Cornelius fidgeted in his seat as the driver left him to walk into the roadside tavern near his father's estate. He could feel his heart racing as he waited for him to return. Not only was he off to meet his betrothed but he had also never left his family's residence before, and now on top of that his father was forcing him to ride along with an orcish bodyguard he had never met before. It all felt like too much for him, to many first. Granted it was not that he was prejudiced or that he was not eager, or that he did not like the fact that he would be protected but he had heard of how things were done in the orcish kingdom of Krom, and he worried that the two would not get along at all as they journeyed together for the next month.
After all with his soft skin, weak arms, and small stature he had not even felt confident amongst his brothers and it was no secret that the orcs were almost all over six feet tall and muscular. How would his betrothed even view him when the two arrived at her families home. His hair was already long after all and it would doubtless grow longer. Would she even see him as a man with a strong warrior beside him? Still, there was nothing he could do except wait he supposed and as he ran a hand through his blonde hair he continued to look towards the tavern door in anticipation.
What he saw surprised him though, following the driver out was not some large orc man but a woman, still tall and muscular like he had thought but also different. She seemed fit for her task though in her dull grey armor and as she walked towards the carriage she had a sack in one hand and a large ax in the other. Before Cornelius knew it she had packed her bag and entered the carriage with him, her ax in hand. The young noble took a breath and tried to calm his nerves as the orcish woman got settled in the seat across from him and without a word the two sat there in silence looking each other over.
Before he knew it the carriage had begun to roll forward and for what felt like an hour Cornelius had not even mustered the courage to talk to her. He had continued to look her over a few times sure but was never too long with his stares as he tried to avoid being rude. She was certainly taller than him perhaps by a full six inches and she had black hair that was tied in a ponytail behind her with the sides were shaved. In her face there seemed to be a certain strength he noticed, with a strong jaw and tusk and at the edges, and as he looked her over in more detail he had even spotted some scars. She certainly seemed fierce to Cornelius and he doubted that they would get along, but he also couldn't imagine sitting silently with her for the rest of their time together so with a deep breath her looked into her hazel eyes and cleared his throat.
"Hello, I'm Cornelius, I assume you knew that," He paused before looking at her ax and then back to her, "Anyway, what may I ask is your name?" He was still fidgeting as he fought through his anxiety but with the practice of years at court he tried to put on his softest smile as he finished speaking.
"Hareleth, friends call me Hare. You can call me Miss Hareleth though if that you pleases you my lord," She said with a grunt and nod before looking out the window again. She seemed to have little interest in the young noble but at least now Cornelius had a name. After a few moments of playing with the grip of her ax though she looked him in the eyes again. "Relax. With me around, nothing is going to happen to you. This isn't my first time guarding some young buck and it won't be my last," She tried to reassure him, her hands now moving to tighten the straps that held her plate armor together.
It was no secret that the roads were dangerous, and even at the best of times, people could expect to be held up by some bandits or have to run from a griffon caught in the grips of mating season, still, Cornelius had done his best not to think about it. His protector seemed to be intensely focused on it though and as he watched her prepare he could feel his body begin to slightly shake.
"That's quite good to hear. Um. Do you expect much to happen?" He asked with a small shake to his voice.
He was answered with a deep laugh as his protector looked him in the eye again. "Of course. There's always danger on the roads especially as you get farther from the cities. I figured that you would at least know that much." She ended her voice with a dry chuckle now before sitting up a bit straighter. "Don't worry though, as long as I'm here it's whatever's out there that needs to be afraid not you."
"Of course I knew, but I... well thank you..." Cornelius said as he took in a big gulp and looked out the window and into the woods again. Where once he had only seen the rolling trees as beautiful pieces of nature now all he could imagine was what danger may lurk around each tree. The mere thought of it caused him to shake again and as he shook Hareleth continued to look over at him.
"Look if it would make you feel better than you could always just sit next to me." She sighed as she moved from the middle of her seat across from him and patted the to the now clear space beside her. Cornelius for his part did not hesitate the young noble squeezing himself in the spot beside her. It was snugger then he would have liked it to be but he found that he oddly enjoyed it. Hareleth's large armor covered arms seemed more than capable of protecting him as he now sat nestled next to her.
Hours passed like that for the two of them before the cart finally came to a stop for the afternoon, the two leaving the carriage and stepping out for the first time since they had left the tavern that afternoon. The small clearing they stopped at was nothing special but it was just big enough for the carriage and for the three to set up camp. Hareleth was the first to make a move after she and Cornelius stretched their legs and in a swift motion, she stepped up and grabbed one of the tents off the top of the carriage.
"Driver. Are there only two tents up here?" She asked as she stepped down off of the carriage.
"Aye. Only two, I can sleep in the carriage if you'd like but if you could manage it then I'd be much obliged. My back gets awful sore laying like that." He replied, looking over his shoulder at Hareleth as he finished tying up the horses.
"I can manage with that, you okay with that or would you rather sleep alone in your tent?" She made sure to look Cornelius in the eye when she asked him, her hand still holding on to the tent as she waited for his reply.
"Uh... Yes. Yes, of course, I am sure that will be fine... I... Yes... sharing a tent should be fine Miss Hareleth." Cornelius stuttered out as his cheeks grew red. His brothers had been strapping and always skilled with the fairer sex, he on the other hand had done little besides hold hands with a girl and that was only at a formal ball when he turned 13. Hareleth only snickered to herself in response as she moved to clear space amongst the trees and began setting up their tent for bed.
Soon enough the two tents had been set up and afternoon turned to evening, the two moons rising above the trees as they sat around a small fire the driver made. It was the type of simple thing Cornelius had only read about in his books but he found himself surprisingly content as the Driver told stories about his past travels between the kingdoms and the dangers on the road. Eventually, though the old man retired for the night leaving Hareleth and Cornelius alone for the night. Hareleth was the first to make a move, shuffling from her place by the fire to sit next to Cornelius.
"So, tell me, you ever slept with a woman before?" She asked bluntly, as she rested back on her hands. The fire glowing off her as she sat and waited for his answer. Cornelius on the other hand only grew a bit redder as he sat there by the fire, his body twitching as he looked around into the woods.
"Of... course... of course I have, why would you even ask such a question?" Cornelius tried to defend, unable to meet Hareleth's gaze as he tried to look everywhere else.
"I was just curious is all, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, your lordship, just figured with us sharing a tent and you going off to meet your betrothed it would be nice to know." Hareleth shrugged as she began to sit forward, moving closer to Cornelius now as she got within a foot of him. "Then you know how to please a woman right, what the feeling of a wet cunt around your cock is like?" Hareleth raised an eyebrow as she asked, Cornelius glowing redder by the moment.
