Orc Girlfriend: Lyneth (rough draft)

I’ll admit it, working for the Polar royal family is intimidating. Working in the Polar is intimidating, period. Everyone here is so big, so prepared to face the harsh and bitter climate. As a halfling, I really don’t belong here, and sometimes I am reminded of that daily. Even the royal children are starting to grow taller than me now, and I have known them since they were newborns.

Czarina Katrina adores my work though and has appointed me as one of her artists in residence for the palace. I have made several statues for the gardens and halls, as well as some statues for the cathedral where Katrina grew up. I am proud to be able to freely create and produce my art here. I enjoy the Polar even if I am the only halfling in it.

Katrina has done wonders for education and the arts in the Polar. Whereas before it seemed everything was poured into military prowess, she has created an education reform that is remarkable. Her insistence on reinvigorating the dying arts of the Polar has her bringing in local artisans often. She provides them funding in order to get supplies to teach and spread the craft. Her ideals for strengthening the Polar are not just in physical might, but in everything the Polar has to offer.

“The more Polar culture is introduced to the world, the more we seep in, the more others are made aware. We become great through practice, we seize attention with how much better we can be.” Katrina said this often. It sounded vain at first, but I can now see what she means by this.

I teach sculpting at the cathedral, just one of the many classes that are held through it. But most of my work is done at the palace. I am often watched, which does not bother me as much as it used to. If one of the royal family is not watching, mostly Gregori’s grandmother, then there are guests of the family who watch. Lots of times it’s other artisans that she calls in.

“Emmon, dearest,” Grandmother said to me one day. “I think you will be falling in love soon.”

Grandmother was always spouting wild things. Gregori and Katrina believed she had a gift of future sight. I think she was just as batty as the day was long. “What makes you say that, Dowager mother?” I do try to play along for she is scary if you laugh.

“I say it because it is true. You will meet the future owner of your heart soon enough. Although I would be wary if I were you.”

I sat my tools aside and wipe my brow. Looking up at the statue I was working on, I still wasn’t sure what to do with her. I had the basic body chiseled out, but facial features and other things I still couldn’t see in my mind yet. “Why should I be wary?”

Grandmother chuckled in that sinister yet jovial way of hers. “You’ll see. I do not always give away the surprise.”

“I’ll be surprised?” I stand up and move towards her. “Why don’t I walk you back to your room. It’s getting close to tea time.”

“Feh,” she scoffed. She took my hand though and rose from her chair. For someone so old, she moved quite well. “You young folk don’t know how to listen. Wait until you’re grown.”

“I keep telling you, dowager mother, I am grown. I’m in my fifties, young for my people still, but grown.” I know halfling ages can be confusing for some, but Grandmother seems almost willing to forget.

“Young! You won’t be grown until you’re almost ready to die, like me. I was young a few years ago. You think you’re grown because of a number. Children, the lot of you! You don’t get to be grown until the cogs in here become greased.” She knocks her overly ring laden fingers against the side of my head. “That usually doesn’t happen until you get to be like me.”

“Even your grandson?”

“A baby! That wife of his is grown though, she matured fast. That’s why I like her.” Grandmother snorted then spit in the hallway. I’d been told she did this to destroy curses she saw. I really didn’t want to question.

I took Grandmother to the parlor where the royal family had tea together. Already Katrina was there along with a couple of guests. “Oh perfect,” Katrina extended her hand out. “Emmon, come and join us. I want to introduce you to the new artisans I’ve brought in.”

Grandmother cackled cryptically as she went to join her great-grandchildren. I strode forward, bowing to Katrina then turning to see the two guests. Both were orcs, one male and one female. They had mottled green skin with touches of pale brown mixed in. Their hair was pure white and tied back into a single thick braid.

“This is Lyneth and Llyr, and they have been studying under pottery masters since childhood.” Katrina said with a smile. “This is Emmon Northtook, a sculptor from the west, although he is more versed in Polar techniques these days. He’ll be the one leading the ice sculpting festival that’s soon to come.”

I bowed my head to them. “Nice to meet you both.”

“A halfling?” Lyneth said with some surprise. “Do you creature miniatures?”

Katrina gave her a stern glare. “Emmon created the two statues that greeted you at the gates. He may be small in stature, but he births mighty works.”

“Ignore my sister,” Llyr replied. “It is an honor to be here.”

Katrina offered me a seat which I took, and Mila poured me a cup of tea, while Nicolai offered me a slice of cake which had icing missing.

I am annoyed at Lyneth for the moment, but I am used to people underestimating me. “What sort of pottery is it you specialize in?” I asked. “Earthenware? Stoneware?”

“Porcelain,” Lyneth answered.

I am intrigued. Katrina does have many porcelain pieces around the palace. “I am not surprised, her majesty is fond of the craft.”

“I am well aware. She was insistent on bringing my brother and I here to the palace.” Lyneth gave me a look that made my skin crawl. “We will be working here at the palace to create a collection.”

This was surprising. A collection could mean anything from sets of statues like I have done, or a whole set of art pieces in a series. Collections were a lot of work to undertake.

Katrina sighed. “One for Mila and one for Nicolai. They will be gifted these collections when they get married. I know they are young, but I do so love planning ahead.”

This meant the siblings would be here for a long while. Possibly even years to complete this collection, especially since there will be two being made. And knowing Katrina she will want every single piece of the collection to be the best there can possible be.

Right away a workshop was being built for them on the palace grounds. Lyneth and Llyr oversaw the construction of the kiln, which would continue to be used on the premises for the future. I tried to stay in my workshop, but it was almost impossible not to cross paths with them. Llyr I didn’t mind, in fact I enjoyed talking to him. Lyneth, dare I say, was something else.

“Good afternoon, mighty halfling,” she would say to me in passing. Or she would giggle when I was nearby. Sometimes I would catch her staring at me and it would make my skin crawl and the back of my neck itch.

“Hard to believe you made such statues,” she would say. “You would think they were created by someone with twice your size.” This made me want to create something giant just to rub it in her face. But I doubt such a thing would do anyone any good. Who would ever want a giant statue?

One afternoon I was working on my current statue, Grandmother was watching me, but then Lyneth came into the room. She looked up at me upon the ladder and chuckled.

“Where did they find a chisel to suit your hands?” Lyneth asked.

“I had it made back home,” I grumbled.

Lyneth walked around my statue, tilting her head as she looked it over. “It has no face yet.”

“I haven’t decided what they are going to look like,” I replied.

“I bet your hands must make such fine details,” she laughed.

“Yes, I know that I am small,” I grumbled. “How very astute of you.”

Lyneth smoothed her hand over the stone. “How does one like you find their way into the Polar?”

I grimaced. “Same way most people do I suppose.”

“Such a hard trip,” Lyneth almost seemed to be rubbing salt into the wound.

“I know it may seem unbelievable to you, but during the spring the trip is fairly easy. I waltzed in.”

Lyneth snickered. “And I’m sure you looked quite elegant on those toes.”

I wanted to slam my chisel and hammer into the stone to make it shatter on her.

“Oh for goddess sake,” Grandmother suddenly blurted. “If you’re going to flirt like that, give me a chance to leave!”

“I know it’s been a while since you have done such a thing, dowager mother, but this is not flirting,” I scoffed.

Grandmother frowned and shook her head. “Not you. Her.” She pointed a ring heavy finger at Lyneth. “She’s flirting so hard and so badly it’s embarrassing!”

Lyneth’s cheeks had grown quite dark and she looked absolutely terrified. “I was-” She floundered with her words. “It’s not bad.”

Wait, Grandmother was right?

“Here in the Polar we are blunt! Don’t pussyfoot around the subject.” Grandmother stood and headed towards the door. “Just say what you want. Children!” She shuffled out the door and continued grumbling and huffing as she went.

Lyneth was quiet and it seemed like she was even afraid to move. She cleared her throat after a beat and pulled her braid over her shoulder to stroke. “Well-” She barely glanced at me before she started walking away.

“Is that what all that was?” I wasn’t going to let her get away. “All this teasing and picking, that was you trying to flirt with me?”

Lyneth stood frozen in the doorway. She turned back around a slight scowl upon her face. She shifted in place then came back into the room. “I didn’t mean for it to come off as teasing.”

“But it did.” I climbed off my ladder. “I thought you were making fun of me all this time.”

“I wasn’t!” She looked away from me, her face shaded darkly from her blushing. “Not intentionally anyways. I really didn’t mean it.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “You really were flirting?”

Lyneth stroked her braid again. “And if I was?”

I stood there for a moment as I tried to think about this. What if she was? Does that change anything? She’s been a thorn in my side, but that was just because I thought she was mocking me. It would certainly explain why she was always around. Back home I knew I was a catch. But here, I wasn’t so sure. My height wasn’t exactly a draw for anyone. The average height in the Polar was six feet for goodness sake! I consider myself a cute guy, but cute men aren’t in demand here. Bricks, that’s what is considered handsome here. Men with scars and muscle. Men who looked like they could cut glass by looking at it. I had freckles, soft cheeks, curly hair, there was nothing about me that suited Polar beauty standards.

“If you are, you need to apologize,” I said.

Her brows furrowed and she dropped her arms down to the side. “What for?”

“I thought you were being mean to me because I’m a halfling. I thought all this time you were poking fun at my size.”

Lyneth looked shocked. “My dad is short, why would I-” She stopped herself. “I’m sorry,” she finally huffed. “I thought I was being complimentary.”

“It didn’t come off that way,” I muttered.

Lyneth frowned and looked away. “My dad was made fun of for his size. I would hate to think I was doing it to anyone else.”

I sighed heavily. “Well, I’ll forgive. I am curious though, how short could your father have been to be made fun of?”

“My father is about this tall,” she raises her hand to her side. “A bit taller than you, but still quite small compared to the other orcs of his village. My mother loved him greatly though. And I fear I share her taste.”

This made my cheeks begin to flush. “You like short people?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “No one who has tried to court me has yet to catch my eye.”

I smiled softly then turned to look back at my statue. “Well, their loss I suppose. Having high standards isn’t exactly a bad thing.”

Lyneth shrugged. “I wouldn’t say high standards. Just short ones,” she chuckled playfully.

I looked back at her. “That was flirting.”

“Are you still having a hard time seeing it?” Lyneth gave an awkward smile. “Grandmother really knows how to hit a nerve. Huh?” She tried to laugh. She twisted and played with the ends of her braid. “I’ve never seen someone so astute and yet, so annoyed with it at the same time.”

I went back to chiseling, creating detail around the arm. I took inspiration from Lyneth’s arms while she was near. Her muscle tone was quite beautiful. I felt the need to put it into my work then and there. “You have no idea. The whole royal family thinks she has future sight,” I chuckled.

Lyneth looked up at me with a curious gaze. She tilted her head to the side, letting her braid fall off her shoulder. “And you don’t believe her?”

I shrugged then added some definition to the fingers. “I think she’s perceptive,” I said as I went back to the ladder. “But I don’t know how to believe in magic like that.”

Lyneth looked around the room, eventually walking over to the table with all my tools and supplies. She fiddled with a hammer for a moment then looked back up at me. “So you don’t believe in magic either?”

“I’ve never seen it. I think it’s possible, but-” I sat at the top of the ladder again. “Until I see it I can’t say for certain I believe.”

“Well,” she chuckled. “That explains a bit of how you couldn’t see me flirting.” She came back over to the statue. “You’ve never seen it before.”

I sneered down at her, seeing her smug smirk. “Maybe I didn't see it because you happen to be so awful at it.”

“Maybe that was because you were giving me nothing back in return.” She went to the other side of the statue. “Maybe now that you know, I’ll be able to do it properly.”

“I don’t think there is anything that can save you,” I laughed.

“Oh, but I would save you, Emmon,” she purred. “I would carry you out of any dangerous situation.”

I swallowed and looked back down at my statue. “Yes, well, luckily I’m not the type to get myself into such situations.”

Lyneth’s grin grew. “How would you know?”

I missed the statue and cleared his throat. “Is there a reason you’re lingering?”

“Actually yes,” Lyneth looked so proud of herself. “Tomorrow is the first day we will be running the kiln. I’ve invited the prince and princess to come make something with us that we can fire. I wanted to extend you the same offer.”

“I would like to see it,” I murmured. “But I have never made any sort of pottery, well, aside from carving things.”

Lyneth smirked up at me. “I’m a very good teacher.” Something about that sounded suggestive.

“I could come by and see things for myself.”

“I hope so. It’s going to be a pretty good day. Once everything is up and running, Llyr and I will begin the royal collections.”

I was quiet for a moment, focusing upon the statue before me. “What do you plan on doing? Has Katrina picked something specifically.”

“Why do you ask?” Lyneth came back to the ladder.

I shrugged, “Curiosity, and as a fellow artist, I do enjoy seeing the process of others.”

“Llyr and I have a specialty we learned from potters in Shimokobe. We make and fire the pieces, and then we break them.” She said this so simply, like it didn’t sound crazy.

“Why break them?”

Lyneth knew she had my attention captured. “Because then we make the pieces stronger, more beautiful. We fuse them back together using a mixture of gold and resin. It shows that one may become broken, but they can be forged back together into something beautiful and powerful. Katrina thought it was a suitable lesson for her children.”

“That’s actually fascinating,” I murmured. “I’ve never heard of such a technique.”

“I’ll be glad to show you the ropes. Perhaps your art could benefit in the process.” She motioned to my statue. “Perhaps the faceless one here could grow a face.”

I sighed. “I am struggling.”

“Then take a break,” Lyneth offered. “I find that when I am stuck, it is best to walk away and breathe. Perhaps seeing another artist at work will inspire you.”

I came down off the ladder and stood before her. “Well, now that I know you aren’t teasing me it could be an enjoyable experience.”

Lyneth’s thick brows perked up at this. “You will find that there is much you can enjoy with me, Emmon.” This, for certain, was suggestive. “I look forward to seeing you in the studio tomorrow.” She gave me a wink before she turned and went out the door.