Roderick and Gorlana Pt. 07

"Meee!!" the sister reached up.

"Off auntie's leg then!"

The sister screamed now, until Faringoll shrugged and tossed a piece of jerky on to the floor six feet away. The girl hesitated then finally let go of her leg to crawl over and get her prize.

"Where's your other brother?" Faringoll suddenly thought as the smell of smoke suddenly hit her nostrils. Then she looked across the room and gasped, "No! Away from the hearth! Hot! No!"

She set the one brother down swaddled in the curtain on to the sofa and lunged at the other who was poking into the hearth with a wooden spoon. He had been trying to snag the cookies on the tray inside but the spoon was starting to smoke. Faringoll grasped him by the waist to pull him away. He protested by swatting her with the still-smoking spoon and she yelled out a scoff and wrested it away from him. He thrashed in a short-tantrum while she carried him across the room and stuffed the last piece of goat-jerky in his mouth. He spat it out instinctively in anger, but then his face went flat and silent and he grasped it quickly again and stuffed it in his mouth.

She plopped the tiny half-orc on to the sofa next to his brother and pointed at the fire, "No! Hot! Stay away! You know this!" She watched him look back and forth between her and the hearth while he suckled on the meat, then she sighed and sat down next to them in exhaustion. She saw the curtain rod rise up into the air from the other side of the table and called out to their sister, "No! Don't play with that!" but didn't get up.

The door opened and Faringoll breathed out in relief at Yendell's arrival. However, the end of the curtain-rod finally lifted fully in a long arc and the end collided with Yendell's face just as he walked in the door. He yelled out a curse and dropped the box of food with bread and warm sausages rolling out on to the floor. The little girl scampered over to them as if she'd won another prize.

"Watch your language! They're starting to say words more and more. The last thing we need to do is have Roderick and Gorlana come home to them saying curses."

"I... sorry," Yendell said with a shrug, "Their growing so fast I can't believe they're babbling already." He sighed. "It's been a frustrating day besides. The council-meeting's still going but I promised to bring supper home so I took a break to come back here."

"You've had a frustrating day? I don't know how Roderick's parents have managed these three. I can't keep up! They were barely crawling when their parents left. I thought it would be easy but they keep figuring out new ways to get into and onto everything."

"I thought you said pure-blood orcs grow even faster?" he chuckled, but then gave her a more sympathetic look, "I understand though. Honestly, I'd switch if you'd want to, but-"

"Please!" What's the council on about?" Faringoll said, standing up.

Yendell raised an eyebrow as he tried to salvage the rest of the food from the floor, "The foundry."

"Is there something wrong with the one here? A good time for the new one in Glenhold to be starting up then, if so," Faringoll replied as she got up to help him.

"No, that's just it. The stubborn oxes here are up in arms about it, thinking it's gonna put them out of business or something. Even though they know there's no way they're going to keep up with the new demand, they're thinking about it like it's competition."

"Even with the two we might have trouble keeping up though," Faringoll frowned, "Let me go shake some sense into them."

Yendell let out a chuckle, "You know what? Fine." He ripped a loaf in half that two of the kids were fighting over and put the rest of the food on the counter. "Not... literally though."

Faringoll stared at him in a long second of silence then reached for her coat.

"Geta Yeny!" one of the boys attacked him with the wooden spoon off the floor.

"Ah!" Yendell frowned at the force of the smack, "Not now! Supper first. Then we can play Get The Yendy. You haven't let me find my shield besides," he said with a smile.

"I'll go then?" Faringoll confirmed.

"Yes, by all means," Yendell smiled, "Do what you can to convince them." He returned an affectionate kiss from her, then added, "With... words," he added, with a raised eyebrow of somewhat genuine concern.

She gave him a cute toothy smile over her tall shoulder as she opened the door, but said nothing.

...

Four hours later Faringoll opened the door quietly with a cautious smile.

"I'm home, my flame." she called out quietly. "Yendell? I didn't have to spank anyone you'll be relieved, but I agreed that we would upgrade and possibly expand the foundry here in addition to the new one in Glenhold. They said the numbers..."

Her voice trailed off as she heard a snore and looked over to the living room. She scoffed a small laugh and then puckered an endearing dimple. Yendell was asleep with all three kids snuggled into him on the couch in front of the fire. An open jar of pickles was on the floor, the kids' shirts soaked with the brine, and even his shirt splashed with stains. She looked to the counter and frowned for a moment, seeing the cookies barely touched. She bit one and spat, the hard dry dust of it from her mouth, wondering where she went wrong again.

She looked back and gave a wistful sigh, finding a space to the right of him on the couch, and sliding her long arm across his shoulders, closing her eyes with a smile.

...

"They're home!"

Roderick heard the shout and saw them come around the corner, his face split in a huge smile and laugh and his eyes were in tears before he realized it as his children crawled in a scamper towards him. Gorlana let out a wailing laugh next to him as they called out 'Da!' and 'Ma!' hearing their early words for the first time.

"You've grown so much!" she hugged them with Roderick, sniffling tears and chuckling as they crawled all over them.

"I can't believe they're starting to talk! When do orcs start to talk?" Roderick looked between Gorlana and Faringoll.

Gorlana hesitated and Faringoll spoke up, "It's not abnormal your highness, around seven months is a bit early for some. They'll probably be walking before you know it. They're already scampering as fast, and climbing... By the Gods, the climbing."

Gorlana giggled, "Since when are you such an expert on children, half-orc or no?"

Faringoll fought off a flush and replied proudly, "I've been reading... and... we took the liberty of taking them to the physicker who said they were all developing appropriately, and he confirmed that your carrying for six months was about right for roughly half-orc triplets."

"You took them to the physicker?" Roderick asked, surprised.

Gorlana squinted in suspicion and Yendell piped up, "Oh just tell them honey. It's fine in the end."

"Okay fine, they got into some spoiled cabbage and I wasn't sure if it they were going to be alright, they were all puking and... well they WERE fine, in the end."

Roderick chuckled, "If that's the worst of the trouble these little imps got into then I'd say you did well. Thank you, both, by the way, we really appreciate it," he said sincerely.

Faringoll held her chin high, "Of course, your highnesses."

"Oh would you quit that," Gorlana rolled her eyes, "Call us by our names. I'm not calling you 'Your Grace'."

"Why not?" Faringoll frowned. "I'm a Duchess, Gorlana, and you're a Queen, these are the names they choose. I called you Springsnake during the war..."

"Okay, but it's not the same. Maybe at the council meetings but not here."

"Speaking of which," Roderick interjected, "Is there a meeting scheduled already Yendell? If we can meet tomorrow, we shouldn't waste any more time getting the finances for that Glenhold foundry arranged."

"We already got that done actually," Yendell said with a smile, "Faringoll mostly."

"Besides looking after these three? You didn't have to," Roderick said with surprise.

"The council was eager to meet about it. Between the two of us we managed," Yendell said with a hand on Faringoll's arm who looked back with a proud smile as she sharply bit her lip.

"Great!," Roderick gave a relieved laugh, "What about the dike upgrades?"

"Starting in a month."

Roderick's eyebrows raised, "New granaries in Flintridge?"

Yendell eyed the ceiling, "...no."

Roderick shrugged, "Still, more than I expected." He chuckled, "Sounds like you don't even need me here. Which is good, 'cause in a few weeks we might head northwest to Highquarry."

"O...oh?"

"We'll take the kids with us this time."

"You could leave them with us again, really we wouldn't mind," Faringoll said looking sincere despite Yendell giving her a perplexed look.

"No, we want them to see their great-granny. She's finally looking like it might really not be too long. She's lasted longer than we thought when she first got sick last year, but no one lives forever. It sounds like they're taking good care of her still, but we'll make sure, and also we might take the long way home through the pass and stop through Glenhold anyway. With the new road it shouldn't be too hard, and we might as well get the kids used to travelling."

"Sounds fun," Yendell said. "Anyway we'll let you all get reunited,"

"Any-... Anyime you need us to look after them again," Faringoll said with a break in her voice, and Roderick was surprised at seeing her resisting tears of remorse at leaving them.

"Goodbye!"

The kids scampered across the floor and gave Faringoll a group hug of flailing and climbing arms and legs, but when they broke away and headed for the door all three kids screamed in tears reaching for them. Faringoll finally sobbed in truth as well, and Yendell seemed torn before he suddenly reached for the counter and grabbed three wooden spoons and a pot lid.

He threw the spoons on the floor in front of the toddlers and said, "Get the Yendy! One last time!"

Their tears turned to joy instantly as they scrambled for the spoons and started whacking at the pot lid he held like a shield, "Drive off the Yendy! Young heros! Expel him from your hold!" he bellowed, as he let them push him steadily backward until they slipped out the door and shut it with a final goodbye.

...

"Faringoll we need to go to the market, our cupboards have nothing in them, we've been living at their place for the past few weeks." Yendell protested, but his orcish wife held his hand even tighter than she had for the quick walk back to their house and pulled him roughly up the final path to their door.

"Honey, what is it? You haven't said a word-" he was yanked hard through the doorway and she slammed it behind them. "Did I do something wrong? It seems like you're furious, but I didn't think we did THAT badly with those kids. I know it was hard but-"

Her wet fanged mouth devoured his as she slammed him back against the door and latched it, her tongue invading his mouth as she gave a purring growl.

"What's an orc-girl to do with a noseblind husband and a town too prudish to accept me saying out loud in public how much I want to fuck him," she finally said, pulling away from his soaked face.

"You could have whispered something," he chuckled, while her hands massaged his neck and his groin as they held him strongly against the doorframe.

"Mmm, if I had let my face get into the musk of your hair I would have torn your clothes off right there in the street. We don't need those kinds of stories flying around," she replied.

Then she suddenly lifted him over her shoulder and carried him to the bedroom, tossing him roughly on to the bed and pouncing on him, pinning him down like her prey as she ran her huffing breath and her fangs up his body and then kissed him again, even harder, mashing her hips onto his through their clothes, until he was grunting along with her.

"I'm starting to see the appeal of dresses and skirts," she said with a sly toothy smile as she lifted them up and sat back down on him heavily.

"Most women wear undergarments with th-" Yendell's words cut off as she tore his pants in two from the waist-band like she was tearing an old discarded rag.

His bare, hardened cock sprang up and slapped into the skin of her tall muscular thighs and she snarled with a frantic determination as she impaled her sopping pussy on him, driving down to the hilt in one motion.

"ARGH! Yendell! My mate!" she clasped her long arms around him preciously as her hips bounced and heaved him into their bed.

Yendell could barely respond as he was assailed underneath her, his face pressed into the open cleavage of her dress, grunting and blurting out only parts of her name at a time as his tall green wife made viciously passionate love to her husband.

"Ohhh! FUCK! Yes my love!" Faringoll called out, "The only thing that's been hard is watching my handsome, UGH! intelligent, AH!, caring, mmMM!, husband, show how much of a FUCKing amazing father he's going to be, and not be able to mate with him as loud or as hard as I want to!"

Through the onslaught of pleasure Yendell thought of how they had still made love every night, to his surprise, while house-sitting for their friends, but they had always been careful to keep it quiet and gentle. He finally braced himself enough to crane his neck up and speak.

"You did really well too, honey," he said breathlessly, "I know you'll make a great mother."

Faringoll drove herself on to him harder and clutched him within her thighs tightly, making the bed groan, "Uggghh, you'll make me a mother. I know you will. Ohhh, I know you said two would be plenty. I'll make you Rutt four into me I swear it." She growled and kissed him again with a wet sloppy passion.

They wracked their half-clothed bodies against each other while their wet naked hips slapped and smacked. Yendell called out her name muffled into her flesh while she wheezed out his name in an intense loving affection as she felt his orgasm building, both of them shaking in anticipation as she sensed her prize getting closer.

"Yendell my darling! My love! My wise, caring mate! I will Rutt for you! I don't care if it takes years I will never stop until we do! Yendell! AH! ARGH! OH GODS!!"

Her words became cries and shrieks of ecstasy as she felt him cumming inside her. They lost themselves in instinct and reflex as their bodies consummated their desire and dedication. Yendell flexed and held his body strong against her, driving his cock to give his amazing wife everything she wanted. She kept him in better shape now, even though he was off the battlefield, and full of more zeal for life then he'd ever known, though he could still not outmatch her, either in strength or passion.

They came down together from their pleasure, with Faringoll purring in a sultry pleasure from the hot wet fullness in her loins she'd won from him. Yendell felt ready to pass out, but before long she was hopping out of bed and pulling him up along with her.

"To the market then, you said?" she asked cheerily.

Yendell gave an exhausted smile, "Sure. Maybe the tailor's too," he said, taking off his mangled pants and searching for another pair. "You've got to stop doing that."

Faringoll laughed, "No, let's keep him in business."

She buckled up his fresh pants for him as she pecked him a loving kiss and fondled him for good measure, then grasped his hand strongly, and the Duke and Duchess of Fringeland opened the door and set out again.

...

After another month, Roderick and Gorlana and their three children set out on the road together. A military escort was unfortunately a reality they were going to have to get used to. Roderick decided if it was inevitable then they might as well take enough men and supplies for them to accomplish some small upkeep jobs along the road. There were a few protests on principle, some thinking it improper for a king's escort to be bothered by such things, but he insisted.

They made it to Highquarry without any trouble and he was glad in the end they hadn't wasted too much time. His parents had come with them and had already more or less decided they wouldn't continue on past Highquarry, but seeing the weak and sickly state of his grandmother, they said there was no question. They would stay and be with her in what was looking more like her final days.

They had still never received a definite answer from the physickers, but it was likely a cancer of some sort, though a slower growing one then they'd feared. He was simply glad she had survived to his wedding. Eight months ago, with Gorlana pregnant and glowing beautiful they had a small ceremony with close family and friends in the hills of Highquarry. His granny had beamed with proud life shining from her pale wrinkled face. There had been a larger more formal public ceremony in Fortspring a month later in concert with their official coronation, but the private wedding had been the one that mattered most, to him at least.

Now, she was bed-bound, and only speaking in weak whispers. She was still able to smile and say hello, and in a way, goodbye, to her new great-grandchildren though. It was a bitter-sweet visit but he was grateful it was possible.

Pellina had still been helping to organize care for her over this time. When he asked her how he could thank her, she mentioned her boys were getting older and doing well in school, and wondering about a higher education. Roderick said he would definitely make it possible for either one of them to start into the Sage's program in Fortspring if they so chose, or an apprenticeship in a guild, or at least make it so finances weren't a barrier for them. When she sheepishly asked to confirm that human or orcish blood wasn't a factor for admission, he nodded in a pensive frown. She blushed and smiled in thanks, and when he squinted, already starting to notice, she nervously pulled down her lip to show the barest of points to her lower teeth. Roderick smiled wide and hugged her, telling her that it of course wasn't an issue. She told him she didn't know how much of orcish blood might be in her, as she never knew her father for long, and had been told he had been adopted, but Roderick suspected it was only a sliver, certainly much less than him. He was proud of her nonetheless of coming out with it and she said she had him and their new country to thank. They said goodbye, wishing each other all the best.

The King and Queen and their escort finally continued on, up into the mountains to the Roancliff pass. The nights were colder in the higher elevations but still not frigid in the early summer. Roderick and Gorlana left their sleeping kids with their assistants in the camp one evening, and escaped across the canyon to inspect the work on their new lodge. Work had only just begun on it, but it looked like it would be beautiful once it was done. They held each other alone within the short perimeter of logs, as the stars peaked out, eventually kissing and then eventually finding themselves wrapped together on the ground, making gentle love under the stars.

They made it back in the night and continued on, tired but happy the next morning. The former Orthalian side of the pass had already been widened as well, though Roderick had shaken his head, insisting that it should be no worse than the former Andralian side. Gorlana was less bothered, knowing the terrain was harder, but agreed. She spent her evenings helping their children explore into the woods and already showing them which plants and mushrooms to avoid and letting them smell and nibble a few good ones.

As they turned south towards Glenhold, the road did improve. New settlements were popping up and expanding along it, with a surprising slice of the townspeople being human, working alongside the majority orcs. They received jubilant and proud greetings with every new village they stopped in. It made for slower travel, but it was well worth it. Roderick and Gorlana held each other proudly as they met the local leaders and discussed both the hopes and the fears that lay before them all. They set off from each one with a growing and solidifying confidence in their new small country. Deep down they had always dreamed they could make some slice of the world in which they could be themselves, together, without shame or fear. Neither had dreamed that it would be something as significant as this.