Cathedra - Chapter 5: Forever

now pay attention: don't get too swayed by the fluff 😩

CW: sexual content, language

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She adjusted her grip at the back of his neck, letting one arm dangle at her side. It relieved the ache in that arm, but it was only a matter of time before it would give out, her legs eventually following. Her thighs already burned after bouncing in his lap for what felt like ages.

“Y’okay?” Nik breathed, his eyes still closed.

“Uh-huh,” she moaned, whimpering when the big hand that had been splayed between her naked breasts dragged down her soft stomach. She moaned and shuddered, her head dropping back when his thumb that had disappeared into her curls circled her bud.

He knew this spot well now. These past weeks of intimacy spent with his writhing Queen had taught him the ins and outs of her body, as well as what made her pleasure peak, this being the one spot that was always guaranteed to make her scream. He’d learned that just as he loved canvassing the plains of her supple body, she adored the way his hands could engulf her.

He felt the muscles clench and twitch below his hand still stretched across her belly, her body faltering and losing rhythm.

Nik cracked a small smile, feeding into the temptation to take his turn.

“We don’t have time for this,” Callie sobbed, the drops of her ass harsher. God, she wanted to scream and dig her nails into his chest every time his dick hit the back of her pussy, though she could’ve gone without how jarring it was every time he found his way in.

Just that first push in though, she rationalized with herself, circling her hips at his base. Nik inhaled sharply, his hands skipping up to her sides to keep her pinned.

Callie pulled herself in, his arms circling loosely around her as she ground in his lap. Low growls and groans rumbled from him, and she held his head against her chest when he dropped it there. She panted, face up towards the ceiling and biting her lip.The rubbing did to her what it did to him, hitting every delicious spot within her.

Nik hissed, his eyes cracking open. “Be nice,” he growled, her nails cutting into the back of his neck.

“Sorry,” she retracted her claws.

The pair looked between them after she leaned back, and Nik mumbled something unintelligible and non-English when she rocked, the smooth hill below her belly button pressing outward.

He exhaled harshly, his face pinching and teeth bared in a loose snarl.

“Fuck me,” he ground out, dragging her back and forth across his lap, his grip on her the only thing to keep him from floating away as he relished in the slippery passes in and out of her honeypot.

Feeling, and imagining how deep he was in her gut made him want to laugh because sometimes, he just couldn’t fucking believe that his life had taken such a turn, but one heavy eyed glance downward struck him with that delicious, juicy slap of reality.

“You’re making that face again,” she giggled.

“Shut up,” he snapped with a cold glare and hot cheeks, but she only snorted in the face of his anger, pushing off her feet to bob in his lap.

Callie watched him tense and cry, smothering her own to listen to the way her Orcish lover, who’s mere size was enough to intimidate most, melted into a helpless puddle of moans and twitches.

Nik’s eyes dragged to the tall doors across the great hall their thrones sat in, ensuring that their guests waiting on the other side had not yet heard them.

It must sound like applause in here, he chuckled under his breath, the clapping sometimes echoing loudly off the stone walls.

“How long are we staying with your tribe?” she asked breathlessly as her movements became progressively sluggish, her stamina waning.

“A week,” he growled. His body felt electric when she tightened around his dick after his big hands slid to her cheeks, bringing her up and down when she’d grown too winded. Every impact was met with a short moan, her body craving the next thrust again and again.

He glanced at the doors again, his eyes heavier. With a low groan he wrapped his thick arms around her waist and stood, startling a sharp yelp from her.

“Why?” she asked exasperatedly, letting him spin and press her back into the seat of his wide, decorated throne. He could let her weight rest below him in the seat, his hands slipping behind her thighs to push them to her chest.

“We didn’t have time for it,” he cracked, glancing down to see where he poked. Her pussy was flushed from fucking, her juices still coating his skin.

“But we have time for this?” she glared with her ankles atop his shoulders and a fine sheet of sweat coating the skin of her chest.

Nik leaned far in, his hips following the drop and his dick squeezing in.

He smiled although she could not see the toothy leer with her eyes firmly shut. Her arms fell uselessly beside her when he pumped at a leisurely speed, the sound of their flesh sliding together louder than the deep breaths that expelled from her body every time he pushed in.

Oh how she wished she could just draw these moments out instead of rushing through them.

Through the numerous fucks filling the two weeks after their first time, she had realized there was only the most limited time to bask in these gentler moments where she could look up at him and see her emotions reflected on his face.

This also wasn’t the first time she’d wanted him to close the distance between them and kiss her.

She had felt the sharp tusks at her chest when he’d first asked if he could taste her skin. On the third time they’d ever fucked, he mumbled the question with his fingers buried deep in her cunt. It took only seconds for him to rip her dress apart after she’d said yes, his massive hands pushing her breasts up into his hot mouth. She remembered the most intense wave of goosebumps overtaking her body as his tongue wrapped around her tingling nipple, mindful of his teeth when he sucked on the thin flesh.

She wondered if they would poke her lips if they ever closed the intimate space between them in positions like this, but she’d never had the courage to make the move. It wasn’t something that bothered her terribly, not when he so perfectly fucked her like this whenever the moment found them.

“Taking your time?”

Her eyes snapped open. “Shut up,” she tried to smack his forehead, but Nik’s reflexes were sharp as ever and he snatched her wrist.

“Keep your hands to yourself, wench,” he played, snickering when she tried to use her other hand, but he caught that one too. Now both of her wrists were pinned against her stomach, and with a shimmy of his shoulders, her ankles dropped.

“Fuck you!” she spat, twisting her arms in his strong hold.

“I’m trying, your Majesty,” he puffed with a tired smile. Nik leaned into his hand, his pace increasing and their skin slapping together.

She choked and stiffened, a familiar pressure starting to expand in her stomach. “Hurry up then,” she forced out.

He nodded loosely, saliva pooling in his mouth upon watching her breasts bounce. “Can you make it?” he asked breathlessly.

Callie shook her head, squirming fervently below him. “Just, just finish,” she slurred.

He chuffed lowly, panting, watching her pitiful attempts at hiding her pleasure. “C’mon,” he urged. “I can tell you’re almost there,”

He moaned when her walls fluttered around him, her back arching off the seat. It would come crashing down around her soon, but instead of running towards that end, she was hesitating again, soaking in the sensation of having him exactly where she wanted him.

It was a treat to watch her like this. Moaning, sighing and writhing, those big sparkling eyes flickering to his as he fucked her.

It was like this everytime. The pep talks he gave himself before scoping her out in the castle could never linger long enough to keep him on track. It would take but one gaze upon her to turn his mind backwards, the more logical side of him gladly stepping out so he could bathe in these brief visits to heaven.

I just can’t help it with her.

Nik shuddered, a low wave of distorted pleasure signaling that his end was approaching.

“Cal,” he chuffed, his breaths coming in deep heaves and his pace slowing.

“It’s okay,” she moaned, her sore wrists finally freed and her touch moving up his chest to feel his heart pound under her palm. “Cum,” she encouraged, watching his eyes slide shut and head hang when it finally happened.

A few of his loud cries echoed through the hall as he emptied, and she could feel the pulses in his meat as he laid motionless in her after a few more slow pumps, his head pressed snug against her womb. His body rocked with deep breaths and his arms shook, at last looking at her with tired eyes and a goofy smile.

Her brows raised. “Are you done?” She tried to ask cooly, but she hadn’t finished and it was aching.

“Mhm,” he mumbled, looking down to watch where he pulled out. Callie grunted, the pressure in her stomach freeing. Nik slapped his wet dick against her lower stomach a couple times, smiling deviously at her and saying, “That one should do it,”

What a freak! “Says the one who hasn’t been able to do it in two weeks,” she pushed against his stomach with her foot so he’d stumble back.

Nik looked at her in shock as she stood with unsteady knees, her thighs pinched tight together. “How do we know it’s me? What if it’s you?” he retaliated, reaching for his pants as he pointed at her.

She looked at him as she pulled her dress back up around her breasts. “It’s not me,”

“It’s not me!?” he boomed, and she shushed him vehemently. “It’s not me!”

“IT WAS A JOKE,” she wanted to shake him, but the loud knock from the double doors drew them both to look over. That was Morn’s signal that they would be entering within seconds.

“Impatient,” Nik growled, finishing the ties at his hips and fastening his thick cloak back at his shoulders.

He finished just as she’d scooped their heavy crowns up off the ground, shoving it under his nose when he looked down at his father’s creation with malice.

“Just a few more hours,” she reminded, her arm growing tired from holding it up. How does he hold his head up when it’s on?

Nik took it begrudgingly, placing it on his head with a low growl, but drew his cloak closed and crossed his arms angrily. She giggled, placing her own crown atop her head after fixing her long hair that was likely tangled at the back of her skull.

“Who’s out there?” he asked, finding his place before his throne and turning towards the empty hall. He found himself having to shake some of the wobbles from his legs; he wouldn’t be caught weak kneed around the ones who didn’t respect him as their King.

“Humans only, today,” she answered lightly, her hand slipping into his arm and waiting.

He snorted. Especially not humans.

“Good thing they can’t smell you right now,” he squared his shoulders as he teased, a cocky grin splayed across his tusked lips.

She jabbed her elbow into his side just as the doors opened, smiling at his low grunt.

Their guests whose faces were painted and caked in mismatched tones poured in, arms raised in mock elegance and looking every which way at the hall Nik and Callie had both had a hand in re-designing. They chattered and cooed, pointing here and there as they fawned over the hall they’d seen repeatedly but still gushed over in hopes of gaining a sliver of praise from their Queen. But Callie’s stiff stare remained absolute even as one by one they came before their King and Queen to bow and reveal the gifts they’d brought on the momentous day.

“This was cutting it too close,” she whispered to him.

“If you’d let me fuck you this morning you wouldn’t have it leaking down your thigh right now,” he whispered back.

“You were dripping wet and took your time tearing the kitchen apart,” she whispered hotly, but he remained unphased.

Rugs, food, silks, exotic animals- all were gifted to the Royal rulers that were to be officially married that day, the presents piling against the far end of the hall where servants scrambled to manage the hissing servals and a laughing hyena. The pair watched in masked amusement, unbelieving of the chaos that had poured in so quickly.

The last of the flashy guests finished presenting, but not a single gift had been shown even the slightest interest from the King and Queen, further unsettling the wary visitors that had once ruled these lands.

Nik’s ears twitched, watching the guests he didn’t care for mingle and whisper, often glancing up at the two sat in their thrones and observing the party around them.

“They have a lot to say about you,” he looked at her, and she followed his eyes to the three women huddled and smiling brightly at Callie once her eyes met theirs. They were quite droopy looking, with the silliest of features between them they could’ve been a child’s rendition of three poorly dressed trolls.

She scoffed. “They should worry about the things I have to say about them,”

Nick chuckled. “They’re probably trying to see if you’re showing yet,”

“Your people won’t have to see to know we still haven't succeeded,” she whispered softer. The anxiety over the issue had steadily risen as the days passed and she didn’t fall pregnant, and today being the first time she would ever ride out to his home meant her nerves had been at a steady rattle all day.

“I have it under control, Calista,” he again told her, but nothing would calm her fear that once stepping close enough to another Orc after weeks of avoiding it, they’d call out their secret and her world would come crashing down.

Her concern was obvious, but she could only trust that whatever he had planned to douse her scent would be enough to fool a few hundreds worth of Orcs.

Callie nodded, looking back out to the guests filling the hall with talking and laughter.

She wanted all of these people gone and to quietly contemplate the day that was to come, meaning having a back-up plan ready in case Nik’s back-up plan failed, whatever it was.

Everyday his nose would press to her neck or hair in search of the telltale signs that he’d at last laid a baby in her, but so far it had been only disappointment that met the busy pair. Each time it was found she wasn’t pregnant, it sparked urgency in the pair, thus meaning that whenever the moment found them would be where it happened.

Somehow they had not yet fucked in a bed, but had ended up by the willows, in the kitchen and even the staircase leading to the watchtower. Her screams had echoed in empty halls and out in the trees surrounding the castle, sometimes muffled into his palm when her cries of delicious agony grew too powerful. And although he could make her face red with fury in a split second, it was from those fights that the colorful memories she held closest were created.

It was exactly how a mere half dial ago they had gone from screaming in each other’s faces to Callie pushing him back into his throne and crawling into his lap right before they were to host a party for their official wedding.

Yet even amongst the fighting, the deception, even while he so adoringly cradled her body against his in the heat of the moment, she wondered if this was the normality of a couples life together. A rulership and the stumbling kingdom that followed their lead should’ve turned her green with worry, but as soon as Nik would show up, her trepidations felt so meek.

If he were to tell her everything was okay even with the castle on fire, she’d believe him, so when he said he had everything under control, she believed him again.

Callie watched him. He was doing nothing more than quietly observing the vast room and it’s occupants, but this calming presence alone brought peace, happiness even; something no other had ever done.

The intensity she once thought was lust upon seeing her King had bloomed into her first love, and today she was to be married without knowing if he at all had similar feelings.

Love was never an option for you, Callie. She turned away, sighing softly.

When the priests came with their ceremonious robes and swords, Callie didn’t face them with nerves as she thought she would on her wedding day.

Instead, she found confusion occupying her heart. This had been the day she dreamed of, to finally solidify her place at the head of Cathedra, but these thoughts were the farthest from her mind.

How had she let her emotions slip from the careful control of her grasp? She wasn’t supposed to be concerning herself with whether the King loved her in return, or even held any emotions remotely close to love.

But as they faced one another, she found herself wanting nothing more than to have this moment in privacy. She didn’t want strangers' faces peering up at them in false elation, or the priests praying from their bibles and the servants- she only wanted this moment to be theirs.

All she could do as the ceremony started was focus on him as their matching swords and fitted robes were bestowed upon them, the first blood across their blades being their own. Although their marks had healed from their first pact long ago, the blade was still drawn across the crescent scar in her palm before their palms joined.

Callie looked up to find him looking down at her with impassion, ears twitching as the vows were told and the mingling blood dripping from their hands was collected into small vials they both would wear about their bodies for the remainder of their lives.

“Death will never find this union, for your commitment will carry into the afterlife,” the head priest dressed in robes of black silk and pearl white crosses brought the twisted dagger he carried against their hands, his blade ringing and glowing.

Nik took a hesitant step back, gripping her hand tighter when feeling the blade grow icey.

“This day marks your souls tying so you may find one another in a different life, and carry on the duty bestowed. The child you bear will carry on the Code of Cathedra and lead our people to golden lands of prosperity,”

They looked at one another, controlling their little smiles.

The blade dulled, the warbling around its length softening until it was silent, and removed from their hands. No mark or cut had come to harm them, but they both felt as if they’d received a shock up their arms.

She got to see the splendor in his eyes when presented with the polished, black crown she’d had carved from the plates of a Stellar Dragon, its weight matching that of one made from steel. The one he’d worn with malice was taken from his head, and the new one shining with bloody rubies and the points painted in the red paint from his tribe was placed upon his skull. His head rocked side to side in test of its weight, a shy smile splaying across his face when he looked at her.

His shoulders squared, his back a little straighter. This was a crown he would be proud to wear.

He too got to see her eyes twinkle in unrepressed thrill when the much more delicate crown that would decorate her hair was brought into light, the baby pink crystal melted into the sharpened studs that made the crown making her heart sore. She could not resist first to reach and touch the braided band crafted at the base of the crown. Her disbelief showed across her wondered expression as she looked up at him again, surprised that he’d had a hand in designing something so pretty.

He grinned as she did when the crown fit her head perfectly, undisruptive of the pretty waves in her dark hair.

“By the power bestowed from this holy union, I now present the rightful and true King and Queen of Cathedra,” the priest's booming voice rang in the halls, their visitors standing from their seats that Nik and Callie turned to face.

“King Nik and Queen Calista, guard our holy land and uphold the Code that shelters these people with peace and bountiful life. To you, we trust our lives.” He finished, and the room silenced into a bow before their leaders.

Nik shuddered. “Why do humans do this?” he hissed at her.

Her brows furrowed, hushing him.

Their guests stood, but only to find their young leaders walking away towards the back of the room, Morn coming to stand where they once did with a polished Knight beside her, his crystal spear forever at his side.

“Your King and Queen apologize that they’re expected at neighboring lands for royal matters, but encourage you to enjoy the rest of your day in the castle and the food they’ve provided.” Morn announced, bowing her head and wasting no time in following the same path as her leaders did before when exiting the room.

Before they walked out of the matching set of doors that were hidden behind tall floor to ceiling curtains, Nik looked back to chuckle at the way they all stood gaping and confused after watching them walk off like that.

“You humans are so bizarre,” he commented. Callie looked back at him before splitting off into a separate room to change, Nik carrying on with his chiefs and advisors.

“The red or the purple, My Lady?” Morn asked, the two dresses draped across her arms.

“Uhh,” Callie pondered. “Purple. I need to lay to rest that nickname I keep hearing,”

“I think it’s quite deserving, actually,” Morn shrugged.

Callie glanced at her, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Do you think so?”

“The Crimson Queen is a name I’d fear before I respect, but that’s exactly what you need in a twisted nation like Cathedra,” Morn reasoned, the dress slipped over her head and pulling at the ribbons across her back.

“As long as I’m not looked at in the same light as my mother I’ll take it,” she mumbled. “Bring the red one for tomorrow.”

“What was that you were saying in there?” she asked, meeting Nik in the courtyard at the center of the castle with Morn and her advisors.

His brows furrowed, matching her pace as she approached. “Oh, I was saying the way humans bow to one another is weird,”

“Why?”

“Just because I’m a King doesn’t mean I need you to be so openly submissive to me like that all the time,” he cringed. “You’re still a person, that doesn’t change,”

“Hm,” she nodded, facing forward on their way to the stables across the castle. “I never looked at it that way,”

When they arrived, a small group made up of Knights and Nik’s men were waiting for them with their horses packed and ready for travel, but upon finding Lyuda in the crowd, Callie only found herself circling in the mud a few times in search of her stallion.

“Come, my Queen,” Nik’s hand against her back brought her alongside him.

“Where is he?” she asked, stopping beside Lyuda who instantly bumped her cheek with her soft nose.

“You won’t need him,” Nik told her, double checking the girth strap.

Her face mushed against Lyuda’s gentle nickers, pushing her giant head aside. “Am I no longer invited?” she asked as he went about lifting his horses hooves to check their condition.

Nik snorted. “Of course that’s what you would think first. You’re riding with me today,”

She blinked a few times as she processed being pressed against his firm back for that ride. “Why?”

“You’ll see,” he grunted, letting the horse’s last hoof down. “But first,”

From Lyuda’s back he pulled down the fabric she had not paid any mind to, the thick material unraveling like the ripples of a waterfall. Its color matched Nik’s cloak, but the golden embroidery that consisted of beads and jewels absolutely took her breath away. She touched the unique material, looking up in confusion when he draped it around her shoulders.

“For me?” she asked, looking down to observe him clasp it at the front with a small iron hook.

“For you,” he affirmed, stepping back to watch her pull the cloak in around her arms, her nose burying in the material. Goosebumps rose across her arms; it smelled like him.

“Did you make this?”

“I only told them what I had in mind,” he admitted, happy to see he’d correctly judged its length despite repeatedly telling himself there was no way he couldn’t remember how tall she was.

She smiled, her hands smoothing over her shoulders and down the edges. “I adore it,”

God, that seldom seen smile made his heart weep. It only appeared in moments of privacy rather than intimacy, and those opportunities to spend honest time together were equally rare.

What he would give to go on another walk with her to just talk.

“Everything is ready to go, your Highness,” Morn approached them, bowing her head.

Callie’s face soured. “No more bowing, please, but thank you Morn,”

“Oh,” Morn piped. “Your wish is my command.” She smiled, turning heel and walking back to the group she’d been collecting with.

Nik was a little taken aback; he hadn’t expected his brief rant of disgust to so quickly stick with her. “We’re off then,”

She stepped back and watched Nik easily pull himself up onto Lyuda’s back, tugging gently on her reins to steady the small steps she pressed into the muddy ground after storms had plagued their day.

“Come,” Nik reached a hand down, gripping her forearm carefully when she held onto his. With an easy lift that made her stomach flip, she was situated on the massive horse behind him, their bodies pressed tight and left with no choice but to hold his sides.

“I’ve never seen a Queen travel like that,” one of Nik’s men commented as he strolled by on his own silver draft, nodding kindly to Callie as he passed.

“Why are we traveling like this?” she asked, looking back at the numerous Orcs and men following them with their swords ready in case of an ambush. “No one else is sharing a horse,”

“You’ll see,” Nik only responded, his heels tapping Lyuda’s sides gently.

Callie’s hands rested at his hips when the group moved, leaning around his wide shoulders to see where they were headed before she turned head to observe the people around them.

Her eyes met Jakob’s, who she had not realized had been with them. She was quite used to his glare now where it used to unease her, but after realizing Jakob was more bark than bite, she found the most effective way to deter his looks was to just stare right back.

So she did, even grinning and waving when he visibly tried to dominate the glaring battle.

He rolled his bright golden eyes at her, snapping at his dun stallion and cantering past them.

Nik furrowed his brows watching his brother take off before them, glancing back at Callie who wore a small smirk.

“I told you to leave him be,” he scolded.

“How else do you expect us to get used to each other if we don’t even talk?” she asked.

“He just needs time,” Nik replied, his white eye looking back at her.

“You’re babying him,” she whispered, her chin on his shoulder blade.

Irritation erupted across his features immediately. “Shut your mouth,”

“Make me,” she fired back, knowing the blush that she could feel on her ears was obvious to him, but still couldn’t stop staring up at that mean glare.

Nik knew better than to halt their journey that had only just begun, but the obsessive thought of fucking her until his name echoed through the trees could only follow the sensation of her fingertips brushing the tops of his thighs.

It was near impossible to pull away from her gaze, not even when the soft sprinkling of rain hit their cheeks and heads.

A soft clap of thunder made her eyes flutter, the glamour falling and Nik turning forward again flustered as all hell.

She smiled listening to him mumble and chuff while he pulled the hood to his cloak up, following his lead when the sprinkles turned heavier.

Her crimson cloak fanned generously around her legs and even across Lyuda’s rump, shielding her from the weather and crisp breeze rolling through. Admiring the work of the fabric was bittersweet; while she adored the gift, she wondered if Nik had fought to have his people make this for her, a human.

She looked ahead at Jakob who’s own fur cloak was wrapped snugly around him, his bald head still out and on a swivel at all times.

What if the others hated her just as much as he did? Is he ready to accept that could happen?

“Nik?” she said his name softly. He turned his hooded head towards her. She opened her mouth to speak, but struggled; she felt foolish. “I’m nervous,”

“About meeting my people?” he asked, and glanced back to see her nodding. “They will not harm you if that’s what you’re afraid of,”

“I don’t- that’s not what I’m worried about, I’m worried they’re going to all feel the same way as him,” she gestured towards Jakob, Nik following her direction. “I know you’ve faced the same back at the castle but I’ve never done this before,” she expressed.

Truly he understood her worries as well as he did his own, and although walking through the castle or the kingdom's grounds was easier than it was before, he still remembered the day it all happened, and how fearful he was even of the servants.

“Even though some are bound to dislike you, the worst that can happen is just that, Calista,” he told her. “I will be by your side the entire time we’re there, and I can guarantee the most hate you’ll receive is your daily dose of Jakob’s glares,”

Callie giggled, hiding her smile from the others with her hood.

“I almost forgot,” Nik exclaimed under his breath, reaching back into one of the bags perched on Lyuda’s side. He dug and grunted until finally sitting straight again, but Callie couldn’t see what he messed with.

“Here,” he reached a hand back, and from his palm she grabbed a small, white, dainty flower with brilliant red spots all about it’s pedals. “Eat it,”

She looked up at him. “Excuse me?”

“It will make your scent increase,” he whispered, moving his hood to look at her. “Eat it,”

“How will that help?”

“Pregnancy doesn’t have a scent, it’s yours just… amplified. This does what your body will do when it eventually happens,” he explained.

She eyed the flower, hesitant. “Does it taste bad?”

“Unfortunately,” he confessed, and he could hear her groan. Nik didn’t turn so she wouldn’t see his grin as he listened to her chew and gag on the flower. “Don’t you dare puke on my horse,”

“I’d aim for you before the horse.” She coughed, the awful taste coating her tongue.

The trek was filled with deep mud and crossing streams that were swollen with rain, but traveling under the protective canopy of the forest saved them all from getting soaked. Callie had not yet taken the path Nik and his men had made after countless journeys up the mountain, but it was much easier to ride through then the steep one she’d always taken.

The trees were green and lush, multitudes of forest birds calling around them even with the gentle sprinkles filtering through the leaves above. She smiled and hid her blush against his back when he whistled the three tone note that was instantly picked up by the nearby Ora birds, stirring a disgusted glare at their flirtatious behaviour from Jakob.

After the easy hour of riding and the soft conversation between the ones traveling dwindled, the vast, sprawling meadow Nik’s tribe made home in finally started to come into view between the dark trees. She couldn’t understand the Orcish words Nik used when speaking to his brother and men, but they raced off into the meadow, likely to scan its surroundings to make sure no enemy was laying in wait.

“What’ll happen when we get there?” she asked, pushing her hood down.

“Change, marry, eat the rest of the day and celebrate. Normal wedding,” he replied cooly, but still felt some unrest. There was no predicting exactly what would unfold today.

He snapped from his daze when he caught her soft snort. “This isn’t a normal wedding,”

“That should make it more exciting then,” he smirked back at her, carrying on into the field when Jakob signaled.

She could see small fires lit around the numerous tents, the tops of heads moving here and there starting to appear as the distance closed.

“I almost forgot again,” he suddenly said, pulling her arm forward. He pressed his nose against her inner wrist, his breaths tickling her skin as he sniffed. “It worked,”

She smelled the same spot he did when he let her go, but couldn’t smell any difference. “What do I smell like?”

“Yourself, you oaf,” he played, taking the hard jab in his side.

There was a group of women dressed in colorful robes and wraps waiting for them upon their approach through the long grass, their kind smiles framed by flowers and vines that had been crafted into headdresses and decorative pieces. Little ones and curious adults quickly gathered when their King came into view, tightly packed together and chattering loudly.

Callie pressed her face to his back one last time, struggling to gather her nerves.

She understood now how he must’ve felt coming to the castle; she really had been insensitive to the matter.

Almost all smiled and waited for the horses to stop, the men that had tagged along sliding off their horses and greeting their families and friends, Jakob included.

Callie reluctantly let Nik go when Lyuda stopped beside the women, his leg throwing over her crest and landing on his feet before turning to her.

“You’ll be okay,” he whispered, reaching to grab her sides after pulling her leg over.

She had no choice but to trust him. Callie too landed on her feet with his help, facing the Orcs who all held flowers and fruit in some of their arms, but almost all smiled or showed a look of endearment. Her heart still raced, but it was already off to a better start than she’d anticipated.

Nik’s hands landed on her shoulders when standing behind her.

“Everyone, this is your new Queen and my wife, Calista,” he announced in Orcish, her name being the only thing she recognized.

She flinched when they all exclaimed, the bundles in their arms she thought were flowers actually being thousands upon thousands of pedals now thrown into the air and sprinkling all around them. She was approached by the women amongst the clamor and excitement, braided vines decorated by colorful leaves and flowers weaved into the plants. They spoke to her as they wrapped them gently around her shoulders, smiling around their carved tusks.

She glanced back at Nik when they led her away, a separate group of women surrounding Nik to prepare him also. With Morn coming to her side though she found it easier to depart from him, trusting the small smile he gave her. With a nervous grin and leaning heavily on Morn to help translate, she followed the woman who studied her hair and passed orders back and forth as they approached a tent.

Jakob approached Nik, scowling at the Queen as their people ushered her away.

“You’re not going to supervise her?” He asked, and faced Nik’s puzzled expression.

“She’s not a child,”

“She’s never been here before,”

Nik shrugged. “She needs to get used to how it is,”

“What if she says something stupid to them?” Jakob pressed.

“She won’t,” Nik scoffed, following his own mob of Orcs that led him through the tribe towards his tent to ready him for the wedding that they’d been preparing days for.

“You can’t predict how a human will act around us,“

Nik looked at him flatly. “You really think we need to be on alert with her? The one who’s marrying me? The Orc?” He asked, waiting for it to register.

“That’s not what I mean-“

“Think about your words before speaking next time, Jakob.” Nik finished, the look to his brother more pleading than demanding.

Nik walked into his tent with the chattering women, his brother left flustered and irritated before turning to stand guard outside his King’s tent, but not without a few loud, angry chuffs.

It had not been the way Nik wanted to start this arrival back home, especially when his brother was already so reluctant to join him when the time came to seal his fate to the human he so despised, but Callie’s words had resonated in him since that ride.

He needed his Hand of the King to be sharp and vigilant no matter how his emotions affected him, but maybe allowing him so much time to stew in that negativity had had the opposite effect Nik hoped for.

Later, he reminded himself. There were more urgent matters to tend to.

It didn’t quitte strike home what was coming until Nik’s hand, which had already been sliced into that day, was prepared for but another ceremony. They painted his dark skin with the reflective reddish, purple-y paste made from flowers and berries, and stung upon sitting on his skin. On his face, down his arms, even across his chest it all went, his crown replaced on his head when they’d finished helping him dress.

Nik placed the blood vial back around his neck himself before he exited the tent, again facing his brother who looked him up and down in shock.

“You’re really doing this?” Jakob asked quietly.

“Did you think before you spoke?” Nik asked angrily.

“I am asking as a brother concerned for his own. Are you sure you want to do this with your life?”

He could hear the sincerity in his voice, and before him saw the veil of anger fall when speaking his true words of concern.

“I have been sure about this decision for my life, not yours. That’s all I have to say about it anymore, Jakob.” Nik made clear, letting the silence pass between them when seeing Jakob process what he really meant.

And he understood that this was it. All the questions that had been answered but were to his dissatisfaction would always be so, just as the decisions Nik would make from here on out, but it wasn’t his burden to carry like it had been when growing up.

He nodded, dropping his eyes when Nik walked away.

Repercussions wouldn’t come to strike across his skin just because his twin brother had done something wrong, like their father had beaten into them. Nik was tied to this great duty, and although Jakob had taken on his own, he, like his brother had become, was free to do what he pleased.

He followed Nik with his eyes up but lost in his own thoughts, the world around him taking on a new perspective- that was before the women who had dressed Nik snagged him by the arms to drag him into the same tent and prepare him as well.

They found one another again when the sun was setting, and the remaining light was shining against the paint on her bare arms and cheeks. He was awestruck upon approaching his Queen, then left completely breathless when she looked at him. Callie was draped in thin robes that cascaded down her form elegantly, flowers of the same colors collected in her hair and on her crown in pretty bunches.

He found it difficult to speak even as they made their way to each other and to the spot they would exchange hands. He’d not felt the impact of this momentous day until standing with her small hands sliding into his palms, her wrists covered in the braids and bracelets crafted by the women who’d dressed her.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, and she nodded with a smile.

“You could’ve told me they were going to bathe me,” she whispered, evoking a chuckle from Nik.

“Was it bad?”

“Morn said they kept saying I was hairy,” she replied hotly, bringing forth another laugh.

They quieted as the others gathered, hundreds of Orcs alone or with their families coming to surround the couple joined in hand before the head priest of the tribe. He was tall, taller than Nik and much bulkier, but in his hands he gently held the bracelets they’d exchange and the silk that would surround their hands.

Nik watched her breathing increase when the crowd silenced, the priest stepping closer.

“Don’t be nervous,” Nik whispered, catching her attention and giving her hand a light squeeze.

She listened to the priest speak in words she couldn't understand and to each of them, wrapping their hands in the white silk that was heavier than she expected. He gestured to Nik, and he said his own name, then pointing to her so she could say her own.

There was a warm sensation that was hidden by the silk, and when it was removed she found the same bracelets he’d been carrying now around her wrist.

Her eyes widened in surprise; how had he done that?

“From this day,” the priest spoke English, further surprising her. “Your devotion will be the shields upon your back, and your guidance will light each other's way. When eternity ends, you will still be joined at the hand to take on the struggles that lovers face together,”

Their palms were upturned again, but Callie tensed and flinched when the small, less flashy blade then the Priests at her castle was drawn from his hip and pulled smoothly across their skin.

“Here today, you promise everlasting, and today here this promise cannot be shattered,” he pushed their palms together, his massive hands clasping over them. “Do you swear?” he looked at Callie, his missing eye making his face twist into an angry frown.

“I swear,” she looked at Nik. I do.

“Do you swear?” he then asked Nik.

“I swear,” he promised her.

“Blessed by our ancestors who guide us to the next day and the ones who shower our lands with life, I name King Nik and Queen Calista of Cathedra, husband and wife.”

Callie flinched, but smiled when the crowd around them erupted in shouting and cheering, something she’d not expected after witnessing multiple, silent weddings at the castle, but she found herself laughing when flowers were thrown into the air all around them, landing against her head and shoulders as they tumbled back down from the sky.

Just as she’d turned to face her new husband, his big hands she could recognize with her eyes closed gently held her face, his lips sealing hers in a soft kiss.

Callie’s world shifted so fast it made her stomach knot, and the noise around them for a moment was silenced when she could solely focus on him, and how his thumbs swiped besides her eyes before he parted just a hairs worth to kiss her again.

She held onto his wrists, her heavy eyes closed and body alive with the intensity.

Callie’s eyes lingered shut a few seconds after he pulled away, meeting one another's steamy gazes.

“Why did you do that?” she asked when his hands fell from her face and he grabbed one of hers.

“Keep up appearances,” he answered.

“Yeah,” she smiled, mild upset flickering across her face. Appearances.

“C’mon, let’s eat.” He pulled her by the hand gently, waiting when she hesitated, and only moving when she did.

Her heart both sang and wept when his thick arm curled around her, holding her tight to his side as they made their way through the crowd that cheered and sprinkled them in blessed water and grains. They laughed and covered their faces, the widest smile she’d seen from him gracing her when she looked up.

God- how could he fake that happiness? Could someone even be capable of such deception?

Even if this day has been orchestrated for purposes outside of love, did he not feel even the slightest hint of compassion?

He hoped by the time they made it to the wide fire they sat at the head of upon skins she could see his intentions had not all been simply for appearances. Nik kept her tight to his side, a hand always rested at her thigh or hand, often turning to whisper what his people spoke of.

She’d felt his breath brush her shoulder when watching a performance, waiting with tingling skin for his lips to rest there, but it never came. She tensed every time he drew close to her, but every time it didn’t happen she cursed herself for being so easily swayed by such immature emotions.

All of this is for appearances, don’t forget.

“How are you feeling?” he asked around a mouthful of food when they’d all sat to eat, the chatter around them loud with robust conversation and laughter, but she could still hear his rough voice perfectly so close like this.

“I’m good, actually,” she nodded, looking out. “I thought this would be scary but it’s been fun,”

“It has?”

She nodded. “When I was getting ready I don’t think they knew what to do with my hair,” she giggled, touching the flowers braided into her tresses. “But I like how they did it,”

“You look very pretty,” he spoke without thinking.

She felt her exterior weaken, her heart weep. Shut up you confusing, stupid, handsome son of a bitch.

Callie cleared her throat. “If it’s always this lively here I can’t imagine our eventual child would want to grow up anywhere else,”

“Not even at your beloved castle?”

She glared and swatted his thigh. “Enough about my castle! If my parents hadn’t been so poor with its care it would be a beauty. But, yes, not even the castle. I don’t want them to grow up looking at the same stone walls I did everyday,” she recalled grimly, her mood dampening.

Nik felt the energy shift, her eyes distancing.

“That ride alone isn’t something I’d want to make often,” she added, snapping back into reality.

“Oh!” he piped up, quickly standing. With a final bite of the food he’d been digging into, he dropped it at his feet. “I need to show you something,”

“What?” she asked, pulled to her feet against her own will and away from the fire. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see. We’ll be fine, Jakob,” he told his brother while passing.

“Hello, Jakob,” Callie grinned, just to see him glare.

Jakob only nodded his head.

Her head spun faster than he’d ever seen an arrow fly as they passed, staring at him in surprise as Nik continued to drag her away.

“He spoke to me!” she hissed excitedly to Nik, turning to wave but did not receive the gesture in return.

“He didn’t say anything,”

“That’s a whole lot to say on his terms, though.”

Through the tents connected by thin sand paths made between the homes and small booths covered for the night he led her away from the glow of the fire and laughter, their path still lit enough by torches to see they were coming upon a grove of apple trees. In the quiet of the field were the horses they all herded, massive drafts of every coat pattern grazing peacefully in the crisp wind that made the grass hiss around her hips. They turned their big ears to the couple as they walked by, some greeting Nik in search of treats and others sleeping with their babies at their sides.

“I see Lyuda,” she smiled, reaching to smooth her palm against the shedding fur across her crest. The horse’s ears perked forward, following Nik close behind when they passed.

They wandered deeper into a small gathering of horses clustered together, and with a few shoves from Nik against the beasts that flared their nostrils at him, a smaller breed was revealed at the center, its striking chestnut and white markings making her gasp.

“Is that a Vanner?” she asked in awe, approaching the horse slowly.

“It is,” Nik smiled, watching her.

The horse was young, but friendly, unflinching when she stepped forward to stroke the blaze on its face. Its creamy white mane was brushed and tied into a loose braid made from the stems of wild flowers, its tail decorated with small blooms.

“He’s quite gorgeous,” she mumbled, completely captivated by the gentle giant.

“She is, and she’s yours,”

Callie turned to face him, her mein amiss. “Excuse me?”

“She’s a gift,”

She was still silent, stepping to better face him. “Excuse me?!”

“It’s why I told you not to bring that stupid stallion of yours,” he laughed.

“My stallion isn’t stupid!” she frowned.

“He constantly throws himself over the fences,” Nik reminded, but she snorted.

“He’s cooped up,”

“Anyways, you’ll be here for a week and need a horse that’s more reliable when we travel, and one that better suits you,” he explained, leaning against a tree.

“You don’t think my stallion suited me?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“You aren’t stupid,”

She grinned, walking up to him. “You also said this horse was gorgeous,”

“You said that,” he fired back.

“But you agreed,”

Nik’s ears twitched. “I’ve already called you pretty once today,”

“But this is the second gift you’ve given me,” she noticed, her head cocking. “Are those for appearances too?”

He paused, swallowing. That was more upfront than he expected. “No, they weren’t,”

She collected her nerves, taking a breath. “But that kiss was?”

Nik’s heart was thumping loudly in his ears. “No,” he confessed.

She nodded stiffly, glancing down at her hands that were fiddling before her. “Then can I have another?” she asked softly, looking back to the intrigue filling his mismatched eyes.

In three great steps he was before her, holding her face again when he leaned down to press his lips to hers. He relished in the soft moan she gave, her hands gripping his tightly to make sure he wouldn’t pull away so quickly this time.

He was careful, and patient, knowing this was likely to be the first time she’d ever done this, but he so adored the way she gently kissed him back when he pecked her waiting mouth. He could not stop taking small glances of her face, and the flush that coated her freckled cheeks as he pressed soft smooches to her soft mouth that grew more curious.

He felt her fingers curl in the shirt at his chest, her calves starting to burn from standing on her toes, but she didn’t want this fire to smother when he pulled away to look at her.

Again the air between them pulsated, their breaths shallow and quiet in the space they occupied closely together.

“Was that your first kiss?” He asked, and she nodded against his palms.

“It was,”

Why did that make him feel so guilty?

Far off calls in their name came from the direction of the tribe, bringing their hazy eyes over to see. A couple of them shouted from the distance they were at, and Nik looked back down to her, smoothing her hair away from her cheek when another breeze washed past them.

“They’re calling for us,” he mumbled, dropping his hands to her shoulders.

“We should go back,” she said, but his attention was only on her mouth.

With a final, hard kiss that had her holding his cheeks this time, he parted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and taking her back to the others.

“So that’s the horse!” he exclaimed loudly, stirring giggles from her that she smothered with her hand.

Callie at last wrapped her arm around his waist when strolling side by side, the conversation passed between them made in whispers with secret smiles as they came back with the promise of dancing and more food, but with her mind racing and heart reacting anytime he’d touch her or smile, the night carried on in a daydream like state.

Until the rain they had prayed would stay away came crashing back down over their celebration they danced, but once the sky had opened up, it sent them all scrambling and laughing, running head on into their tents and each other.

Nik and Callie stopped twirling with their faces to the sky, the heavy drops landing on her cheeks.

“C’mon!” He called over the roar of the rain, dragging her through the crowd and mud.

She laughed and stumbled, covering her face as they weaved.

Nik drew back the tent flap after they finally made it down the crowded path leading to it, ushering her in and following behind.

Callie wiped her eyes and moved her wet hair back, looking around in the dark.

Nil grunted when he bumped into her. “Sorry,”

She heard him rummage around, and waited with rain dripping from her face until he lit a small torch at the far end of his tent, at last illuminating the space around them. She grinned at the small treasures he’d accumulated from traveling; trunks, rugs, paintings.

“You’re quite cultured,” she glanced at him, stepping closer to a tapestry that hung crudely from a support beam.

I stole that one… “Ehh,” he shrugged, flopping down onto his wolf skins at the center of his ‘room’.

The rain beat harshly against the top of the tarp above, drumming down its sides.

“I hope Morn is okay,” she mentioned.

“I’m sure she found someone’s bed to cuddle up in,” he smirked, patting the spot beside him. “C’mon, she’s fine,”

With reluctance she joined him, her robes damp but bearable when pressing into the warmth of the skins. She settled on her side, pressing her cheek into the thick fur. Ugh, it felt like paradise letting her sore feet rest.

Nik grunted and flopped onto his back beside her, his heavy limbs slapping against the layers.

The paint that was left after they’d sweat it off was now washing away with the last of the rain left on their skin, the pedals once in her hair scattered and falling out. It had been hours of dancing, laughing, and small touches in between, but it was a night she would never forget. Callie had expected the ceremony to be much like the one at the castle- formal, strictly down to business seeing as this whole arrangement was made on business.

She looked at him through the dim light, watching in amusement as he rubbed his tired eyes clumsily.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

Nik’s head snapped in her direction. “Huh?”

“That you didn’t celebrate with someone of your choosing,” she mumbled, her brows arching when he snorted.

“I chose this life with you, I’m well aware of the decisions I made, Calista,” he sassed.

Her grin was small. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as you were when you met me that first time,” he gazed at her, finding her sleepy eyes in the low light. He also caught that shy, personal smile again, and when she wiggled her way across the skins to press her forehead against his shoulder.

“I knew to trust you when you said you’d make a good husband,” Callie yawned, wiggling her head deeper into the fur.

“How did you know?” His curiosity pushed him to ask, maneuvering on his side to press his forehead to hers.

“You’ve never broken your word.” Were her final words before she fell under.

He knew the moment she fell asleep after watching it happen so many times, and waited until it happened to push her damp hair from her face and behind her ear. Nik touched the back of her hand that was half under her cheek before he rolled onto his back again, staring up at the rain pattering against the top.

But again he looked at her, stuck staring at the beauty in the dark beside him.

“I won’t break our promise of eternity.” He whispered, his hand carefully landing on her thigh to pat.

His eyes fell heavier as the exhaustion set in, eventually sliding shut and her soft snores beside him lulling him to sleep.

⦽