“Ladies,” the leader of the orcs spoke, his eyes on me, like they’d been ever since he’d walked into the room. Those eyes only made me tenser.

He finally looked away and continued his speech. “I welcome you all to our mountains for this special day. Big things are about to happen tonight as orcs and humans will once again bond… We will make new lives, build new futures. And we will do that together. So please, do not fear us, for we do not fear you. In fact, we would like to show you our appreciation for this visit and offer you this meal.” As soon as he was done talking, a group of orcs walked into the room, holding wooden bowls, decorated plates, black metal pans, and enormous pots in their clawed hands. “We have prepared this feast for you. And I expect you to eat it all, as you will need the energy for the night…”

The other orcs laughed, but the leader’s mouth did not curl into a smile as theirs did. Instead, he looked at me once more, causing my stomach to turn while adrenaline rushed through my veins.

Why was he looking at me again? Was it my hair? Did the pathetic cropped locks that were left on my head repulse him the same way his grotesque looks repulsed me?

Whether you would call him monstrously ugly or not, he seemed to at least be respectful towards us. I didn't expect that. I'd dreamed about this day so many times, and there had been so many scenarios in my head whenever I’d fantasized about meeting the orcs, which was no wonder because I had no idea what to fantasize about. Everything was possible. But one thing I’d never even considered was orcs preparing dinner for us, thanking us for visiting them, or hearing them speak about creating a new life together so respectfully.

“Women! Please, take your seat at the table and eat!” he ordered, his voice bellowing through the room.

"Let's sit down," Amira whispered, grabbing my upper arm.

“Do you know why they were laughing?” I whispered.

“You’ll soon understand,” Amira answered.

“Huh?”

“Shhh! Come, we need to sit at the table now. I don’t wanna piss that guy off.”

“O-okay.”

“Can one truly eat this without getting the worst case of diarrhea?” Amira whispered into my ear as we sat at the long table with the other women. I was so happy she was the one sitting next to me, because this had to be one of the most uncomfortable moments in my life. Even the conversation I had with Mother this morning felt less awkward.

While all the women sat at the long stone table, the orcs stood a little further away, eating their so-called ‘feast’ meal, watching us, and talking to each other in orc-tongue. They were probably gossiping about us, while we struggled to finish dinner.

Eyeing the gooey brown mush on my plate, I answered her back: “I don’t know, but I think it will be rude not to eat it. I mean, the orc did say we should eat it all.” And his words felt like an order to me.

I’d just eaten a pile of stale bread and something that could pass for cheese, and this brown mush and some green leafy stuff were left. Their food did not look appetizing and was as ugly as they were. It even had the same color. Gray, greens, and browns. I inhaled a large breath, then exhaled again. Feeling brave, I took a large spoonful of the food on my plate and stuffed it in my mouth.

It tasted awful. It tasted like the swamp smells in the morning when Mom sends me to get frogs for the afternoon soup. I tried to swallow it down, almost gagging as I heard a few women next to me gag for real.

Come on, Gyda. You can do this. Don’t whine.

Swooping up everything with my spoon, I took one last large bite and finished my plate within a few seconds. I quickly washed it down with water, hoping the meal would stay inside.

“What in the bloody hell? What kind of a fucking dead ambiance is going on here?” a crow-like voice suddenly echoed through the air, making everybody's head turn in its direction. “You don’t make women feel at ease like this, you stupid bloody orcs!”

A woman. But she wasn’t from town, like we were, that was for sure. It looked like she was from here! Did she live in the mountains too?

“Betsy!” one of the orcs replied. He was an older orc, with gray streaks in his black hair and one broken tusk. Compared to the leader and a few others, he was quite small too.

What he said next, I couldn’t understand because he continued to speak to her in his native language. And she replied to him in the same orc-tongue that was their language.

But she wasn’t an orc. She was a woman. A human woman, like the rest of us! Did she live here? With them?

And she was with child too. Her belly was big enough to deliver any day now. Children were usually born during the ninth moon, not during the twelfth. So she must have been living here, at least long enough to have mastered their language.

Her skin was pale, lacking a healthy suntan. She had brown teeth and her cheeks and forehead were pockmarked. She was no classical beauty, but her light blond hair was long, braided, and looked almost elf-like.

Yes, they definitely had a thing for hair and here I was with a hairdo that couldn’t even pass for a bird's nest!

“Sorry, gals,” she spoke in a heavy dialect. “My name is Betsy and I usually represent myself as the guide for you women during the annual gatherings, but I’m afraid I’ve been busy this year, cleaning up the bloody mess these fucking ass cave dwellers made.”

Everybody stayed quiet, even Amira did. My curiosity, however, was piqued, and the desire to reply to her burned inside of me. I wanted to ask her so many things. Should I? She may be a little vulgar with her choice of words, but she seemed friendly, and her pale blue eyes looked at us with kindness.

“Do—” I cleared my throat when I’d caught Betsy’s attention. “Uh… D-do you live here?” I then asked, my voice soft. “With the orcs?”

“Yup. I do, love! For a few years now. Voluntarily too, if you’re wondering about that. I and a few other gals have made a life here in the mountains. That ugly fuck over there is mine. My husband.” She cocked her head towards the older orc and pointed at him.

“Who are you calling ugly, woman? Have you looked in the mirror lately?” he replied, smiling.

“Oh, piss off, you ugly old fart!” She then looked at us and whispered, “I do love him, though.”

“That… I never knew…” I replied while the other women stayed silent.

“I’m sure those fucking cows back in town said nothing about us, hm? Oh- Uh…pardon me. I mean, your lovely mothers and sisters,” Betsy continued. “They see us every year.” Betsy looked at me, so I felt obligated to respond again.

I shook my head. “No, they never want to say anything about this place.”

If my mother heard I’d answered that, I would be so dead. I guess it was my luck that nobody was going to talk about what happened in this place anyway.

“I see…” Betsy answered. “It’s the same old tale. They still tell you nothing. You know…I’ve often wondered why it is so hard to break a stupid tradition?” Betsy sighed, caressing her big, swollen belly.

“Me too,” I blurted out. “And uh- Well…uh…” I wanted to ask her why she was here. It was hard to control my curiosity.

“Shoot, woman,” Betsy said when she got impatient with me. “You can ask me anything. Living with these barbarians made me pretty much shameless about anything and everything. I’m an open book.”

“Why did you stay here?”

“Because—”

One of the orcs called out for her. It was the same man who had spoken the last time. Her husband. She looked back at him, answering in their language, then drew her attention back at us again.

“I need to speak with them. Finish your meal, girls. The breeding will soon start.”

As Betsy walked away, I wondered what was growing inside her belly. Would the child be human or an orc? Whatever it was, it would have a mother and a father, something my baby would never have.

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