King Bathala scratched the scar on his left cheek as he listened patiently to the two dwarfs that stood in front of him. They were visitors nine and ten that day that he had given an audience in the throne room.

It had been two months since he had claimed the human castle for himself and orc-kind. For a week or so, Bathala had to honor his promise to the dwarfs when they had joined the orcs in the fight for the capital city of Nesredna. The stout bearded creatures disliked humans almost as much as the orcs and joined forces with them after being promised to share the capital city with the orcs. The invasion had mostly been a success so it was time to debate who should be allowed to control what part of the city. The two dwarfs both debated that they should be given the ownership of Eje Arena where creatures would come to watch the most important sport events in the kingdom of Nesredna.

“... and that is why I should be given the ownership of the grand arena, your highness.” Quark said. He was a dwarf with a red beard. He was wearing his military armor, most likely to impress Barthala, something the orc king found irritating. “Beside my qualifications, I also served you in the battle of the castle-”

“Oh, PLEASE!” Kraid interrupted Quark. He was the dwarf with a blond beard. “You helped plan the attack. Your armor is mostly for show. I on the other hand was on the front line and got wounded when I slayed the infamous human knight Tizian.”

Bathala was well aware of that. However, he also knew the rumors about how Kraid had “slayed” Tizian when he was already wounded after a harsh fight with an orc soldier and two dwarf knights. And Bathala believed there was plenty of merit to these rumors since Tizian wore a dirty bandage around his arm, most likely because the old blood made what was just a flesh wound seem more severe.

Bathala watched the two dwarfs quarrel and he came to the decision that he disliked them equally. But they both had the right to a piece of the city and they both wanted the arena. The orc king pondered for a minute... and then he smiled.

“Gentlemen.” The dwarfs stopped bickering as Bathala spoke. “Since you are both great war heroes...” Bathala resisted the urge to laugh. “... I have decided that you shall settle this disagreement through trial of combat.”

The dwarfs blinked. “Sorry, what?” They both said.

“The two of you will engage in a battle you can both agree on. The winner will then receive control over Eje Arena. After all, two great soldiers like the two of you have no problem with that, correct?”

Kraid and Quark exchanged looks. Neither of them looked forward to fighting the other. But admitting that would mean losing face in a most devastating manner.

Bathala smiled, This was what he needed. A cheap laugh. And he was finally gonna have a little time with his daughter later after her training session.

***

The princess and the queen were inside the small boxing ring that had recently been built inside the training chamber. 

Mayari could feel the sweat run down her green forehead as she hit the focus mitts her mother were wearing on her hands. 

When Mayari had been told she had come to the age where her mother would teach her how to fight, she had thought it would be kinda fun. But it was anything but that. Worst part was that it didn't get any easier, every day they trained it got a little bit harder. Mayari would once in a while be allowed the luxury of believing that she actually made progress… but then the next day be painfully reminded that all she had learned was how to balance herself somewhat right, and now she needed to learn how to adjust her weight when she wanted to strike something. And her mother would not say anything to make her feel less incompetent. As if she were a baby who tried to take her first step but fell over time and time again.

The fact that Mayari at this point of the training was even allowed to practice jabs and hooks both baffled her and made her feel uneasy.

The ten year old orc princess threw three left-hand jabs and a right-hand hook with her wrapped-in fists. And they landed perfectly on the focus mitts.

Queen Lakapati rolled her eyes. “Child, is your skin truly green? I'm starting to think I’m colorblind and that your skin is pink, that would explain the very human-like force in those fists of yours.”

Mayari frowned as she dropped her guard and gave the queen a glare. “Mother!”

“Don’t you mother me, young lady. Especially not during practice. But perhaps you need some sort of motivation... Hmm...” Lakapati narrowed her eyes as she tried to think of something. “Mayari...” She put forward her right hand with a punch mitt. "Remember your distant cousin Prismari that you met last year at your grandfather’s funeral?"

Mayari grinded her teeth. She very much remembered him.

Lakapati grinned as she held the mitt in front of her daughter. "Well, this is his jaw."

Mayari quickly returned to her stance and then hammered her hand against the mitt. Not only did her mother feel that punch, Mayari felt it as well. She actually got startled by the pain in her finger bones.

“Better.” Lakapati said this with a stone face so her child would not get cocky by seeing her mother being proud. “Not by much, but better. However, had this been an actual fight, your cousin would have seen that attack coming miles away. He would have stepped backward so you would lose your balance. You would be off guard, and on your back in a matter of seconds as he strikes your chin.”

“I get it.” Mayari growled as she crossed her arms. “I stink.”

“First of all, that choice of words is beneath you. Secondly, you do not stink as you say it. You are inexperienced, that is what we are about to change... eventually. Now...” Lakapati took off the mitts and dried her bald head. “That is enough for now. Jump into the pond in the garden to get the sweat off and get ready to see your father in his meditation room.”

***

"-and I am ever so grateful for this job, your highness.”

Mayari dried her body after her quick bath in the pond. It was a lovely day in spring, perfect to hear birds sing... or it would have been if it hadn’t been for her new maid Peridotite.

Mayari rolled her eyes as she dried her hair since the dwarf girl with several blue ribbons in both her red beard and hair couldn’t see her eyes when she did so.

“-father used to say that there is no greater joy than feeling needed. And I do feel needed now, and if there is anything I can ever do-”

Mayari took her white tunic from Peridotite as she kept talking. Mayari did her best to try and ignore her, but she couldn’t help but catch every word from the dwarf despite her indifference. Sad really, since Mayari spent most of her time either getting lectures, training or trivial everyday things, so she did not meet other creatures despite her parents and the staff of the castle. Peridotite was two years older than her, they might have had some sort of… friendship to some degree… if only the dwarf could stop blabbering. But Mayari did not have the heart to order her to stop or have her replaced, it meant the world to express her gratitude... for about a week now.

But then Peridotite said something that caught Mayari’s attention.

“-my sweetheart later. He is the nicest dwarf boy, your highness, he works as an apprentice in the big library that just got reopened. Yes, I know that you orcs, if I may say so, do not care much for books, but he is such a smart-”

Mayari held up a hand to make the maid shut up. “Peridotite... you said... ah, what was his name again?”

Peridotite blinked. This was the first time the princess had talked to her besides telling her to fetch something or what she wanted to wear. “Oh... His name is Dwayne, your highness. He is thirteen years old and he has red hair. In fact, he has red hair all over his body. I do not imply he is naked, but he is once in a while-”

Mayari held her hand up again. Peridotite shut herself up. “Peridotite... I need you to ask him for a favor. And it has to be done discreetly.”

***

Mayari enjoyed the scent of lavender candles that illuminated the room. It made her relax. And her father’s private meditation chamber had plenty of them since king Bathala needed to be at absolute peace when he tried to plan for the future and make up his mind when it came to a tough decision.

But Mayari was not allowed to relax right now, not physically or mentally.

Bathala stretched his arms backward. “King Sinaya?”

“Led our people in the battle of Lorehold in the year 40 after Neiklot.”

“Good. Queen Bibit?”

“She slayed the kraken Dick so its blood could be used to create a cure against the swamp plague in the year 15 after Neiklot.”

“Good. And king Kipouros?”

“Reclaimed the hammer of Lakang from the hydra Glasstooth. And that was... the year 105 after Neiklot.”

“And Kipouros’ wife?”

Mayari blinked. “I thought we only talked about the regents, not-”

“Kipouros’ wife?”

“Well, Lady Tulip the Satyr, and that was the first and only time an orc monarch had married someone of another species. But it’s unfair you ask me that, You told me I only had to recite ruling kings and queens.”

Bathala smirked. “And you still recalled not just his spouse’s name but her species as well. I’m proud of you. Come here, my little jadestone.”

Bathala waved at Mayari to make her sit on his lap. She did so and leaned her head against her father’s chest. “Father, why is it so important to memorize all these kings and queens?”

“They are your history. They are what we fight for.” Bathala gently stroked her hair. “It is your duty to keep their memory alive, to know that we owe them and that we must avenge them. That’s why we live here now.”

Mayari frowned. “... I liked Todirep better. I miss the forest.”

Bathala sighed. “Todirep is still our home, jadestone. But Nesredna used to be orc-kind’s biggest colony. We have fought for generations to reclaim it, to rebuild our culture to its greatness. As king, it is my duty to make sure I stay here and oversee the process so it properly becomes a part of our culture once again. You understand that, don’t you?”

Mayari did not answer the question. Bathala assumed she agreed.

***

After having spent twenty minutes with her father for the first time in weeks, Mayari went to her room. She wanted to be alone for a little while before combat training with her mother. As she walked the halls, she looked at the walls. There were nails on the naked stonewalls since there had been portraits and paintings before the orcs had taken over the castle. Mayari could also see marks on the floor where there had been stands where vases, helmets and more had been put on display. But all of it was gone since it had been made either by humans or for humans. Mayari understood that... but it felt so empty. It was a half empty home they lived in.

Her bedroom made her feel like she lived in someone else’s space. The bed was ridiculously soft compared to the more firm bed that she had been used to for years. She had yet to find time to decorate the room but could see marks on the floor, marks made by furniture that had been disposed of by order of her mother, probably because they had been too human-like.

But she stopped thinking about inhabiting a stranger’s bedchamber as she noticed a small pagage left on her bed. She unwrappe it and found the book she had told Peridotite to get her… or she assumed it would have to be that book as she couldn’t read what was written on the cover of it… or the pages for that matter.

Mayari felt rather stupid as she realized she could do nothing with this book.

***

Pater the Human had found a very sharp rock.

Most creatures in his situation would have tried to use it to try to get the shackles off in an attempt to escape prison. But Pater was not like most creatures. He was instead extremely happy that he had found something he could draw with. Sure, it took a while to actually scratch the floor he sat on, but he had managed to draw a couple of faces. They didn’t look great since illustrating was not exactly his forte. But it was a way to pass the time and prevent himself from hurting himself out of misery.

As he had finished a rather crude drawing of a little girl with freckles like the ones he had, he noticed he had gotten a visitor.

Mayari looked at the former human king with a stern expression. She held a book in her little hands. “Hello, human.”

Pater stood up and bowed. “Greetings, your highness. To what do I owe the honor of a third visit from thee?”

Mayari closed her eyes as she tried to talk calmly yet with very clear disgust, the way her father did when addressing a servant he had no love for. “Human, you will teach me how to read.”

Pater blinked. Then, he laughed.

“Do... DON’T laugh at me!” Mayari’s cheeks turned red.

“Oh, I’m not. Really, I would never laugh at you, your highness.” Pater lowered his head. “I was just... surprised. And relieved, I suppose. I knew you were curious like me.”

“We are nothing alike.” Mayari’s face turned even more red. “Now, teach me to read or... or...”

“Or what? I will get locked up?” Pater sat on the floor, so the two creatures could look each other directly in the eyes. “Forgive me that joke, your highness, I couldn’t help it.”

Mayari restrained herself from throwing a fit for not only having used threat as a method to make the human do as she told him to but also doing it poorly. Regents should be above threats was what her parents had told her over and over again. Creatures of power, true power, had no need for them. Pater restrained the urge to smirk at the little girl who tried her best to be authoritarian.

The human scratched his beard. “Well, I am bored down here, so I will teach you how to read, your highness.” Pater smiled at Mayari without any signs of spite or mock. “But I have a condition.”

Mayari was about to say that Pater was in no position to make demands, but she had already shown that this was something she wanted. And she was unsure who else to go to. She could have arranged for a dwarf to give her lessons in secret, but it had been risky enough as it was to make Peridotite get the book in the first place. “If you think I will help you escape, then you overestimate not just yourself but me as well.”

“Oh, no. Nonono.” Pater made a small laugh. “No, nothing like that. My condition is this; Every time you come down here, I will teach you how to read and then we will play a game.”

Mayari narrowed her eyes. “And... that’s it?”

“Yes, that's it. Entertain me, and I will teach you. Sounds reasonable?”

Mayari looked at the skinny, dirty, bearded creature with freckles all over his face. He smiled at her sincerely. Mayari knew he was the enemy, but he knew something she needed to know, and he seemed honest enough about what he wanted.

Mayari sighed. “What... sort of game?”