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4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Valpar

It took two days to arrive at the Golden Light Kingdom. With the heavy bags the tribe carried and horses that needed rest, we traveled slower than we normally would. No one complained, the tribe admired the sights along the way.

The foliage was different here than in the Monktona Wood. The trees more sparse, not as thick and healthy. King Osirus said it was a temperate forest. These trees were thick with smaller leaves, bushes abundant with flowers, and the area did not harbor as many enemies as it did back home.

We had packed our traveling tents for when we reached our final destination, but as we traveled, we all opted to sleep below the stars. We had not seen such a clear view, without the giant leaves and vines covering the sky.

It was the only good thing about traveling away from home.

For the most part, everyone kept to themselves. Only the horses trotted around the campground, occasionally pulling at the thick blue, green grasses. All except for Sugha, who kept mumbling how excited he was to see Queen Melina and King Osirus. He was ready to explore and meet fae, at the markets, who he had made friends with, in the past.

I've never seen such an orc, ready to mingle with every creature.

As we got closer to the palace, I could feel the brightness of the light sources raining down their powerful rays. I had forgotten how powerful they could feel on this side of the continent of Bergarian, and my skin prickled with heat as we drew near.

My eyes squinted as we came atop a hill, that would bring the palace into view, the light sources burning its rays into my eyes.

I groaned and put my hand above my brows to see the layout before me.

Bassza, it was too bright.

Sugha sprinted up beside me and his body collided with mine. I grunted in annoyance and pushed him away from me. "Watch where you are going, orcling!" I snarled.

Sugha laughed and pulled his shoulders back. "It's beautiful! Just as I remembered!" He gazed down at the land before us.

Clear streams snaked their way through the lush, green landscape, cutting through fields of swaying grasses. Screaming fairies danced in and out of the tall blades, their high-pitched laughter piercing my ears as they darted playfully. With each quick movement, they shot up into the canopy of trees above, their clear, insect-like wings fluttering in the sunlight. It looked like one of those pictures from a fairy tale book I'd seen before, over in the Cerulean Moon Kingdom.

I hated it.

How could they be so happy all the time?

Sugha nudged me, and I glanced at him. He had a dark, round, thin veil over his eyes, and hooked it around his ears. I waved my hands in front of him and he laughed, pushing them to his forehead. "Sunglasses," he pointed to them. "I got them at the Cerulean Moon Kingdom last journey. Want to try? Helps with the light sources' brightness."

I scoffed and turned away, pulling on my horse's reins for him to follow. "No, you look ridiculous."

"Suit yourself," he taunted.

The orcs behind us pushed forward, not caring to wait for us to proceed. They were ready to arrive and set up their tents, so they can scout the land for their miresas.

I shrugged my shoulders, my heavy footsteps dragging along the way. I had somehow gotten stuck in the middle of the caravan while Sugha was leading the way. I let him, because there wasn't a way for him to mess this up from here.

I was not ready to make merry faces with the locals. It was going to be another disappointing trip, and I could not understand why everyone was so happy to be here, not when it was one disappointing trip after another. I huffed, watching my tribe grow more excited as the weight on my shoulders grew.

The palace stood grand and majestic in the distance, its golden spires glinting in the light sources' rays. As we made our way down the hill, the air seemed to shimmer with magic, an energy I couldn't describe thrummed through the very ground beneath our feet. The closer we got, the more vibrant the colors became, and flowers of every hue carpeted the landscape, their sweet fragrance filling the air.

There was a tickle in my nose, and I tried to rub the sudden itch I let out a sudden sneeze, my loose hair fell over my face. My eyes were itchy and watery, and fury built in my body. These scents, these sounds, it was too much.

Ugh, I hated all these smells. Too many flowers and too many fairy sprinkles.

The fairies gathered around the caravan, flying overhead. They used their small forms to their advantage, some planting themselves in the middle of the group. Then they grew, using their magic to grow as tall as a fae, which allowed them to walk among the taller species for a few hours of the day.

Sugha raced ahead, his excitement infecting the others, and he shouted gleefully at the fairies flitting around him. I couldn't help but smile at his orcling wonder, his joy a stark contrast to the grouchy orc I was.

All I thought about was these fairies' and fae's curiosity with orc shafts?

They have been fascinated by the idea of what lay beneath the cloth.

And since orcs arrived, we were seen as either monsters or a prize to behold.

I shook my head as I watched the tribe interact with them. The males were being nice, far better than I would be, but I could tell they were looking to find their miresas.

At least they had some form of dignity and not falling for their tricks. I guess the moss in their skulls was not so small after all.

A fairy with yellow hair jumped through the grass behind me. I could feel the heat of her body as she neared me, her hand outspread to touch my arm. I turned my full body to give her a scowl, and she gasped in fear when I bared my teeth.

"Have you no honor for the male or female who wish to claim you?" I growled.

The fairy, her ears pointed, delicate and once brimming with excitement, now had drooping wings that barely fluttered. Her shoulders sagged, weighed down by disappointment. The anger in her wide eyes burned fiercely, devoid of any hint of shame.

"Just had to look in your eyes to see if you were mine. Glad you are not." She shot out away from me, her wings fluttering quickly to the other side of the caravan and began talking to another orc.

She didn't just look into his eyes, she was touching, fluttering her lashes like there was dirt in them.

I grunted. Stupid, lying fairy.

I didn't miss the surrounding orcs who saw the confrontation. They gave me annoyed and disappointed stares for being harsh. I didn't care in the slightest. She wasn't checking to see if I was hers, she was simply a curious creature.

They all were.

I've heard far too many times how vain the fae and fairies are. They like pretty things. They want things sparkling, beautiful and stunning. The orcs were anything but. We lived in cabins far from the brightness of the light sources. We lived in the shade, beneath large leaves of the Wood, but we took care of our own.

If we lived here, out in the open, we would kill whatever male came close to our female. We would hide our female from any threat, and any other male who dared look at what was ours would surely suffer.

I don't think Osirus would care for the orcs to kill all his creatures.

Just traveling with this band of orcs agitated the alpha within us, and by the time we all went home, we would not want to see one another for months.

As we reached the palace gates leading to the courtyard, they swung open without a sound. The wind blew toward us, the bushes and groves of trees with their flower fragrance hit my face and I sneezed again.

Bassza.

It was going to be a long seven days.

The courtyard was bustling with activity. Servants scurried toward us, their uniforms clean and not a single cloth out of place. I stared down at our cloth and muddied feet, and I knew we didn't belong.

The fae had their wings fluttering behind them, helping my tribe grab things off the wagons, and orcs who rode their horses dismounted and handed their reins to the stablemen.

I reluctantly handed my reins over, and Ulam pushed at my shoulder. I rubbed his forehead and pulled oats out of my satchel to gift my friend before handing the reins over to the stableman. "Give him your best bed or I'll find you," I grumbled and shoved the satchel full of oats into his arm.

The stableman, who was tall for a fae, nodded his head and waved the satchel in front of Ulam as he followed, cart and all, with the rest of the horses.

"Can you be nicer?" Sugha hissed, pulling on my arm.

I growled and pulled my arm away. "They are touching my horse."

"That Osirus and Melina gave you. They wouldn't hurt him," Sugha argued back.

I turned my neck to crack it as I followed Sugha to the bottom of the steps that led up to the palace. The rest of the tribe had already gathered and were gazing up at the tall, regal figure with shimmering silver wings, which glowed in the sunlight. Her hair matched the dark plum-colored robes she wore, and I was thankful it wasn't some bright-colored cloth to burn the eyes out of my skull.

"Welcome to the Golden Light Kingdom," she said, her voice like music. "I am Lady Elowen, advisor to Queen Melina. Her Majesty awaits you in the throne room."

With a graceful sweep of her hand, she waved for us to climb the steps that led into the palace, where every surface sparkled and shined. Our feet dirtied the floor, but no one was behind us cleaning up like we were trouble to the palace. We were their guests.

I mean, we did help them win a war all those years ago…

The throne room was bathed in a warm golden light, that shone from large crystal rocks suspended from the ceiling. Why you needed a bunch of rocks hanging from the ceiling, I did not understand.

There were also flowers. Tons of flowers in decorated pots and I rolled my eyes. My nose was already tickling, and I could feel a sneeze coming.

Bassza!.

There, seated upon a throne of silver and gold, was Queen Melina. Her wings were a bright array of colors—the only wings in the kingdom that could do that. Melina rose to her feet as we entered.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" She jumped up from her throne and trotted down the stairs. "I thought you were never gonna get here!" She ran across the floor and gave a big hug to Sugha, who twirled her around and set her down gracefully.

"We wouldn't miss it, would we, Valpar?" Sugha nudged me in the gut.

I grunted from the pain and rubbed my belly. "No, never."

Melina tilted her head downward. "Right. I know you have been skipping out on these things. This time, you will have loads of fun! Sugha told me all your favorite foods and we replicated your ale. You won't even have to pretend to be nice, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Er—grumpy loin cloth."

Melina eyed me up and down, and the female servants giggled in the corner.

I sighed heavily and rubbed my eyebrow with my claw.

She linked her arm with Sugha and walked past me. The normal scent she carried was typically sweet, like candy, but today there was another scent lying beneath it.

Sugha and Melina continued to walk around as she pointed to a new stained-glass window, and I followed them, trying to pinpoint the smell. I took in another breath and my shoulders relaxed.

What is it?

Sugha turned around and cocked his head. "Valpar, you alright?"

I blinked several times and found myself hovering over Queen Melina, sniffing her hair. I stood up straight and realized that everyone was staring at me.

Shit. As the King of the Cerulean Moon Kingdom would say.

I cleared my throat. "Sorry, thought I saw a bug."

"I was flying today. There might be." She patted her hair. "As long as it isn't a whisp, those things will knot my hair up, and I can't get them out."

I breathed a sigh of relief when Sugha and Melina continued their conversation.

"Are you sure the tribe won't stay in the bedrooms? We have plenty of space." Melina waved over at the male servants. They were wary as they stepped forward, but followed her orders.

"No," Sugha said, waving his hand. "Orcs in enclosed spaces, still a no, I'm afraid. We like being outdoors. Besides, being able to see the moon so clearly is a treat."

Melina nodded happily while Sugha continued with the pleasantries. The other orcs murmured to each other, pointing at different paintings on the wall and the shiny jewels displayed in the windows.

It was like they had never been here before.

"Sorry, Osirus isn't here. He's with our niece, who arrived earlier this afternoon. You might see her bouncing around the palace somewhere. But please, make yourselves at home. You can go anywhere in the palace, as always. Order anything from the kitchen and I hope, this time, your mission will bring you mates!" Melina's wings fluttered, her hair flying around her head.

I nodded and without saying a word I pointed in the direction of the nearest exit so the tribe could set up their tents.

As much as I tried to push through and get the tribe settled, I couldn't help but think of the faint scent on Melina. What was it? And why could I not stop thinking about it?

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