“Your can't draw cards, young lady.” The human with light-brown skin and a messy beard smirked as his opponent was out of cards. “I win.”

“Ridicules!” The fourteen-year-old orc girl threw her hand-held cards on the floor as she pouted. She blew at a lock of her chocolate-brown hair that had gotten in the way of her eye. “You are a cheat, sir. Not sure how, but you are guilty of fowl play.”

“Oh, you got me. I’ve been hiding cards up my sleeves.” Pater the Human smiled as he held up his hands to show the worn-out sleeves on his prison uniform. His chains that were attached to the wall behind him clinked as he did so.

Princess Mayari sighed as she collected all of her cards into one stack. “Best out of five?”

“May, I have no window to see the sun, but I’m rather sure it is past your bedtime.” The human with long and unwashed hair returned the cards he had borrowed from his young friend.

Mayari shrugged. “I’m a princess, I can do as I please.”

Pater looked at the orc girl with his green eyes. “If that was true, you wouldn’t spend your free time with an old idiot like me.”

“I’m here because you are my friend, sir.”

Pater laughed. "That's just depressing."

Four years ago...

A little orc child looked around the great hall of her new home.

She was in the throne room. At the throne sat a big orc. He was wearing a bronze cuirass and a red cape, signs of a great warrior. He had a big scar on his left cheek, a sign that he had been in battle. And he had a pair of majestic tusks, suitable for a king.

“So?” Bathala looked at his daughter. “What do you think of our new home?”

“It’s... big.” Princess Mayari looked around the gigantic room. There were paintings of pink-skinned creatures without tusks hanging on the walls. Humans. “Much bigger than our home, father.”

“This IS our home, my little jadestone.” Bathala grinned. “Unless I somehow misread the situation four weeks ago and us orcs failed the invasion of Nesredna.” The orc king made a small laugh.

“Well, it will take a while before it will be inhabitable.” The bald orc wearing a fancy-looking peplos pointed as she gave orders to the dwarfs and orcs who were about to pick down the portraits. “Yes, all of them. Every single one.” Queen Lakapati was getting a bit inpatient. “Just get rid of them, I don’t want to look at those pesky humans one moment longer.”

“So... we won’t go home?” Mayari felt a knot in her stomach.

King Bathala stood up from the throne and kneeled down as he placed a hand on his heir’s little shoulder. “Little jadestone, Nesredna used to be our kind’s home for less than one-hundred years ago. A couple of islands is not land enough for the orc empire to grow back to its former glory. Do you understand?”

“I guess.” Mayari sighed, but then she spotted something on the floor. She walked toward it and picked it up. It was a couple of papers sewed together and inside a protective shell. “Father, what is this?”

Bathala scoffed. “It’s a fool’s tool. It creates forgetfulness in a learners’ souls. They will trust these endlessly many sentences, depend on them to remind them of the most simple things. Like a babe depending on their parent’s hand as they try to walk. It dulls the mind.”

Mayari looked at the book one last time before dropping it on the floor.

***

“What are we doing down here?” Mayari loathed the stench as they walked down the stairs to the prison.

“You will see.” Bathala led the way. “Trust me, it will be quite educational.”

Reaching the end of the stairs, they now stood in front of a door guarded by two soldiers, a dwarf and an orc. Both of them nodded their heads for the king and the princess as they opened the door. Behind the door waited two more guards who escorted the royal father and child. Mayari’s eyes shifted left and right as she noticed the creatures behind bars who stared at them. It made her quite uncomfortable, especially since several of said creatures made gestures she did not know of but was rather sure were anything but polite. They reached the end of the passage where there was another set of stairs. Mayari found the amount of stairs ridiculous, wondering what the purpose of making a room this low underground was practical at all.

“We can do this by ourselves.” Bathala nodded to the guard.

The room they reached at the end of the stairs had a male human in it. This was the first time Mayari had actually seen one instead of a drawing or a painting. The human was wearing shackles with chains that were attached to a moldy stonewall, very much limiting his movement. He stood up as he realized he had visitors and took two steps forward. He had what had not long ago been a well kept beard. He had freckles on his light-brown skin and a pair of green eyes. As he realized who had come to see him, he got down on one knee and lowered his head. “King Bathala. You honor me with your presence.”

“Stand up, human.“ Bathala grunted as he looked at the red haired man. “And DON’T look me in the eyes.”

“Yes, sire.” The human looked at his feet as he stood in front of the orc king. The chain rattled.

“HA!” Bathala turned toward his daughter as he waved a hand at the dark-haired human with freckles. “See this, daughter? See this tusk-less excuse for a creature? This spindly thing was the ruler of those darn humans we have fought for so long that no one can recall what event that ignited the war. Some claim that the humans had control over this kingdom for so long due to their intelligence and creativity.”   Bathala smirked as he looked at the human. “You are locked up in a stinking hole. You don’t seem that smart from my point of view.”

The king in shackles made a lifeless laugh. “Sire... had I been smart, I would have understood the true meaning of the word cowardice, and I might not have been here.”

Bathala ceased to look smug and was instead confused. “What? What is... Ah, I see. On that, we can agree.” The orc king turned his attention toward his daughter. “Mayari, we are leaving.”

“Father?” Mayari asked as they reached the exit of the prison. “What did that human mean with the meaning of cowardice?”

“Ah… Don’t mind that, my child. I just wanted to show you how utterly pathetic our enemies are. Don’t think too much about it, he was just attempting to seem clever because that is all he has left.”

But Mayari did think about it. She thought about it a lot. She was curious by nature.

***

Queen Lakapati sat on a chair as Mayari did pull-ups.

They were in what had recently been the human king’s library. This was one of the first rooms the queen had ordered to be cleared so that there would be room for the necessary equipment for Mayari’s training, including the pull-up stand that the little orc princess was exercising with.

Lakapati took a bite from a juicy red apple as her daughter lifted her body a few centimeters from the floor and down again.

“... three, six, nine... twelve...” Mayari huffed. “... fifteen, eighteen, twenty... one, twenty-four...”  The sweet that ran from her green forehead now bothered her eyes. “Twenty-seven... Thirty.”

The queen swallowed and licked the juice from the fruit off her lips. “Fine. Seven, then.”

“Seven, fourteen...twenty-one, twenty...” Mayari paused as her feet were on the floor again. Her arms were sore. “Twenty... um, twenty-eight-”

“Too slow.”   Lakapati stood up and poked Mayari’s nose with her fingertip. “And don’t pause. Pause too often and you won’t progress, nor physically or mentally.”

“I don’t get why I have to memorize the multiplication table.” Mayari sighed as she nudged her hands. “When I become... NGH... queen, I might forbid it from being used for education.”

“Well, you are not queen yet.” Lakapati sat back on her chair. “And the mind needs to be sharpened like an ax so it doesn’t get dull. If you can’t do simple math under a pressure, then you will make a poor regent. Now, let’s get on with it. Nine.”

Mayari took a hold on the pull-up bar. But then she paused. “Mother... Do you know what the true meaning of the word cowardice is?”

Lakapati was about to take a bite from a new apple, but stopped. “I beg your pardon?”

Mayari shrugged. “It’s just... something I heard someone say. And I wondered what he meant with it.”

“Well, it means the lack of bravery. You know that, dear.”

“Well, yes, but it sounds like... this creature meant some-”

“My little jadestone, we can talk philosophy another day. Right now, you need to prove to me, and yourself, that you know the nine times table.”

Mayari sighed and took a hold of the pull-up bar and returned to lifting herself from the floor and down again. “Nine... eighteen... twenty-seven...” Mayari could taste the salty sweet reaching her lips. “... thirty-six... forty-five...”

Lakapati smiled. “I do believe you are almost ready to train for the coronation ritual.”

***

Pater sat on the stone floor in his cell. His beard was itchy and he was scared. Not so much for himself, but for a little blond girl that he hoped no one would think was the king’s daughter as she was very much white.

The only trait Pater could think of that he had in common with his kid would have to be his freckles and green eyes. That aside, she looked just like her mother.

But being inside a cell and forgotten by the rest of the world for days meant that Pater had gotten used to the fear. He had grown numb to it. That made it possible for him to be bored.

So Pater picked his nose.

He regretted that as he heard someone coming down the stairs. He got rid of the booger on his pinky finger by wiping it off on the floor... meaning he now had a dirty finger instead. He looked up to see who came to pay him a visit. It was a little green girl with brown hair. She was dressed in a white tunic that was remarkably clean. Pater recognized her as the kid king Bathala had brought with him some time ago.

“And you will tell no one I was here.” The orc princess said to the dwarf who had guard duty. “Or I will... I will have you fed to a kraken!”

The guard dwarf looked at Mayari the same way a large dog would look at a very angry and tiny dog as he bowed and closed the door to the cell.

“Well, this is a surprise.” Pater stood up and bowed as Mayari came down the stairs. “I get another visit, and from royalty once again. Greetings, your highness.”

“Don’t patronize me, human.” Mayari did her best to scowl the way her father did. “I might be ten, but I am royalty.”

“I’m not talking down to you, your highness.” Pater kept his head lowered. “Wouldn't dream of it.”

“Fine, then.” Mayari was unsure what to say to make sure her authority was clear. ”Ah... at ease!” Mayari felt stupid, but the human did as he was told and sat down on the floor. He kept smiling. Mayari cleared her throat. “Human, I have a simple question, and I want a sincere answer. When my father brought me here, you said something about the true meaning of cowardice. Elaborate.”

Pater made a meek smile. “It means that I did a lot of things as king with the excuse that it was my duty. I realized too late that I was a coward. Had I known the true meaning of the word cowardice then I might have been a better king and not stuck in this hole.”

Mayari tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “My mother did tell me humans have a bad habit of overthinking what is simple.”

Pater laughed. “Well, I’m stuck here with nothing but my thoughts, so you might be right, your highness.”

Mayari leaned up against a wall and crossed her arms. “You seem... chipper. That is, considering that you are stuck down here. Shouldn’t you be depressed?”

Pater shrugged. “Would it help? After all, reveling in sadness results in drowning. Optimism might be a fragile rope, but it is still a lifeline.”

Mayari narrowed her eyes. “Are you quoting Yinu the Forever Surprised?”

Pater nodded. “One of my favorite philosophers.”

“But... that doesn’t make sense. He was an orc!”

Pater nodded again. “So?”

“So?! Humans and orcs are mortal enemies! They have hated each other for hundreds of years! You are at this very moment inside a prison because orc-kind threw you down here and tossed the key away!”

Pater grinned. “If they tossed the key away, how did you get down here?”

“It’s just an expression!” Mayari rolled her eyes and groaned loudly.

“And I was just joking.” Pater laughed. “You have an impressive selection of words for a child.”

“DON’T patronize me!” Mayari gave Pater a stare that could ignite a fire. “Why would you have any interest in what orcs have to say when all humans hate orcs as much as orcs hate them?”

Pater scratched his head, and the chain attached to his wrist clinked. “Well, maybe I'm an oddball, but I believe literature and art of any kind should not be worth less depending on where it came from.” Pater laughed again. “I’m also just curious by nature. When I read Yinu’s book-”

“Wait, stop right there.” The green-skinned princess sat on the floor. “What book? Yinu didn’t make a book. Books are made by humans and other forgetful creatures who rely on the written word like a fish relies on water.”

“Well, Yinu must not have been aware of that, he wrote A Forest Of Thoughts.”

Mayari scoffed. “You are lying. Orcs share thoughts, history and songs from mouth to ear. The mind is a muscle, relying on writing makes the mind a dull muscle. Why would Yinu make a book?”

“To share his thoughts with forgetful creatures such as I? If you don’t believe me, then you should find the book yourself.”

Mayari smirked. “And why would I waste my time doing that?” The orc princess stood up and went for the stairs so she could leave the human.

“Because I think you are like me, your highness.” Pater said as Mayari had reached the third step of the stairs. “You are curious.”

Mayari was furious as the dwarf guard shut the door after she had gotten out of the cell. And she was red hot furious when she was back in her room and in bed because the former human king was right.

***

“Wrong. Stop that.”

Mayari stopped hitting the big punching bag that queen Lakapati had arranged to be hanged in the training facility. “What am I doing wrong, mother?”

“Everything. Look...” Lakapati gently pushed her daughter away from the bag so she could stand in front of it. She then raised her hands up and took a stance. “Like this. Hands up, elbows in, hips between your feet, knees slightly bent, and back heel lifted. Your stance is essential for a jab, and your jab will be your most important tool.”

Mayari mimicked her mother’s stance.

The queen nodded. “Better. Now, the important-”

“Mother?”

Lakapati blinked. “Did you just interrupt me?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just... I have a question.” Mayari remained in her stance as she talked. “This room... before it became my training facility, it was the castle's... book depository?”

Lakapati raised an eyebrow. “Yes. So?”

“Welhappened to the books?”

Lakapati sighed. “Since we have no use for them, I decided to donate the whole lot to the dwarfs who live in the capital. They appreciate them for whatever reason. Now, can we focus on your jab?”

Mayari got in front of the punching bag and listened to her mother’s instructions. But she also wondered how she could find out if an orc had written a book or not.