“And this is?” He asks sounding very refined for such a barbaric species.
“I am Princess of Westfrost.” You say with pride, your chin up and chest puffed. You held the title with dignity and want. It was yours and no one could ever take it from you.
His eyes raked your form in search of something you did not know but he surely found it, his lips curling upward slightly and a small grunt leaving him. Your mother cleared her throat waiting for you to pass the treaty over to the orc.
You did so in silence, rounding the circular table ignoring his gaze on you, that same silence broken by your heels hitting the stone floor one after the other.
It was to everyone’s surprise when his enormous fingers reached up to take a piece of your white hair and play with it gently. Your wide eyes watched him carefully while your mothers generals had their hands on the hilts of their swords.
“Usually men ask before they touch a lady, let alone a princess.” Your cold tone made him tug the piece in his hand a little harder than he should. Your lip catching between your teeth as a result, an action he did not miss.
“I am no man little princess.” He smirks around his tusks, inhaling your scent subtly.
“I can see that.” You smile politely, your hand coming up and gripping his large wrist a little too tight for soon to be allies. One of the orcs steps forward with a scowl, watching as your smaller hand barely encases his chieftain’s wrist. Your nails dig into the skin while using your strength to pull his hand away from you so you could return to your mother’s side.
There’s another moment of silence before the great orc takes his seat across the table his orbs never leaving you until he has to start signing the treaty.
“May I ask you a question chieftain?” You felt hot feeling his gaze on you once but this was one of uncertainty, he paused for a moment before he nodded. “Why make a treaty with us at all if you know it will not unite everyone? You’ll still be at war just not with us.” You ask one eyebrow raised.
“Our highest number of casualties comes from humans, you are our biggest threat from all the races.” He answers simply and then he’s back to signing. But you can’t look away, can’t help but think for the first time. Casualties.
Your battle plans have probably cost the Orcs countless lives, although they have killed thousands of humans, you’ve killed thousands of them. You’d seen the devastation it had caused on your end, the families torn apart from death, your own included. The women and children put in harms way. Suddenly your heart began to thump quicker with guilt.
“I’m sorry.” You blurted it out before you could stop yourself, the huge orc’s hand coming to a stop. The entire room pausing, quiet. He blinks up at you a little dumbfounded and confused. “I know it doesn’t count for much or make up for any of the devastation my kind has caused, but I am truly sorry for the pain you and your people have endured.”
There it was for the second time in the past twenty minutes, a pang in his big burly chest as he stared upon your beautiful otherworldly face. Now you had a kind heart too? Were you trying to kill him? He could understand it though, from what he was told it was your battle strategies that had caused his clan the most pain. A little warrior disguising herself as a little princess.
He merely grunts with a nod of acknowledgment but that was the best you were going to get and you knew that.
“Our princess, the sympathiser.”
“Are you not sympathetic of their woes General Luca?” You asked turning to see the older general glaring at you harshly, his lip curled in disgust.
“Of course I am your royal highness.” He spoke through gritted teeth.
“Pōnta emagon daor respect syt pōja royals.” They have no respect for their royals. One of the Orcs behind Techno spat.
“Ziry’ll emagon respect skori nyke pryjagon zȳhon pungos syt disrespecting zȳhon. Nykeā maybe zȳhon ȳrgos.” He’ll have respect when I break his nose for disrespecting her. Or maybe his neck. Techno grunted, a primal and feral sound belonging to only a beast….