Roderick and Gorlana Pt. 05

"I don't want to."

Gorlana stared at him, sensing his concern for her. The protective heart-wrenching concern, almost mirroring the concern she had felt seeing him tied up and blinded, and her heart twisted in harmony with his. She steeled herself, knowing this was exactly why she needed to do this.

"She has no right to demand this of you," Roderick said sternly.

"She demanded nothing. I offered to do it."

Roderick sighed, "I didn't truly believe her. Why? It's not necessary. We can still negotiate fairly without you conceding something like this right off the start."

"Don't talk to me like I don't know what I'm doing. I know how to negotiate, I didn't become Queen simply through a duel."

"You don't need to... debilitate yourself like this. What does this win you?"

"Good faith, in a negotiation that... Has to succeed. I'll do whatever I need to for Orthalia, because we cannot afford to go to war again- Gods! Why am I telling you this?" She turned away in frustration. "Roderick, we're adversaries. Competitors, in a game of politics now at least, if not war any longer. You're a good man, but I'm not even sure if we can simply be friends, let alone... anything more." She choked out the last few words, feeling tears starting to take form.

"Is that the real reason you're doing this then?" He asked, with a strained bitterness. "Which one is it?"

"Both!" She blurted out. "We've been through this Roderick, please don't keep drawing out the pain."

"I know. I'm sorry. I... know we can't be together. I can accept that, but I can't accept seeing you hurt. That's why I'm saying this. I can just lie and say you took it anyway. Or, we can wait until you reach Andrapolis. I can't stand the thought of you impairing yourself, or lessening what you are-"

"Then give it to me! If suffering is what you wish to spare me. Free me of it!" she said, staring at his caring handsome eyes with a pleading look.

He stared back for a long moment then said, "I'll take it too then."

"No. Roderick you don't have to."

"But I should. If that's the real reason then it doesn't make sense for only you to do it."

She stared at him in frustration, then finally snatched the vial from his hands, "How do I take it?" she asked, and then when he hesitated, she reminded him, "Until I take it, I can tell if you lie."

He gave a resigned sigh at her obvious remark and told her, "The stopper has a dabber attached that will be coated in the powder. Put it in your nose and close your nostril around it for 5 seconds, then breathe in, and do the same for the other."

She nodded, unable to resist hesitating for a brief moment, then did as he said. She winced at a brief sharp burning and then a bizarre tingling, and suddenly realized she felt his scent fade from her. His beautiful comforting presence in her lungs turned to emptiness. He simply stood before her, almost feeling like a ghost or an inanimate object. The feeling was so strange.

She gave the vial back to him rigidly, seeing his distraught face clearly reading her inner turmoil. She quickly turned, rushing out of the tent without a word.

She stumbled down the hill and before she could make it back to her tent, fell into the pine needles on the ground, and wept empty tears, alone under the stars.

...

They had been riding next to each other in silence for nearly an hour. The late morning sun grew ever warmer as they continued to slowly descend through the foothills. It was a perfect, peaceful late spring day. The sights and sounds of the birds and trees were comforting she supposed, but she could smell none of it. Nor could she smell him, as she and Roderick rode near the front of their mixed contingent.

Traulch was near the back, having been convinced to act as the 'rearguard' for her protection, and would hopefully be less likely to cause trouble there. He had spent the morning with her, sussing out the human's camp as if he needed to approve that it was safe of threats to her, and she had been afraid when Traulch had come face to face with Roderick for the first time since their warriors met. It had not been a kind meeting, with terse, thinly veiled superiority exchanged in the cold comments between the two men, but neither escalating it into arguments or threats, which was all she could have hoped for.

It was not precisely the rule for her and Roderick to be riding side by side, but as the two leaders of a peacefully mixed force, it would raise comment for them not to be. So they rode in a shrouded senseless silence that Gorlana realized she hadn't the slightest clue what to do with.

"I took it too," Roderick said suddenly.

Gorlana looked behind her nervously. Carthala and Torvrul were wrapped up in their own conversation. Ahead of them, Faringoll had already done away with her armour, wearing the closest garment she owned to a human style, and was nodding in an encouraging toothy smile to Yendell beside her, who was explaining something about the terrain.

"They're not going to hear us," Roderick reassured her.

Gorlana pursed her lips, "If you truly took it then how were you able to sense my wondering?"

He chuckled, "I didn't smell a damn thing. That doesn't mean I couldn't still guess what you were thinking."

Gorlana sighed, "It's not that I can't read faces, but it will take a while to get used to relying only on that."

Roderick shrugged and mentioned nonchalantly, "Well, I can try to help you with that if you want. It would only be fair after giving you the damned stuff." Then he grinned as she looked up at him, "See right there, that's annoyed exasperation at my suggestion that I made you take it."

She lowered her eyebrows in anger but her lips tightened to resist a smile. She pointed back at him, "Smug mockery."

"See? You're not flying blind after all," he laughed, coaxing a stifled chortle from her that she couldn't resist. Then he seemed to genuinely try to reassure her with a more empathetic look, "It hit me in a really weird way, to say the least. Everything seemed... less. Like everything around me was a bit... flavourless. I can only imagine how hard it hit you."

She was silent for a moment and replied, "Similar, yes," hoping her minimizing it wasn't too obvious.

"I don't know how it compares, but when I was blindfolded-"

Gorlana scoffed, "It's not as bad as that, don't worry."

"Well that's a relief I guess. Still though, when they blindfolded me, I felt completely cut off at first, but it didn't take long for me to adjust my thinking and my senses, and I realized it didn't make me completely clueless."

Gorlana paused for a second then replied, "No, you could manage that all on your own."

Roderick stared at her with a frown, turning gradually redder for a long moment, as her flat face turned into a mocking smirk and she glanced at him, then he suddenly burst out laughing. "Okay, maybe I'm not always the most observant and tactful man, but clueless?"

Gorlana stopped giggling, opened her mouth and hesitated in another thoughtful laugh along with him then asked, "Were you aware that Paqria was nearly begging me to let her try to mate with you? Pleading with me in secret that if I only let her unblind you and talk to you and... Lots of other things with you, that she could turn you to our side for certain?"

"I... No." he said. "If you'll recall I was a little distracted by... Other things."

Gorlana noted how speaking of the foolish orc girl only set her jealous emotions into a slight stir rather than the torrent that she had banished Paqria out of the tent with at the time. Then she clued into Roderick's words, and realized she didn't have to stifle her scent of embarrassment or regret with him now. It almost finally did feel as freeing as she had hoped. She could speak with him without having to stifle that intense desire to mate with him. He was still attractive, and her desire was still there, but only as any other regular feeling. She didn't have to put in any constant effort to stifle... Anything.

With a thoughtful calmness she responded, "Well, thankfully now you won't be as distracted, and can focus on what you need to."

Roderick gave a conciliatory nod, "I'm already starting to realize that's true. You... were right," he said, then seemed to resist his sour thoughts on the matter and replied, "Just wait, you might not be able to handle my negotiating skills when I'm not as distracted and... clueless, anymore," he said with a cocky smile.

She bit her thick dark lip with her fangs and made a simple, "Yes, perhaps you have a hope of keeping Fringeland out of my hands."

Roderick scoffed a laugh, "I would have said Southern Orthalia. There's no way you're ruling over Fringeland."

"Oh? I don't know, I think I might want to. I'm actually starting to like it already," she teased.

Roderick looked over at her with a genuine smile, "What do you like about it so far?"

She relaxed in the saddle, breathing in the flat tasteless air with an uncaring comfort and returned his smile, finding it strangely easy to hold his glimmering eyes with her own, and replied, "Well the quality of forage I've seen so far, for one..."

...

"Well, Welcome to Highquarry," Roderick said as the line of horses crested the hill and the town came into view.

"It's a beautiful town," Faringoll commented, and turned to Yendell beside her, "Are you from Highquarry as well lieutenant?"

Yendell cleared his throat and replied, "Um, no my lady, I'm from Fortspring, the provincial capitol, we'll be stopping there in a few days."

Faringoll gave a low giggle, "He persists in calling me his lady. Well... my man, I look forward to you showing me around there as well."

Yendell fought off a blush and replied, "Perhaps, my gentleman, might be more proper if you also insist."

"Mmm, you are that."

"Anyway," Roderick said more loudly to the rest behind them, "The town limits are indicated by the stone wall but as you can see there are a number of houses and homesteads closely surrounding."

Traulch interrupted, "Housing the few warriors with the courage to meet an enemy face to face while the rest cower behind their stone walls."

Roderick did his best to ignore him, "They are farmers and other workers. As we are all coming in peace we should respect their property, therefore we will set up camp a quarter mile out from the town wall next to the main road. Our leaders will head into town though with any that wish to come along... peacefully, and meet with the mayor and trade for supplies or whatever else they wish to see."

"Will there be ale?" Zurgana asked with a smirk.

Roderick smirked back, "There will be. Though supplies are limited, we'll do our best to keep you in good spirits. Though it'll be different than Orthalian grog."

"Weak. Like so much else," Traulch muttered, lifting his brown scraggly chin and chest.

"It's alright," Zurgana laughed, "Most of us are wise enough to know what to expect. Perhaps it will allow us to drink twice as much," she said giving him a wink.

Gorlana glanced at Zurgana uncomfortably, then gulped and replied seriously, "We will all be on our best behaviour I assure you. Our thanks as ever, Duke Roderick, please lead the way then."

They reorganized into their line. Roderick half-attempted to ride beside Gorlana again, finding himself more and more comfortable doing so, but she ended up somewhere else, whether on purpose or not, and he ended up leading the way next to Faringoll.

After they were at a steady pace, Faringoll asked him, "Your lieutenant..."

"Yendell?" Roderick confirmed.

"Yes. Is he mated? Or, 'married', I should say"

"Um, no, in fact. He's been a bachelor most of his life. Focused on being a soldier I've always supposed," Roderick replied, raising an eyebrow.

"A dedicated warrior. I know the type," she mused. "He was boasting to me that you are already preparing him to rule over this land."

Roderick smirked, 'boasting', didn't sound like Yendell at all, "Oh, well yes I'm only going to be Duke of Fringeland for another few months at the most, and then when I'm married I'll need to pass the title on to someone else. I've nominated him as a successor, but it'll ultimately be up to Valessa, in consultation with the noble council."

"He will need to earn it, of course. He will settle down out of the life of a warrior then. He would need to find an appropriate mate, er... wife, that would fit the role, politically."

"Um, yes. Yes, I suppose he might."

"Has he been ...courting, anyone else, as you Andralians say?" she asked.

Anyone else? Roderick frowned, "N-... no. Not that I know of. I had noticed you two talking here and there, but I wasn't sure."

"I wasn't sure either. He struck quite a first impression when he arrived to Northern Orthalia with Korboq to petition my alliance with Valessa and Darganya. Do many humans have beards as thick and orange as his?"

"It uhh, it's not too common, I suppose."

"I see..." she said, seeming more satisfied at this, "We grew to know each other on our quick journey, but I only thought of him as a dutiful and intelligent leader then. Meeting him again now, though, in more comfortable circumstances, I wasn't sure at first, but then out of nowhere he... offers to buy me new boots!" She whispered salaciously.

Roderick saw her pink eyes furrowed nervously, and her fangs biting her lip, and returned it with a doubtful look, "I'm not sure... that Yendell's sure... about um..."

"In hindsight, perhaps I wanted him to, I mentioned they were worn down. I didn't know what a 'cobbler' was, but when he explained..." she shuddered, "He said he would help them to fit my feet... perfectly. That he actually thought it was... good that mine are smaller for my size," she let out a embarrassed flabbergasted laugh. "I'm just... not sure I'm ready. If there's a 'cobbler' right here in Highquarry. It's so sudden..."

Roderick tried to keep a straight face, knowing Yendell had likely stumbled into the situation, "Well, perhaps you can wait until Fortspring. There's a lot more them there, and probably better quality than the one guy they have here, I'll admit."

"Yes. That will give me some time. When we can't properly share scent. He always smells nervous, but also... hnng, he's such a mystery. An interesting one, though. Can you convince him to wait then? Please?"

"Y- Yeah. I will... I will definitely have a talk with him," Roderick said, certain of that at least.

Faringoll sighed, "What new, strange times these are. We need to understand and adapt to the rest of the world, though. I suppose Gorlana's known that better than I, with her choosing of her mate for political gain as so many of the Kings and Queens elsewhere do. I admire your patience with Traulch and your respect of her, despite him."

Roderick cocked his head uncertainly.

"They say you have a special dislike of the Rechlingers, which I obviously understand. I have no love for them either, but even I can now admit she chose wisely. Perhaps even saved us. Even with the war ended, with the harshness of the last winter and the fish harvests they were able to share, if nothing else..." Faringoll seemed to stop herself and eye him with doubt.

"Yes, it's all gone the way it had to go, I suppose," he said, as if in a recitation to himself.

"I was certain they would not be satisfied with being subjects and would try to overthrow us. The business with Wulva more or less confirmed that. But now, with Traulch satisfied enough as Gorlana's mate, and his child destined to be the heir to the throne, since she has no sisters..." She sniffed at Roderick, looking at his unmoving face, "You're distressed by this."

Roderick shifted uncomfortably, reminding himself that other orcs could smell him even if Gorlana couldn't. "Do you think he will... bring her to Rutt?" he asked as flatly as he could.

"Ah, you've heard the stories of her. Yes, her old mate Durrog was killed when she rutted for him years ago, but even though that will always weigh her down it will likely still happen with Traulch, given enough time, years perhaps, but still."

Roderick hoped his face didn't change when she repeated the mistaken presumption of Gorlana's failed Rutt. He then asked, not being able to take the bitterness from his voice, "You would kneel to a half-rechlinger ruler?"

Faringoll raised an eyebrow, "We kneel to a quarter-human one. And, what other option would we have? Unless something unprecedented came between Traulch and Gorlana. And even then, we would need help driving them back into the North.

"Help from a new ally, perhaps?" Roderick said quietly.

Faringoll scoffed, "And where was this a year ago when it might have done some good? Or five years ago before they suddenly strengthened themselves."

Roderick frowned, "I've heard of this. How did they grow in strength so suddenly?"

Faringoll shrugged, "I might have asked if you had any clues. They have their stated reasons. The fish harvests being better. Finding ore deposits that they won't reveal. Saying the ice-goblins were driven north of them so they could focus on themselves and prosper. But it doesn't add up. They suddenly were trading more, and using coinage when they had none before. Most of it happened under their previous leader, who Traulch killed, but even under him, they were all but set to invade us. I had been so prepared to drive them back and defeat them I basically couldn't accept Gorlana's simpler plan of winning them back into Orthalian control through... what she did."

Roderick maintained his bitter flat expression and asked, "Do you now trust them then?"

She scoffed a bitter laugh, "I trust... Gorlana. I trust that she can give them what they need while we also prosper from them. Iringoll stays in Orthanhall while we are out here and will rule well enough to keep the status quo, but it's Gorlana that we needed, to have the boldness and intelligence to navigate us into these strange new times."

Roderick gave a resigned smile, "I suppose I would agree."

Faringoll gave him an interested smile, "Yes, you smell like you definitely do. I think I'm reassured by that. Perhaps there is a way we can all live happily with each other the way we are."

Roderick rode silently. If she smelled his doubts of that, she didn't comment.

...

Gorlana looked around with fascinated interest as she followed behind Roderick with the others into the town of Highquarry. She was already impressed with the expertise of the masonry on the stone wall, and the houses inside were built with the same impressive care. It was not necessarily stronger or inherently better than any of the orcish log and timber homes she was used to, but built more with an eye for beauty besides longevity. Less practical and utilitarian, more trusting in being free from destruction and needing to be rebuilt or repaired. Though many still seemed to suffer from age.

She was introduced kindly to the town's mayor and council who welcomed them warmly. Given the looks of respect and pride they treated Roderick, she was sure she mostly had him to thank for this, though Carthala reassured her that there was only a hint of discomfort and nervousness to their scent. They took a tour of the town, and besides Faringoll acting oddly near the cobbler's shop for some reason, all of her retinue behaved with honour and kindness as well. It gave her a relieved reassurance that she hadn't realized she needed. A good first impression, at their first settlement. It didn't really matter that it was Roderick's hometown, she told herself.

Traulch had been easy enough to convince to stay behind, thankfully. He insisted on setting up camp as if during wartime, with a protective perimeter and even designating scouts. Still he was able to give her a convincing enough promise, intense, yet caring in his own way, that he would abide by her command to remain peaceful and eagerly await the safe return of his Queen.