49. Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Forty-Nine

Valpar

Before my orgamo could respond, four familiar fae emerged from the dense thicket at the edge of the wood. The subtle rustling of leaves accompanied their cautious steps as they ventured into the clearing, their delicate wings shimmering in the light. I didn't notice their presence before, likely too upset about my orgamo. Luckily, it was just my miresa's family. Each male clung to their female, their embrace exuding an undeniable sense of protection.

And they should—they were in my territory.

My orgamo leaned back on the log and assessed them. He had witnessed the king and queen through the war, and the treaties that they signed to maintain peace. He was grateful to the king for hosting such mating parties for our kind to find our mates.

"Come." My orgamo stood and gestured for them over with the wave of his hand. His face was back to its stern look, but that was his resting face, much like mine. He had been making extra effort to show a friendly face to my miresa.

They all joined us by the fire. I brought in extra logs from the Wood and set them down so we could all sit comfortably. I knew that for the king and the queen sitting on logs was not comfortable, considering their status, but that was how we lived, not with extra padding on our backsides and extra decorations in our homes.

For my miresa, however, I would make our cabin her own palace.

"Hi guys!" My female went to stand to greet her family, but I would not let her leave my arms. It was no ill-will against them. I knew they were good souls, but right now I could not let her leave me. Not when we had just bonded.

Osirus' smirk told me he understood, as well as Birch's, but I could tell Theresa was not as happy.

"Your hair is much silkier than I remember," Theresa said quietly. "It shines. It has never done that before."

My female gathered her waist-length hair and petted it, inspecting the color. It was the first time she'd been able to since waking up from the slumber that took away the magic keeping her memories hidden.

"Yes, it is nice. I will miss my pink hair, though. It doesn't feel like me." She studied it more and flicked it over her back. "When Valpar washes and braids it, it will make me feel more like me." She beams at me and the drums in my chest pound wildly, as my chest puffed up with pride.

I enjoyed taking care of her, and I was happy she was letting me.

My orgamo studied us and rubbed his hand over his chin. "Your hair is black, you mean it was pink before?"

"It was pink." My miresa's face brightens. "Uncle Osirus gave me pink hair as a gift, but now that Valpar and I are branded, I am immune to magic," my miresa said, her face brightening. "It wiped away all the magic that kept it pink so I can't have it anymore. It's okay though. I don't need pink hair to be happy. I have Valpar now."

She leaned her head on my chest and I petted it gently against me. I knew she missed her hair, and to hear her say she would give it up for me instantly gave me great satisfaction, but I wanted her to have both.

If there was a way.

"Valpar." My orgamo interrupted my thoughts. "Do you remember the fruit of the ishabie plant near the hunting grounds of manta? Where the large beasts roam?"

Of course I remembered, our orgamos told us to stay away from such a plant that it was extremely poisonous, and it could hurt our malehood if we went toward it.

I nodded in agreement, and he pointed his finger at me. "We will go get the fruit and bring it back here. We can make her hair pink again." He took a stick and stoked the fire. "It will be permanent, so little daughter, make sure this is what you want."

My mouth hung open, and I shook my head. "You said it was poison, that it would hurt our malehood! Why would I get her such a plant?"

Orgamo rolled his eyes. "It would hurt your malehood. It won't hurt hers. She has no male parts!" he scoffed. If she eats the fruit, her hair will turn pink. That is the poison. All of her hair will turn pink and there is no reversing it, not that we have found, anyway." He stoked the fire again while we all looked at each other in confusion.

"How do you know this is true?" Theresa snapped. "Why pink? And has someone taken this fruit themselves?"

Orgamo let out a loud chuckle until his stomach shook and tears came to his eyes. "Yes, one elder. Orcs have strong stomachs. We can eat anything. But, when Elmach ate of the pink fruit, the reaction was immediate. His entire head turned. His eyebrows, his chest, and even down to his shaft!" Orgamo snorted and wiped away his tears.

I shook my head. "Elmach has no hair—"

"—because he shaves it, you fool. I swear, is there fungus growing inside your thick skull?"

Ah, that made sense. I supposed a pink-haired orc would hurt his malehood.

My female squealed and clapped her hands. "Really? So, if this plant works on orcs it will work on me too!" She clapped her hands and her family smiled at her. "I want my hair pink again. What do you think, Valpar?" Her long lashes batted against her face, and I huffed in agreement.

What my mate wants is what my mate gets.

We all stayed, gathered around the fire until the light sources fell behind the trees. My miresa had already fallen asleep in my arms, her head tucked under my chin, where she was always meant to be.

Her parents had already said their good-byes many times, but had yet to leave. I believed it was an Earth realm tradition because Birch continued to try pulling Theresa away, but she would shake her head, smile at my miresa and just stare at her, and continue to talk with us.

They had their own sleeping quarters just beyond the trees of my territory, along with the king and queen. The king and queen weren't there the entire time with them. They were spending time with Thorn and his female, Ellie.

They had their own celebration, their bonding ceremony. It included a tent just like my little fairy and mine at the Golden Light Palace. My seeded orgamo attended, and he said he could only stand for one party and not seeing mine was fine with him.

He knew in his beating drums that I had found my mate many moons ago. My ogamie came to him in a dream, told him all about it and said that soon he would be reunited with her, when the time was right.

I kept my worries away. We were spending time with my miresa's family, and I would not bring sadness to my miresa, but I would wait until she was asleep and her family was gone.

"Are you ready, my queen?" King Osirus stood and put out his hand for his mate. She stood, nodded, and grabbed his hand. "Good luck. I'm sure we will visit soon, Valpar." Osirus nodded to Birch who was pulling Theresa to stand.

"Just a few more minutes?" Theresa begs of Birch, but he shook his head and chuckled.

"She's fine now. She has a mate who loves her. She's going to be just fine, love." He tipped her chin with his finger and placed a kiss to her lips. "We will visit more after the baby is born, and I'm sure Valpar will bring her to visit once their bond settles."

I grunted, not bothering to get up and jostle my female. They all took one more look back before they disappeared into the dense forest, and my rigid shoulders finally relaxed.

I thought I was possessive of my female before the bond, but now that it was completed, I felt I may let no one touch her again.

My orgamo chuckled, the sound echoing through the air, as he deftly placed a jagged piece of wood between his teeth. With a determined twist, he extracted bits of food from the crevices in his mouth. "Difficult, wasn't it?"

I grunted, listening to the crackling in the fire.

"You are a good male. You were blessed. Even if you let your female get into situations you could have easily prevented."

I growled.

He was speaking of all the mishaps along the way. He heard most of the stories. My miresa talked about them animatedly. How she fell from the balcony when we first met, how she could evade me and sneak off into the night, and about my poor knot-tying. Yes, she put fuel to the fire on those. My orgamo laughed with her, but when she wasn't looking, I got a look of contempt.

Failure.

Yes, I knew I was.

"You are lucky to have her. She is a wild one." He stoked the fire. "Now that you are in the Wood, you will need help to watch her as you finish your cabin."

I perked my head up at that. Didn't he say he was ready to meet Ogamie?

"Wha—"

"Hush, orcling. Yes, you are an orcling." He waved a stick in front of my face. "You possess a precious gift. I will help you, for a time," he sighed heavily, "to get your cabin ready, learn how to tie a proper knot to keep your mate in place, and orcling-proof your home." He put both his hands on his thighs and sat up straight. "Then I will go meet my Lash."

I shook my head. "What do you mean, go meet Ogamie? I don't understand, fully?"

Orgamo rubbed his hand up and down his face. "You understand, but you want me to say it don't you?" he huffed. "While you have been away, Zarfu, Eman and I have had dreams of Lash. She is our miresa in every way. We will have no other. She is ours and we will share her even in the stars, no matter how hard it is with our animalistic desires to not share her. It has been hard being apart from her, you know this."

I nodded and held my miresa tighter. My seeded orgamo and two other orgamos shared her. She chose them, but it was not chosen by the Moon Fairy. When the Moon Fairy came to the orcs so many years ago, she gave the orcs a choice, even the elders. They could remain with the females that chose them or have a new female all to themselves and to be bonded. My clan chose to stay with their ogamie and bond with her once they passed.

The orgamos would stay until they were no longer needed by their seeded, but I—I never thought it would be so soon.

"I'm not leaving yet, Valpar." My orgamo said. "You need me and your miresa needs me." He smiled down at my female. "I wish to know her before I depart this Wood. Zarfu did that before he left."

During our earlier conversation, my orgamo mentioned that Zarfu, Thorn's seeded, had passed to the stars. It wasn't peaceful. He helped fight an ogre, but his memory would live on, especially since he died a warrior's death. He was now with our ogamie.

I could not hold back the tears. I saw him as my orgamo, too.

"How long will you stay?" I brushed my claws through my little fairy's hair, unable to look at my seeded orgamo.

"As long as it takes. Do not worry, Lash will send me pleasant dreams. She wants me to do this for you both."

I hummed and pressed my forehead against my female.

"I am sorry you feel you must stay. But I am grateful you will stay longer to help. It is an odd feeling."

My orgamo huffed and pushed back the silver hair. "I don't know how much help I'll be. I've got a limp, and I'm not as strong as I was. My physical health deteriorates, but I have some wisdom. Besides, Lash would cut off my sack if I did not get to know our new daughter and tell her about what trouble the little fairy likes to get into." He eyed her and I gave off a growl.

Orgamo chuckled and shook his head.

It will be hard having my orgamo here while the bond strengthens with my miresa, but I will cherish the insults he has to throw at me until they are no more.