Part One-Hundred-One
Beryl reached New Haven slightly more than a month after he had left the Silver Wood, as they had traveled by road and found that at every city and small village there was some mayor or King or village council that insisted they be allowed to properly honor such noble visitors with a feast. The people did not usually know the true deeds of those they were greeting, but when two very richly dressed Elves rode into town with escort of rangers and red-cloaked Southmen assumed they were meeting important persons and were later surprised later to find that the Halfling, Lowland Witch and Eastman they had not noticed among the others had been involved in foiling a foul Wizard plot that threatened all free peoples.
All their delays in stopping for feasts had extended the duration of their journey. It was sunset when they arrived, but in this part of winter, that was yet early in the day compared to a night in summer. They were perhaps too late to have tea within New Haven, but they should find Beryl's house or other lodgings in time to have dinner.
Beryl and Anto discussed the matter and agreed that though Beryl's house was closer to the side of the city they were entering, they would all ride through to the ranger outpost together before splitting up. As there were so many Southmen and they had proven allies, Anto had offered that they take up a barracks within his outpost until they were to leave the city. Prices for New Haven's lodgings could be steep, as it did seem everyone in the city was rather mercenary.
They came to the wooden fence of the outpost within New Haven and were admitted through the gate. They were met by Rangers on duty who gave reports or greetings to Anto.
Soon the Rangers and Southmen had dismounted and their horses were unburdened and led away to stables. "Has there been any Orc activity at the entrance to the Mines?" Anto asked his Rangers.
"Nothing unusual, Sir, but come, there is something you must see for yourself."
Anto gave a nod and invited Beryl to accompany him with a glance. They followed the Ranger and Kato came with them and then Laurel and Fei afterward. South, East, and Finloriel remained with the other Rangers. The Squad Leader led Anto to one of the small houses where women sometimes stayed if they were related to a ranger on post. It was, like the cabins, a one-room structure.
Inside The Lady and Willow were tending some small Orcish creatures. "They are not any manner of Halfling, are they?" the Squad Leader asked, "They are Orcs?"
"These are Orc children," Beryl said, "How did they come to be here?"
The Rangers of New Haven knew Beryl was a trusted counselor to their force and so the Squad Leader answered Beryl without so much as a questioning glance for Anto. "We found them only a few days ago west of the city. They had killed a shepherd's dog and he was spooked and came to alert us. He was talking of Goblins and we thought he must be seeing things and could not mean real Orc-kind, but when we arrived, we found these creatures eating the flesh of the dog. Raw, Sir. But they looked somewhat childlike, and we were moved to spare their lives and took them prisoner. They have not attacked any people so far and ate all the broth and bread we allowed them. The Lady asked to tend to them and we did not see risk in it at that point. What should we do, Sir?"
"They must have come up from a breeding pit made during the warmer months, when the Orcs had pressed much farther west than the mines," Beryl said. "Ranger, you may see such creatures again. These are juvenile Orcs. This type comes up from pits in the ground as if from some buried nest at the size you see them now. Within months they will grow to full size and be as Orcs you recognize. There may also be some you will find who were live born and they will appear not entirely unlike Men's babes, but of course, with rather Orcish coloring and features."
"What shall we do with them?" The Lady asked.
"We tried to ask if they had names, but they do not seem to understand us," Willow said. "We do not know any Orcish names to give them."
"We have a treaty with Orcs now. We shall see if they are able to fulfill their part of the bargain, but for now, we should not be the ones to break the trust by slaying their children, even if many of ours were taken and murdered in the past," Anto said firmly. "Beryl, what do you advise? Surely they should be given over to some Orcs."
"I will watch for a sign at the entrance, but until then, perhaps you can allow me to take care of them. I have come to know some Orc customs."
"If you will be kind to them I will trust them to you," the Lady said.
"I was not intending to abuse them for past crimes against Elven-kind any more than you did for memory of murdered children. There is room enough in my house."
"It is settled then," Anto said. "Contact us if you have any trouble with them, Beryl."
"I shall." Beryl looked upon the little ones. There were four, all approximately the size of a child of Men or Elves at ten-years, two were male and two female. Beryl had been told that when the full-sized Orc came up from pits they fought with their pit mates and killed some, so that only the strongest left the pit to seek other Orcs. He did not know if this was so with those that came from pits half-grown, but that was also possible. They had killed a dog.
"I will help of course," Kato said, "I have actual experience tending Orc-children. I was so sorry to hear what happened to Violet."
"Do they understand?" Beryl wondered aloud. "Come here. Come with me. Do you understand."
The children, whom the Lady had dressed in mannish clothing, did not move.
"Well, there are only four, let's see if they will be carried," Beryl suggested. "I can perhaps take two."
Beryl scooped up the two that seemed girls and instantly the other two hissed and kicked at his legs.
"Pick them up!" Laurel said. She rushed after one of the small Orc-boys herself. She tackled him and was soon able to get to her feet and lift the child. Fei grasped the other by a hand and pulled it after him. When the children saw they were all going together, they stopped fighting so hard.
Beryl called to Finloriel and asked her to collect those horses that were to leave with them. They walked from the fenced outpost leading horses, still carrying their gear and went first to Beryl's stables. He kept the large number of horses he traded in here and only brought those he would ride himself to the house. He had hired hands to work in the stables and run the business in his absence.
Beryl asked some of the Men who worked for him to aid them in carrying luggage and bringing straw an fodder to the house. They said nothing about strange looking children but saw that the horses were taken to be tended and stabled, but for Moon-halo, Brethil, the young coal she had foaled and Kato's pony, which was brought out to them.
Beryl's neighbors had lived in his house for a time while their house, which had been damaged by fire, had been rebuilt, but that had been some months past and the house had been vacant for some time, since Finloriel had left for the silver Wood. A neighbor had been offered a small age to come give the plants water, but Beryl had already set his mind to the possibility of finding his house in some disrepair and his plants all dead. He had told himself that everything could be restored in time and that he had time.
When they reached Bloom Street and his house, he found things a little better than he had expected. Some plants were dead, but most were only as withered as was normal for winter and would with a little care come back in the spring. The house was filthy by Elven standards, or by standards of Elves who lived in houses instead of trees. Still, some water, soap, oils and a good sweeping and scrubbing and all would be well. Some plumbing had become clogged with ice, and that was a slightly more serious matter, but Beryl knew remedies for such things. They needed wood for fires, water to begin to restore the frozen plumbing, and food. Kato had packed away a good deal of food at all their feasts against future mealtimes when they would be on the road, and so they had food for several days before they were desperate.
The Men put clean straw in the bottom of the house and feed in the trough. The luggage was put on the balcony to be unpacked. Beryl suggested that Kato find the food and offer some to the children. If Laurel and Kato would watch the children, then Beryl, Fei and Finloriel should be able to speak to the neighbors along Bloom Street and beg or buy firewood, lamp oil, staples for running a kitchen, and draw water from the well.
These chores did not take very long, but when Beryl returned, one small crisis had already developed. Kato was complaining about a foul stink. "I do not think they all understand about outhouses," Laurel said.
"And do none of you know a thing about teaching children such habits?" Beryl asked.
"I changed an Orcs diaper before," Kato said, "but it just seems a little improper when they are near as tall as I am."
"They are as tall as you are, Little One," Beryl said. He picked up the offending Orc-child and carried him out the window and down the ladder into the yard. He opened the door to the outhouse and found a spider had moved in. It would be tiny to a Wood-Elf, but it was large for a garden. Beryl snatched the spider from it's web, gently, and lifted it under the eaves of the roof outside. "Do you know how distressing it is for one to fear a spider will sink fangs into their skin while they are trying to pass waste."
Beryl pulled down the child's trousers, made him step out of them, and carefully turned the soiled garment inside out to loose the waste into the latrine. Beryl handed the child some paper and then made gesture toward his bottom. The child seemed to have a vague understanding, and if he did not do a very good job, Beryl hoped bathing him later would help. Beryl then pulled the chain, and some water trickled down beneath the seat. "It usually works much better." The boy-Orc looked down into the hole beneath the outhouse and sniffed. Beryl instructed himself to get to the plumbing as soon as possible.
He went to the gutter behind the house where water flowed into the stream to the north and attempted to wash the small clothing. He was really too old an Elf to be doing such chores. He washed his hands then, best he could, and then went back to the house, with the boy following. His shirt hid his nakedness enough for the time being.
As many lamps as they had were lit to allow them to do chores into the night. The next task was cleaning out the various stove pipes, to prevent fires caused by crust of ash within the pipes catching flame. This created an even larger mess, but it did not take very long, as Beryl had a brush especially designed for the task. It was a necessity in New Haven, where fires were common in winter, due to the combination of cold, makeshift heating appliances, and flammable construction materials.
Once that was done, fires were built up in every stove. Pots were cleaned and filled with water to boil. Hot water was used to free pipes of ice. Several buckets of water were reserved for cleaning and all the rest was added to the reservoir atop the outhouse, which also fed the baths. Icicles were chipped from railings and eaves and tossed into the reservoir.
The luggage was unpacked and sorted. All bedding was beaten and aired. All the canvas wall flaps were tightly laced. All the shutters were closed. The house began to warm. Kato made supper in the kitchen. Laurel swept the floors. Beryl scrubbed tubs. Fei helped by dusting and oiling wooden furniture. Finloriel collected dirty clothing to be laundered and then went on to air out Beryl's wardrobes and chests full of clothing and add fresh aromatic wood pieces to their storage places.
The children watched. At one time, they left the house together quietly,
but Beryl opened a pair of shutters to look at them and saw them in the
yard, where the dapple-skinned boy was showing the others the interior
of the outhouse. They seemed to take turns going inside and doing something
and Beryl feared what he would find there if he went to check. They might
have been painting the walls with filth and thought it funny for all he
knew. He saw they washed their hands in the gutter and then returned to
the house.
They gathered at the table to eat. Finloriel said an Elvish blessing over
the food Kato had prepared. They ate supper.
When supper was finished and the dishes washed, it was time for baths. Beryl went out to draw more water, pots were filled and put on stoves. The tub was filled. Finloriel washed first, and then Fei and Laurel. The water was refreshed for Kato and Beryl to bathe and then refreshed again to bathe the children. Laurel agreed to help Beryl in the work, as it just seemed more proper that one who was female helped to bathe the two girl-Orcs.
Kato sat nearby, not actually looking at the children, but within view of Beryl. He was near the front window, where he could smoke his pipe. One good thing about having spent time in the Capitol was that he had found civilized shops that sold leaf grown by his own people for smoking. "We should give them names," Kato suggested.
"Do you know many Orc names?" Laurel asked.
"Mainly names of Orcs that are still living. Could we name one Tashmetum?"
"I do not know if Orcs would be offended by namesaking or not," Beryl said. "We could as well name one Dumuzi. They are so often talking about how Legendary Dumuzi was."
"But was that one not legendary for cruelty?" Laurel asked.
"Dumuzi," said one of the boys. He was the one who had soiled his pants. They were all Orcish, but distinguishable from one another to those who had had opportunity to see many Orcs of various breeds. The other young male had a more sallow complexion and seemed half Mine-dweller.
"I think he is actually correcting your pronunciation," Laurel said. She called to Fei loudly and then said, "Fei may know. When he was in the Wood, after Kato and I were gone he had a lot of time to speak to Orcs and write about them, while Dale and you were recovering. You often say 'oogariit', but Duma said 'Ugarit'."
"It is just accent," Kato said. "Dale knew how to speak Goblin and he called Duma 'Duma', and not 'duhmah' as Ugarit did."
Fei arrived, having heard much of their debate. "The language of Orcs is partly Goblin and partly Black Speech. Goblin is based on very old Mannish languages and Black Speech, though considered foul to Elves, is actually more related to Elvish than any other language."
"That is not true. It is a contrived language that was invented by the Dark Lord, it simply has some things in common with ancient forms of Elvish because the Dark Lord could only corrupt what existed and not create," Beryl insisted.
"In any case, the language Orcs speak today is a mixture of these influences which has also evolved as time passed. There are some notable peculiarities in pronunciation. For example, they infrequently use the sound 'o' in native words, but are able to pronounce it in loan words from other languages, such as 'dog', though in most cases, they will shift the 'o' from the root to a 'u', which is always short, in lingustic terms."
"What does that all mean?" Kato asked.
"'Ugarit' is the correct pronunciation, as is 'Mard-uhk', not 'Mar-dook'. 'Duma', however, is correct, because Dale based his name on a Dwarvish root, and that language, what little is known to those who are not Dwarves, has different rules for pronunciation."
"But what about 'Azog' the legendary Orc from the War of Dwarves and Orcs?" Beryl asked.
"It is my belief the true Orcish name would be pronounced 'Azuk' and through retellings be Dwarves and Elves the name was altered to be pronounced more easily."
Beryl laughed. "Does that mean little Dog should be called Duk?"
Fei shook his head.
"I am sure as Mannish as the Westerners are, Marduk gave him the pet name 'Dog' after the animal loyal to Men," Laurel said.
"What to name these children?" Kato asked.
"Dumuzi, Azuk, Tashmet, and…" Beryl paused looking at the last one. She seemed she might also be half Mine-dweller, but as she was female and her hair was thick and nappy she must also have been half Westerner. Her coloring was dark and marbled as well, giving her the appearance of a scrawny, hunched Westerner much more than an Orc of the Mines. "Marit."
"Do you think Marit is an Orcish name?" Kato asked. "Dale would know, certainly. Perhaps we could contact him again through Setsugekka."
"Where do you suppose Dale is now?" Beryl asked.
"Probably in the Elf-King's Hall. Lenaduiniel was certain they were nearly there when I contacted them this morning."
The halls of the Elf-King were beneath a vast earth mound within the north-eastern part of the Green Wood. Long, wide timbers formed the beams and columns that supported the great weight of the mound over the large hall and its many galleries. There were chambers deeper in the earth as well and beyond the first ring of galleries, so that the interior was as large as an Mannish castle made; perhaps it was larger. There were some places where light came in from above, where viewers without would see only a common burrow or fissure, that allowed some sunlight in and the viewing of notable stars at key times of year. Some walls were packed earth, but elsewhere there was lattice work or paneling; it seemed shocking the amount of wood used to craft the structure, when one considered that Elves were generally known as conservationists.
The Elf-King had some trade with Dwarves and Men of the region, that lived outside the Wood, immediately to the east. A rivers ran north and east from nearby mountain ranges and merged within the Elf-King's territory to continue east to a lake Men made their towns about. The river provided convenient means of exporting and container recycling. The Elves currently had arrangements to buy wine and grain from Men and to allow them to take lumber from the wood, with certain provisions for size of trees that could be felled and replanting of seedlings.
The Green Wood was truly so vast, ancient and thick with trees that it was not apparent when entering the mound that timber had been harvested. That made it all the more shocking and impressive to those who saw it for the first time.
The Grey had often made visits, and of course Lenaduiniel and Gwindor were familiar with these halls, as was Dale who had stayed here during the war. The Rómendar had never visited, but seemed strangely disinterested; this was because in the east their own homes were beneath the ground. To Galadhiel, Gwende, Tigh and Lathe the halls were quite impressive. It was shocking to these Elves who had been raised further west not only that so much wood would be used in construction, but that any Elves would live underground.
In their stories, Dwarves and Halflings described him such that no one would think him attractive, but though he was truly eccentric, there was nothing remotely foul or aged or even disheveled about him. All his children were considered attractive by Elves, and even by Dwarves, Men and Orcs; the Elf-King was just a little more beautiful than any of his children.
He was dressed in dark brown, nearly black, robes made of silk and velvet and wore a crown of withered branches, but this was because it was winter. He had six crowns that he changed with the seasons and had spruced up daily with fresh flora and carried a staff that he kept decorated to match his crown. He had very long, fine, blond hair and pale blue-grey eyes and a pallor beyond most Elves, from living many days beneath an earth mound.
One would think him a doddering drunkard from the stories his children told, but The Elf-King was greatly beloved by his people and presently valued as an ally by Lords and Kings among Men, Dwarves and Elves beyond his Wood. His father had fought in the previous war, long ago, against the Dark Lord and retired here, and this king, his son, had shown himself to be so beautiful, wise and strong that the Sylvan Elves made him their King. They took great pride in calling him such, as even Elves in the Silver Wood had come to think of themselves as allied to him.
The Elf-King had fought in the war also, apart from commanding his sons on various missions. Many outside the Wood forgot, because their tales focused on other fronts, but the elf-King had fought also. There was a reason the dark Lord's Minions had not overtaken the North any more than the west.
It was true also that when Dale said the Elf-King would not be pleased if he showed up one day, but there was a reason for that, and it had more to do with Dale doing unreasonable things than this Elf-King being unreasonable. Dale had been somewhat more mad the last he had been here and had tried to seduce the Elf-King.
He had flatly refused Dale's advances, yet he seemed often amused by Dale and seemed to enjoy teasing him. He would say things like, "You are Welcome to our Wood, perhaps you will sing for us later, but you must get out of that clothing. We will have something sent to your room; We believe we know your size." He also had a habit of using the royal plural, even when not on his throne. The fact that he had a throne at all was somewhat eccentric, but it was not actually his own doing.
The Elf-King was greatly misunderstood by outsiders, as they had their preconceptions of what it meant to be a King. It meant that one had inherited the title by birth or that one had conquered. This King had been set up in his position by mandate of his people. It had been long ago and the post was apparently for life, still, he was a leader chosen by his people. His authority was real and he could declare wars or hold prisoners or command others, but he was also alike to a figurehead in that his people desired one to look noble and dress in pretty robes and declare feasts should be held with music and dancing.
There had been several feasts in the time Dale had been in the Silver Wood, but it was not exaggeration when any said that there were feasts in this hall almost nightly. The food might differ in quantity or type in winter, but there would be as much music and dancing and wine. They had stores of Dwarven ale and Elven liquors in the cellars, but these Elves had a particular liking for Mannish wines from a region east of the Green Wood. The Men living nearby did not make all the wines, but imported it along trade roads.
Of course, the Elf-King's eldest son bringing home a bride was cause for a feast. Galadhiel had actually worn a dress for their reception.
"The King is funny," Setsugekka said.
"He is sharp as a whip," Dale said. Their arrival had been known in advance, there were already days worth of rich clothing spread over the bed and hung within the wardrobe in his room. Lenaduiniel has said her father was 'well behaved'. Dale supposed that meant less eccentric than usual. "He likes outsiders and guests to think he is careless and interested in parties, so they will not suspect him of any brilliant strategies or manipulations when he puts them into motion.
The Elf-King had spared the Rómendar his dungeons and suggested he might think up some penal labor program. That likely meant he already had learned of all the debates and treaties and arrangements made within the Silver Wood through spies or winged messengers and formulated a plan. The Green Wood was where others sent prisoners when they did not know what to do with them, and the fact that a few had escaped was scandalous to them. The tales did not tell of the terrible people they had kept or managed to reform, only the comic accounts of bungling, drunk, Elves who let Dwarves, Halflings and strange twisted creatures escape them.
Dale was certain the Rómendar that had surrendered would be secure here, but he suspected the Elf-King had a plan already in motion for making them loyal to him and learning all they knew of their kindred escaped to the east and that somewhere down the line it would all result in cheaper prices for wine. "Sharp as a whip! Look at the cut of this robe!"
"It fits you well, Lord Momiji," Setsugekka said. Her Elven was less peculiar now and her manner had become rather familiar with Dale, though she still called him Lord and bowed often.
Dale tsked his tongue against his teeth. The robe covered him from neck to toe and even down to each wrist, but the cut of it simply left nothing of his figure to imagination. It would not be apparent to other races, and it was somewhat true Dale's body had been stunted in its growth from malnourished years among Orcs, but he did have muscle where it was considered attractive to have muscle and every little curve would be apparent to Elven eyes, especially in this robe.
"I am certain they are all like this. Perverted old Elf. I will have a bath and then try a few more before I let myself be seen."
"My Lord would like to see you in such a robe."
"I will have to stuff a few in my luggage when we leave. I don't suppose the Elf-King is going to let us leave soon, now he has Gwindor here. He will want a celebration with public retaking of vows and time to invite all the nobles he can think of and several days of feasts. Miko, we may have to sneak out of here without the others."
Setsugekka smiled. Where she came from it was considered more familiar to use a name than a title, but here, even though nobles had some propriety, it was very common to use names, and when Dale used her title, it somehow seemed familiar. "My Lord will return at the right time. If it is good for us to stay here with your friends, then we should wait for them. My Lord will show himself when the time is right."
"I had a dream of him again. He was in a tower, and I think I remember seeing it somewhere, but I cannot remember where or when. Maybe it was a long time ago. I don't remember where it was. It was different, because it was not a place I remembered being with him. It was not walking back through memory. It was a real dream, but he was there too."
"That is good. You are the one My Lord chooses to love. He must miss you."
"I miss him, but the weird thing is, it's like he's here, I just can't touch or see him. I want to."
"To see would be goo, but I have faith he lives and will return."
"He really is going to? I am not mad, am I?"
"I believe it also, Lord Momiji. My Lord will return. I will serve him then."
"The Elves here are likely more proper about certain things than in the silver Wood. I will tell them to bring a basin and water here for you to wash. They do not even have a guest bath, just the river." Dale laughed. They would actually put prisoners in the river if they began to smell bad. Dale opened the door and looked out into the adjacent gallery. There were servants standing there. The Elf-King also differed from other Elves in having servants. It was usually a Mannish custom of nobles, but Elves here vied for chances to serve, as if it was a game. Dale thought each served a finite time before returning to their usual trade.
He asked for water and a basin for the woman to wash and then closed the door again. Dale thought of looking through his luggage for soap, but he was certain they would have better in the bath. He told Setsugekka he would go have his bath and then return.
Dale knew the way. The baths were in a lower chamber, where water was diverted from the river beneath the mound and from there into the baths, among other places. He half expected the Elf-King would time a bath so that he could see Dale, but he did not seem to be there. Many other Male Elves would have been timing there bath for the same time, if he was, and though the chamber was not empty, there were not so many Elves present.
Dale picked his hair free of its braids and then undressed. He was naked then and went first to one of the smaller basins which was emptied more frequently and designated for removing significant dirt. From there, Dale went to the main bath, which was a wide steaming pool set in the floor and lined with wood. It was deep enough that a full-grown Elf was covered by water to the ribs, which made it somewhat deep as Elven baths went. There were always various soaps and hair washes left here for communal use, as there was not much point in an Elf keeping their own soap and hair-wash unless they were traveling, as they would always wash here.
Dale found some hair-wash and ducked to wet his hair. He began to lather the wash into his hair, but then, after a minute, he felt he was being watched. He was. Many Elves were looking on him. It was then Dale realized he had gone into a communal bath naked without thinking about it. They could see his scars.
Dale took a deep breath and made himself laugh, and then, without really knowing what he was doing, he began to speak. "When I had barely fifteen years I saw my people massacred by Orcs of the northern Clan of Dumuzi, but due to my excellent natural autumnal camouflage I was not noticed until they were sated with killing, and so I was taken by the Orcs and kept and tortured for ten years, and went quite mad, so mad I became like an Orc, and one night killed them all. I killed others then, even Elves, and I ate of their flesh and drank their blood, until a particularly brave Elf-Lord came to the valley to see what killed all who entered it and captured me. He took me to his home and worked hard to reform me and used enchantments to remove the worst scars, and all those on my face, and I dwelled there, learning to be an Elf, until your Elf-King sent word that he needed aid, and I was dispatched to fight for him in the war, which I did. I killed many Orc for your people and sped your Prince to the healer when he was injured on the battlefield and had lost all the Elves in his command. Then we went to join the Rangers together, and after our training we were sent on separate missions. We were both to be escort to couriers to some place in the south, or so we thought, until it all was revealed as a corrupt Wizard plot to poison the earth with bombs. I even learned that I had a child that was half Orc, as in my madness I had even involved myself in their breeding activity. And while involved in this plot, we became pursued by Orcs who were somewhat aware of the Wizard plot and thought us enemies conspiring with Dark wizards, and eventually we all came to the silver Wood where a treaty was made between Elves and Orcs to fight their common enemy, the Dark Elves of the east now called Rómendar, who served the Wizards, but I had little to do with that battle, as I was one of a party, including some Orcs, who went to confront the Wizard in the place the sorcerers had worked and I threw myself between my child and the Wizard and was gravely injured, and was brought down from the mountain to the silver Wood where Elves and Orcs were tending dead together and discussing peace and land grants for Orcs and right now there are Elves and Orcs going together into the Mines to find the other Orcs there to bring them over to the way of peaceful coexistence." Dale sighed. "And if I had not survived ten years among Orcs or conceived a half-breed child who ended up being instrumental in inspiring Elves that Orcs could become allies, then things would have gone quite differently for us all, maybe much worse, so I am not ashamed about so much of it now as I was in the past and I am not sorry about the scars. Among Orcs, they mean that I am very strong and able to survive pain and adversity and they consider me a great Chieftain among them, though I am an Elf and killed many Orcs in the past, so if you can not be accepting as Orcs, I do pity you."
There was silence for several seconds and then one Elf whispered. "Is it true there were dragons?"
"Uh, yeah, mercenaries, spiders, wolves, Rómendar, trolls, dragons…mainly they were the lesser types of the east, but there were some big ones as well. Lost an Orc to the Water Dragons. They were particularly nasty, being there were a number of them."
They were looking at him in admiration.
"Is it true Orc-King Marduk saved a girl from other Orcs?"
"Well, that is sorta true, and he is not really 'Orc-King' yet…"