For the Whored

The following day, the miscreant soldiers appeared embarrassed, and this brought Grogek great joy, though only Elunara saw it in his face. General Renwa took notice of this and summoned Gerald to his chambers.

"Report."

"Well, sir..." Gerald scratched his head and had the integrity to look embarrassed. "The Orc and the Whore..."

The General cleared his throat.

"I mean... Grogek and Elunara snuck off, and per my orders, I followed them." He straightened up. "I followed them to a hidden location where they began to take part in some particularly acrobatic... uhh endeavors." He cleared his throat and stammered.

General Renwa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tell it to me clear."

"Well, sir. Some of the other men found out about it and gathered around..." He sighed and hung his head. "To watch."

Renwa tried to hold his laughter. "Then what?"

Gerald cleared his throat again and tugged at his collar. "Well, they went at it for hours."

"How many men?"

"Uhh, sir?"

"How many? I care not for names."

Gerald seemed to be counting in his head. "Including me... 15..."

"Really?!" General Renwa sat up. "You let that many men..." He groaned. "Continue."

"Well... it's all fun and games, until it got... uhh personal."

"Personal?"

"Personal. It wasn't just a pair of horny teenagers going at it. This was... different somehow. We were spying on a real couple," He made motions it his hands. "Enjoying each other."

"Is that how you saw it?" Renwa murmured, thoughtful.

"There's no other way to describe it." Gerald sighed. "Everyone sort of feels guilty now. Me especially, because I did nothing. Probably even encouraged."

"Probably." General Renwa said flatly.

Gerald hung his head. "Definitely."

"Hmm."

"How was I to know they actually love each other?" He muttered.

General Renwa did laugh this time. "He may love her... but otherwise..." He trailed off and considered. With a shake of his head, he stood up. "While I am going to avoid punishing the others for now, I think you have earned yourself latrine duty for the next week."

Gerald winced but had the dignity to keep his mouth shut. With a stiff nod, he left.

They spent their days at the training yard, and their nights wandering the town. People had stopped out right avoiding them, but the distrust was still there. They wandered, fingers mingled together.

"The nights are turning cooler." He murmured.

"I'll keep you warm."

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You boil me alive." Kissing her shoulder he murmured in orcish.

"I really should learn your language."

"Only if I may learn yours."

She cocked her head to the side. "Then we have an arrangement."

Every day, they worked together, learning each other's language. She even taught him to read some of her shorthand writing. He turned out to be a fast learner. She knew that teaching him to understand their writing was against current orders, but she found she couldn't help herself.

Grogek was explaining his methods to the General when a scout ran up the both of them.

"Sir!" He panted. "Iron Horde sighted on the east of camp."

Grogek and the General looked at each other for a moment before they both took off. Grogek grabbed up his axe, and Elunara grabbed her writing desk.

"Time to earn your keep, Grogek." The General muttered.

Grogek just snorted.

On the eastern edge, a pair of soldiers was holding a female orc at gun point. Elunara slapped a hand to her face. "Oh man..."

Grogek tossed his axe down into the dirt. "Sister! What are you doing here?"

"That's his sister?" General Renwa blinked at Elunara.

"Oh yeah. And she fucking HATES me."

"Ah, good. I thought we had an actual problem." Renwa rolled his eyes.

"I've come to free you brother!"

"I am free enough, sister." Grogek crossed his arms.

"They have enslaved you!" She cried. "You do not see it, for that whore enchanted your mind! Break free brother! Return to us. Return to me." She pleaded.

Grogek laughed. "Sister you are deranged."

Lama held up a piece of paper. "I have proof!"

Grogek took the paper and frowned at it. "This is the drawing of your beloved. I see no proof."

"It's in the runes!" She pointed. "These here. They are magic. Our shamans have discovered the magic hidden in all the runes on all the papers."

Elunara made several eye movements and facial gestures. General Renwa gave her an "I hope you know what you're doing" gesture.

"Release her." Elunara waved her hand.

Grogek tossed the paper at Lama and she grabbed at it desperately. He turned and walked toward Elunara.

"You would show her mercy?"

"First of all, she did heal me; even if you forced her to. Second, if Grommash believed her ranting for even a moment, he would be here personally. You face a bitter, jealous woman who has lost her grip on sanity."

"She has you in her grasp!" Lama cried. "Do not listen to her!"

Elunara gestured with her free hand.

"Release her." General Renwa said. "This is not worth our time."

"GET THE PAPERS!" Lama screamed. "THEY HOLD THE TRUTH!"

Elunara sighed. "Look, I never touched your husband." She shook her head. "He came to my room and he stood for me, but all he spoke of, was you. He is a good soldier who follows orders, but all he wanted from me, was naked pictures of you."

Lama's mouth dropped open.

"Of course, I haven't really given women a go, so I kind of had to make do with what I had. Instead of searching ME for papers, you should really search him." Elunara grinned. "I had to use myself as an example of course, but... alas." She made a vague gesture before turning away.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Lama screamed.

Grogek was there in an instant, his axe held out at Lama's throat. "She offered you mercy; do not throw yourself upon my anger."

"Brother, I beg of you, find the papers. The truth is there!"

Elunara looked back and shook her head. "I do not hide my books. I do not hide my papers. There's no point. There's nothing to find."

"Leave, Lama." Grogek sighed.

She glared at Elunara before turning back to Grogek. "Find the truth and come back to me." Lama stood up and growled at the men with the guns. She turned and ran into the woods.

"Was that advisable, sir?" Captain Jordan asked General Renwa.

"Elunara has a plan. I don't know what it is, yet. But I will find out."

Later in General Renwa's office, Elunara leaned against a window, watching Grogek tear down a soldier for some slight or another.

"Tell me." Renwa began. "Why I just let an Iron Horde run free, possibly revealing our location to the rest of the lot?" He pushed his hair back in frustration. "It is only our years of experience together that I let you do that.

"Sir, this is my final test."

"What?" He looked up at her, completely blank.

She tapped on her leg. "Lama has been a thorn in my side since I first laid eyes on her. She is petty, jealous and perfect. Grogek is fiercely loyal to his sister, and even today may have just been a show. It may take a few days, but he will make his decision and he will go with her to it. I can assure you of that."

Elunara moved away from the window. "He will either decry his sister, or..." Elunara pulled out the small blade and twirled it between her fingers. "Or he may betray us all and in which case, both of them will die. Meanwhile, we watch him."

Renwa nodded. "I would have rathered him slay his sister. We will try your way for now. I leave him in your capable hands."

That night, Grogek was excruciatingly gentle, patient and loving. They spent hours on each other. Satisfied, she curled up under his arm and snuggled up. Even as she drifted into sleep, Grogek lay awake and thinking. He stared at the ceiling for an untold amount of time. Finally, he slid out of bed. She shifted in her sleep, but did not wake. Going to her books, Grogek began to read.

For several nights, he would lie awake until he was certain she had gone to sleep and begin to read. When he was finally satisfied, he tugged several pages out of the books and rolled them up carefully. Checking her once more, he brushed a hand in her hair. With that, he turned and left.

The enchantment on the door woke her, and she made her way out behind Grogek.

He travelled a fair bit of distance, his bundle secured in his hand. When he finally spotted his sister's small camp, he came up short. Two guards held her at sword point. He was ambushed by several men. Grogek grimaced as he was shoved down. He knew he could easily over power his guards, but chose not to. Elunara appeared in the clearing.

Her eyes were flat and dark; a vicious predator stalking her prey. Grogek's heart soared as he looked into those eyes. His she wolf was never a disappointment.

"Well, let's see what you have." She said; her voice emotionless. She held out a hand.

One of the guards yanked the paper from Grogek and handed to Elunara. Just then Captain Jordan and General Renwa caught up.

"So, what was he doing?" Asked Renwa.

Grogek growled low.

Elunara took the papers and unrolled them. As she scanned the papers her eyes grew wide with shock. She flipped through the pack and stared at Grogek. He had the decency to look ashamed.

"What is it Elunara?" The General Asked.

She cleared her throat. "It appears that even I can be surprised, General. It is not missives or missions, or even my artwork. No. It appears as though he has brought several pages from what you would consider my diary."

Renwa also blinked in shock.

"There are other things written here, but judging by the set of papers he has found, he was after specific passages. I think it'll be clear once I read them."

"No." Whispered to Grogek. "Don't do this to yourself."

"I did it again." She read out loud. "Are men really so easily controlled by their dicks? Mother thinks I should apologize, but I don't understand what I did wrong." She flipped to the next page. "It appears as though too often a man lets his dick think for him. How easy it is for them to slip into trouble, almost as easily as they slip into me." She went for another page. "Non-stop I hear love sonnets, and men and women pledge themselves to each other. Time and time again. They argue and fight and they break up and then it just gets messy. Why am I so different? I enjoy how they feel, how they taste. Like an aching tooth. But I do not give my heart or soul."

Everyone began to look uncomfortable.

"My emotions are dead. I understand this now. From the beginning, it makes sense. I feel nothing for them because I never had anything to feel in the first place. My body is what I feel and my body is what I use. I am told I can have a use somewhere else. Maybe I will go see." Elunara went for the next page. "I have been banished from my homeland. Funny how this means nothing to me. I will never see the beauty of Darnassus again, yet my heart does not break. I will explore this further."

She flipped through several more pages, reading out loud the damning evidence against herself. Soldiers began to shift uncomfortably, and even Renwa was having difficulty matching her gaze.

She raised an eyebrow at the next page. "I am enjoying the hell out of myself. Not only do I have them slurping out of my hand, I have all the warm bodies I can take. There is a female, I don't know her name, but she glares at me from the sidelines. Such intense hate. No matter. I am working my way up the ranks, one way or another. Grommash is a strange creature. I throw myself at him and he deflects me down. My knowledge says he isn't spoken for at this point in time. I wonder what makes him ignore me?"

There were only a couple of pages left, and Grogek alone continued to look at her.

"I make Grommash's second in command highly uncomfortable. It's kind of funny. He's the top dog of top dogs, yet he looks at me like I've hidden all the secrets. Perhaps he is the key to bringing down Grommash." She scanned down to the bottom of the page. "I have had Grogek in my room and there is something strange about that Orc. I need to gain his trust."

"Grogek is proving quite the interesting challenge. It has been many years since I enjoyed the company of another living being. Perhaps I can keep him like a pet." She flipped to the last page. "Grogek reminds me of a warm blanket. How odd is that? I hope he continues to prove useful to me. I might actually mourn the loss of this one."

She rolled up the pages and looked Grogek in the eyes. "You know." She whispered

"Lies!"

Elunara jolted before she looked back at Lama.

"Lies! Don't believe her flowery words! Those were planted for you to find!"

Elunara exchanged a look with Grogek. She raised an eyebrow and only a facial twitch was her confirmation. She strolled over to Lama. The guards stepped back, but Lama stayed where she kneeled, her face filled with hate. With a sigh, Elunara stopped and cocked her head to the side. In one swift movement, Lama was dead, and Elunara wiped her dagger off on a cloth.

"Dispose of the body."

"Right away." Said one guard.

Elunara tuned back to the rest of the crowd. "Let him up. He's no harm to you."

The guards backed away and Grogek stood up. He reached out to her. "I never meant for you to do that. I only wanted to make her see..."

Elunara looked to the Captain and the General, pointing her dagger at Grogek's throat. "I slit the throat of his sister, and still he appeals to me. Does this not prove his worth and loyalty?"

"Your point is made, Elunara." The General turned to the men. "Come. Let's all get back to our warm beds. There's nothing left here to see."

Elunara stood motionless as the group of soldiers departed. Grogek had eyes only for her, and didn't as much as glance in the direction of his sister's corpse. Elunara looked down at the pack of papers in her hand.

Grogek's hand lay softly on her arm. "Please forgive me." He said quietly.

She blinked at him. "What?" She frowned. "Oh. This?" She held up the papers. "Meh. I don't care what they think. They can read all my books for all I care. I've never once understood why being me needed an explanation."

"I do not think your emotions are dead."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Where is your proof?"

"Ricky."

She froze.

"I noticed you didn't read those passages, even though they were obvious ones to use."

With a sigh, she flipped to the correct page. "Ricky may have been the first friend I've ever had."

Grogek placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." She looked up at him and smiled. "I think I found the second friend I've ever had."

He kissed her softly. "I can work with that." He murmured.

Hand in hand, they wandered back to town.

Several days later, from her spot on the hill, she spied the envoy. Recognizing the symbols, she groaned. Gathering her things, she headed down to the training yard. Tapping Grogek on the arm, she sighed. "We'll be needed soon."

He nodded and then turned to the soldiers in the yard. He barked out a series of orders and after a round of "Yes, sir!" they headed on to the General's office. She saluted to the guards as she pushed on past them. In the General's chambers, he and the Night Elf turned to the open door.

"What is SHE doing here?" The outraged Night Elf slammed a fist on the table.

"Hello Tyrine. How've you been?"

"I refuse to deal with this whore!" Tyrine shrieked.

Grogek growled, but Elunara put a hand on his arm. "Again with that word." She sighed. "Can anyone else be more creative?"

Grogek snorted.

"And what is THAT THING doing here?" Tyrine twirled on the General.

"He is our new training manager."

Elunara's lip quirked at the businessy phrase.

"He's WHAT?"

"I can assure you, he's been quite helpful in training our men to battle the iron horde. I've already seen marked improvement in our men's fighting style."

"This is an OUTRAGE! Do you not have any idea what his Iron Horde have done?"

"Tyrine, you really need to calm down." Elunara added mildly.

"I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOU!" The enraged Night Elf panted. "It's your fault she died!"

"Mylune was a moron."

"She was our BEST operative! If she had not been captured..."

Elunara started laughing. "Is that what you think happened? Then who ordered her to take sensitive information straight through Grommash's fortress? Because that's what she did!"

Tyrine's mouth dropped open. "She would never..."

"That little twit tried to assassinate Grommash in a room full of the meanest Orcs on this planet, and almost blew my cover!" Elunara grit her teeth. "Be glad I gave her a clean death, instead of the torture they would have inflicted on her."

With that, Elunara turned and left. Grogek gave Tyrine a low snarl before following Elunara out.

"I take it you're old friends?" He chuckled.

"She's still pissed I fucked her boyfriend."

Grogek winced. "That would be a problem."

"Even better, she believes I seduced him. When in reality, he heard of my reputation and wanted a quick swing before he made any major decisions."

"He was a bastard."

Elunara nodded. "I practically saved her."

With a roaring laugh, Grogek wrapped an arm around her waist and buried his face in her hair. When the laughing fit subsided, his face was still buried there.

"You two make me sick."

Elunara looked back. "Hello again, Tyrine."

She was shaking with rage. "I will see you disciplined for this. I will have that THING" she pointed to Grogek "Removed from the premises!"

"Oh, please try." Elunara purred. "I would love to see the law enforced in this little backwater town in the middle of goddamned nowhere."

"Just as foul as ever." Tyrine snarled. With that, she stomped away.

"Was there a purpose in that?" Grogek cocked his head to the side.

"Honestly, I had a feeling the envoy would be looking for Mylune, I had no idea Tyrine had come through the portal."