Page 8 of Alien Orc's Prize
“He grunts too much!”
“He’s too impatient-”
“-and arrogant-”
“-and self-important!”
“Imagine having a face like that-”
“-and eyes like those-”
“-and using them to just glare at everyone all day!”
“And that’s when he isn’t ignoring you!”
Neena and Noona stopped for breath, their faces wearing identical expressions of annoyance. Stunned, I tried to take in everything they’d just said in their rapid-fire, back-and-forth manner. Nothing sounded too overtly terrible, though my new husband didn’t sound particularly nice, either. I reminded myself that their thoughts about Prince Gal were filtered through their role as his younger sisters and I tried to keep an open mind. But the princesses had paused for long enough, it seemed, and launched into yet another attack on Prince Gal.
“He turned his nose up at every woman we brought for him!”
“Turned his nose up at the whole prospect of marriage!”
“And now that his wife, the one he actually picked, is here-”
“-he hasn’t even bothered to come!”
“He hasn’t even ensconced you in his own quarters!”
“Is that unusual?” I asked, finding a tiny opening in the conversation and latching onto it like a lifeline. It had been fairly obvious to me that the chambers I’d been given, the ones attached to this glorious bathroom, were not inhabited by theprince. There was nothing belonging to a man in there. Nothing belonging to anyone at all. A beautiful-but-empty guest suite.
I wasn’t familiar with orc customs, so it hadn’t struck me as odd.
Until now.
“It is unusual!” Neena said, sounding shocked and offended on my behalf.
“Highly unusual!” Noona agreed stoutly. “A newly married husband should be sleeping beside his wife! Or at least somewhere in the general vicinity!”
“Not to mention the fact that he so badly needs an heir and now he’s got his wife in a bed halfway across the palace!”
“Not that begetting an heir has to happen in the marital bed, but-”
“-it certainly seems the most likely place!”
Neena and Noona swanned out of the bathroom into the main bed chamber beyond, practically vibrating with righteous anger on my behalf, followed by their maids. Luckily, it was only Doree who probably saw how my human cheeks got hot and pink at the casual mention ofbegetting an heir.
Once out of the bathroom I was dressed like a doll for dinner amid many exclamations of “What in Orhalla will even fit?!” and “You’re so tiny!”
Tiny was something I’d never been called or strived to achieve in my life. But to the orc women, all of them nearing seven feet tall, I supposed I was small, curves aside.
I ended up dressed in a gold-coloured gown with deep green trim. Doree had to pin the beautiful but too-big garment in several places to make sure I wouldn’t trip on the skirts or have the waist or neckline sagging open. Even with the rushed, pinned fit, I’d never worn something so fine. I caught a look in an oblong mirror near the massive bed and didn’t recognize myself for a dizzyingly disconcerting moment.
Once we were all dressed – Neena and Noona in matching gowns of red and blue and me with a pair of soft indoor slippers meant for a child – I was told it was time to go down for dinner.
“Let’s see,” Neena said, taking my arm and steering me towards the door as Noona followed, “if your new husband bothers to show up.”
CHAPTER 7
LUNA