between the soldier's gloved fingers and the powder inside covered his face. He yelped and flailed, knocking off his helmet and rubbing his hands frantically across his face.

"Ahck! It's in my nose! My mouth! Even my eyes I think!"

"Stop rubbing it in!"

"I'm trying to wipe it from my nose!"

"You're just rubbing more in, it's all over your glove, take it off!"

"It feels weird! My nose feels so weird what's happening? Am I gonna turn into something? Er... fall in love?" He looked at his fellow guard with a nervous concern.

The other soldier swatted him, "He said it was a medicine not a potion."

"It's fine," Roderick said, keeping a straight face while Gorlana stifled a giggle next to his shoulder. "It's scentsfoil, it's just stops you from smelling things. Although I don't know what getting that much on you will do," he said, turning to Gorlana.

She put a reassuring hand on the soldier's shoulder, "Probably nothing too serious from what the professor said of it, but we should have you looked at."

"The Physicker on call at the college," Roderick suggested. "We'll take you there."

...

The apprentice Sage wiped the last of the dark powder off the soldier's skin with a cloth soaked in a clear solution as the rest of them watched in the examination room.

"You seem to have gotten only minimal amounts in your eyes and mouth, though the effects of that would only be simple irritation, it shouldn't affect your taste from your tongue directly. However you did get quite a lot up your nose and it should be flushed out," the Sage explained.

"Will that stop the effects?" Gorlana asked.

"Yes. Water won't get rid of scentsfoil, but any alcohol solution will dissolve it and the effects should resolve quickly," he said, turning to the soldier, "Okay now lie down on the table, this may feel slightly like drowning in alcohol for a few moments and may make you somewhat drunk."

"Ah he's been there," there other soldier jabbed him with a laugh.

"Shut up, I'm scared."

"It won't cause any pain per se, simply an uncomfortable sensation," the Sage reassured him.

"I'm sorry, again," Roderick said."

"Twasn't your fault my Duke, I should've known," the soldier's words stopped as the spout was placed against his nose and he winced.

There was an uncomfortable silence as the solution poured into and out of the soldiers nose.

"Such a waste of such a valuable medicine, wouldn't you say?" Gorlana asked with an eyebrow raised at Roderick.

"I wouldn't say valuable exactly," The Sage replied, "It's actually not that expensive to order, there's just never that much in stock, it's not commonly needed."

It was Roderick's turn to raise an eyebrow and return her smug smile.

"Still, a medicine should never be wasted, wouldn't you agree?" she asked.

"Oh well yes of course," the Physicker said.

Roderick's shoulders slumped as Gorlana gave a victorious smirk and he gave her a long-suffering look, and they playfully nudged each other with their elbows, but when they stopped they stayed leaned against each other, subtly playing with each other's fingers.

The Sage continued, "Actually what this will waste more of is the clear alcohol." He turned to his assistant, "We'll have to send for more from the distillery downstairs, Fenwick, make a note."

Roderick cocked his head, "I didn't know you had your own distillery here."

"Oh yes. There's so many recipes that call for pure alcohol, if not in the main ingredients, then in the purification process. We do also make whisky on the side, for sale to the nobles. Helps to fund the college."

Roderick frowned, "No one ever told me that."

Gorlana chuckled, "I've never had Andralian whisky. Is it any better than their wine?"

Roderick scoffed, "I prefer ale, but theirs isn't as good as Fringeland's. The whisky packs a punch but it's worth a try."

"Fenwick could show you down there, If the lady orc, er, Queen would like? I'm sure Professor Beleros would approve of a bottle as a gift of honour."

Gorlana smiled, "Yes, I might like that, but I'll happily purchase it. I appreciate the gesture though."

The Sage finished rinsing the solution in the man's other nostril, then flushed each once with water, "Very good then. All finished. Please report tomorrow afternoon for a follow-up examination. You should be alright after that though."

The man sniffed and snorted rubbing his reddened nose with a morose look.

"Ah it's alright, who'd have thunk you'd be able to get drunk tonight eh?" his fellow guard said with a smile, supporting him as he hobbled out of the room.

Fenwick gave a polite smile, "If you wouldn't mind following me to the distillery then, your highness?"

As they walked Roderick asked him, "How are the studies going? Newer textbook treating you well?"

The student looked up nervously with a cautious smile, "Well enough my Duke. I wasn't sure if you'd remember me."

"Of course," Roderick said, turning to Gorlana, "Met him in the library a few weeks ago."

Gorlana gave him a warm smile, "You promised to show me this Library. I'm still waiting."

"Here we are then," Fenwick said, before Roderick could reply, opening the door to a large room with an ominous iron tank in the center, barrels on one side, and shelves with glass bottles along the other side.

"The light stuff's maybe easier to drink but the dark ones are more expensive and sought after."

"Choose the dark one," Roderick muttered with a nudge.

Gorlana giggled, "I don't want to take it without payment, Roderick's told me how much the college needs all the funding it can get."

"One bottle would hardly beggar us your highness, but if Beleros takes issue..."

"Here I'll pay for it," Roderick said, taking out a small coin purse. "I've yet to buy you a drink on this journey."

Gorlana rolled her eyes but smiled at him endearingly, "This is hardly a tavern and I've already danced with you," she teased.

"Even so," Roderick smiled back, giving Fenwick the payment and handing the bottle to Gorlana.