The orc smiles, hesitantly, merely a twitch of its lips. It searches my face for several long moments, and I begin to wonder if its about to give up on the whole thing. Would it leave me all alone out here? Would it show me where to find water or just send me off on my own?

  Before I can sink into a hole of despair and fear, the orc nods, gesturing for me to follow. Relief washes over me as I start after it, taking in my surrounding as we go. There is a lot to take in.

  Putting myself completely into the hands of this orc sends a thrill through me. I like not having to make decisions that will result in death or safety. Having someone else who knows what they’re doing lead on is a huge weight off my chest. That’s why I prefer the field. There is one way to do things, and it’s the same everyday. No endless questions to answer about what I should be doing, or which way I should be going.

  While my feet continue to follow after the orc, I wonder what an Orc Queen would look like. This orc is muscular, well dressed, and quite pretty. Why did I notice that? Pushing that last thought away, I ponder what a Queen might look like. As far as I know, the emperor is a guy who wears capes and a crown. At least based on the stories about him. This Queen would have to be bigger than this orc, right? Perhaps twice as tall, and twice ass strong? Would she wrap me in her arms and tell me everything will be alright? I shiver at the thought. For some reason I’m not afraid of her. A warmth fills my chest, moving lower into my belly and core. Has this orc bewitched me somehow? What magic makes this feeling?

  Clearing my throat to drive away the strange thoughts, I refocus on the forest around us. To keep my mind empty, I start to fidget. Tapping my fingertips together as my arms swing at my sides, I hum a tune in my head. I can’t spare the breath for humming anyway.

  As I’m following it, I notice occasionally it will stop and cock its head, pointed ears twitching. Its hearing must be much better than mine. All I can hear is the breeze, sometimes interrupted by rustling leaves on the ground, or an animal call. By the time I reach where it’s standing, it is moving forwards again. Luckily for me, I’m not about to fall down anytime soon. On the other hand, I don’t know anything about this orc. And it hasn’t told me anything about itself either. Only what a Treeborn Camp is and why we’re headed that way. Wait. It said ‘Treeborn camp’ and not ‘my camp’. If the Treeborn’s are family, why didn’t it say ‘my camp’? What is it hiding?

  Hurrying forwards to catch up to the fast moving figure, I wait for it to stop again. Before I can speak, it looks at me sidelong.

  “Me Lur. You name?”

  Taking a moment to digest its words, I gather myself to respond.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “My name is Elle. I’m sorry. I completely forgot to introduce myself. Mum says I should do that when I meet a stranger.” My lips purse. How long has it been since I met someone new? The last trader that came was what, months ago? If I mess this up with ‘Lur’ will it be upset? Has it already made up its mind about me? It could abandon me at any moment if its wants to.

  “I am glad I found you, Elle.” Its voice is soft, gentle, pulling me back to their presence. Their gaze is open, welcoming. It feels like a hug. Blowing out a breath, I drop my hands to my knees, taking deep breaths. This has been a confusing day. First I got brand new boots, and then I had to defend the fields and chose to confront a mad orc. Then I was taken deep into the forest and told I was going to meet and Orc Queen. I’m surprised I haven’t had a breakdown already. I suppose the adrenaline is wearing off.

  I focus on breathing, standing up again to open up my chest. With my hands on my sweaty head, I’m able to breathe more easily.

  “I’m sorry. I am thinking about what’s happened to me today. It has been a lot.” I try for a smile, but it doesn’t work. I change the subject.

  “I am a ‘she’, by the way. In case you were wondering.” I look away so I can’t see the surprise and disgust in its face. That’s usually how these things go.

  “Ah!” It looks excited for some reason. “me ‘she’ too!” Is she excited because she discovered she was a she too? I suppose it was exciting when it happened to me.

  “Oh.” I take in her happy smile, teeth on full display. Sometimes I wish I had pointy teeth. It would make eating easier. Her excitement draws a smile on my face too. “you seem happy about that?”

  “Yes. I like girls.”

  My mouth snaps shut, derailed by those simple words. She … likes girls? Is that something girls are allowed to do? I thought mum was just being silly when she was talking about that stuff. She was strange when she was a kid too.

  “Do you?” I don’t know – how am I supposed to know? Lur looks nervous, but I don’t know what could be making her nervous. She is confident, and strong, and knows where she’s going. I have none of those things.

  “Come, follow.” Thankful that Lur decided to start walking again, my feet move on their own. I can’t concentrate on the forest anymore. I’m too busy caught up in my thoughts. What if I was attracted to girls? Allie? She is strong, but I don’t think she likes me. What About Naomi? I don’t think I’ve ever asked her about partners. Actually, I don’t think I’ve asked anyone about their partners before. Was I missing out on people being gay in town? I didn’t think it was something that was allowed.

  “What thinking?” With a start, I realise Lur has stopped in front of me, hands on her hips.

  Heat floods my cheeks, though I’m already so sweaty that she might not be able to tell. I hope she can’t tell.

  “Nothing.” I mumble, hoping she won’t push for an answer. I manage an innocent smile and to my relief she turns away to lead on. Blowing out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, a pang of sadness tweaks at my heart. I haven’t really thought about going back to town. Is that normal? Apart from mum, I don’t think I have anyone who would miss me. Maybe the fields would miss me. They used to be a safe place. Huh, maybe Almun would miss me. It is strange to think that someone other than my mother might miss me, but I’m getting further away so that I can help them. They will forget me easily enough. I haven’t made any effort to get to know any of them. It will be like I never existed.