Susannah shivered as the wind howled outside the castle. It had gotten so violent of late, she could swear that she felt the stone of the castle itself tremor. The cold, stone walls channeled the wind, making each gust feel like a spirit passing through you. In some way, the weather reflected the changing mood of the land. In the eight years since Jeanette had married her to Bodak, the new Duke of Braden, things had gotten steadily bleaker. It didn't help that Bodak liked dressing her in the new fashion for noble women of the realm. Today she was wearing a bustier of purple silk, tied in the front and back and exposing the top halves of her breasts, pushed together and put on display. Hanging off her hips were strips of semi-transparent purple cloth which reached down to her ankles. An even skimpier garment, if it could be called that, rested beneath the loincloth. They were called "thong" panties, though Susannah wasn't sure they deserved the name 'panties'. Despite the fact that the fashion trend was set by her friend, Queen Jeanette, Susannah hadn't gotten used to the revealing clothes even after eight years. It didn't help that her father was mortified and outraged, at her daughter being dressed so, and the style had never found popularity in the Duchy of Braden, being so far removed from Ruar and Zentara. The mixture of disgusted and aroused looks she got from the human residents of the Duchy always made her uncomfortable.
The human settlers who came up from Zentara were veterans from the war and at first had been happy to live alongside the orcs. They had turned a blind eye to the Hesten woman ravished by their comrades, but now that they were living alongside them, the lusty orcs' eyes had turned to their wives, and daughters, and sisters.
Today she was hearing the petitions of a local freeholder whose daughter had been molested by an orc in the household of the local baron. The human settlers inevitably brought these matters forward when Bodak was away, leaving Susannah to deal with the issue. When they saw how she was dressed though, they typically realized their expectations were soon to be dashed. "Mr. Pritchard, I understand you've come before me today seeking redress for the abuse your daughter suffered at the hands of Rogar of Denetsk. Please, in your own words, tell me what happened."
"Well Yer Grace, I own a freehold up near Denetsk way. I live there with me wife, my two sons, and my daughter. Our land is right on the road to Velion, Yer Grace, so it's well travelled." Pritchard was an older man, old enough that it surprised Susannah that this man had served in the army during the war. His hands were twisted and gnarled, but his back was strong. Either a lifetime in the fields, or a hard campaign at war had bronzed his skin and made him look like weathered stone. "We see orcs and humans and all sorts passing by, for years now and never had no trouble. Well, this last winter here, when the baron's men were on the way to Velion for the solstice festival, that one there saw me daughter and took a liking to her."
Pritchard pointed to a haughty looking orc who was standing next to the baron of Denetsk, and surrounded by many more of the baron's men. The freeholder had no noble support with him, but he did have his sons, as well as angry men from the surrounding freeholds who wanted to show their support. "He hopped right off his horse, and threw me darling Sarah into the mud and had his way with her right there-"
Pritchard was cut off by boisterous laughter coming from the orcs. "Inside, outside, what does it matter? When a slut wants it and spreads her legs, she's going to get it from a real man." Rogar's comment caused an uproar among the humans, and it took the guards several moments to restore order.
"My Sarah ain't no slut, Yer Grace, nor would she spread her legs for the likes o' him. She was screaming she was, so loud it spooked the cattle and brought us all running from the fields."
"Screams of pleasure, Your Grace, screams of pleasure!" More laughter from the orcs followed, and the guards had to physically stand between them and the humans to keep them apart.
Pritchard spit across the hall at Rogar. "Weren't no screams of pleasure Yer Grace. By the time we got to her it was over and he was lacing himself up. Well, we laid into him, my sons and I, until his own friends joined in. It was a right fray, just like in the last war. I did my time, and served with betters orcs than him. I didn't have any problem with them till his sort came along. Anyway, they got that Rogar there to his horse and the lot rode off. Then two or three days later, must have been twenty of the Baron's men rode on up to my farm, and accused me of attacking his man! Said I had to pay reparations, and there weren't nothing I could say about it. He took half my cattle, trampled my fields, and rode off."
Pritchard glared at the baron as the freeholders shouted over him at the orcs. Finally, the bored looking baron spoke after the humans had quieted down, using another orc to translate for him. "What else could I do, Your Grace? The peasant disrespected my man. I was told that I was to have authority in my lands and be a chief. If my men get attacked, we get retribution. That is the order."
"As I said, I'm a freeholder, Yer Grace, and none of this happened on his land. But that ain't the worst part yet, Yer Grace. I come to find out, my Sarah turns out to be pregnant with that one's kid. And when I go to the baron to get payment for the kid when he comes, he goes and calls my Sarah a slut, says it wasn't his man that done it, and to get lost!"
The terms of the agreement between King Turogg and Queen Jeanette meant that all the nobility of Braden were orcs, which gave them great liberty over all the peasants who worked the land. While there were many freeholds in the Duchy, the orcs did not really understand the intricacies of feudal law, and saw all human women as being property for their enjoyment. This had led to many incidents, and as time went by the violence got worse and worse.
The baron spoke through the translator again. "All human women are sluts for orc cock, and her little bastard could be that of any orc. There is no way of knowing if it is Rogar's or not."
Susannah flushed at the baron's words, since it was an insult to her as well. The fact that she was so scantily clad at the command of an orc only reinforced his point, much to her chagrin and embarrassment. She bristled, but the thought of her husband made her settle down again. He would not be happy if she berated or dressed down one of his barons. Indeed, if he were here, he'd probably laugh and agree with the baron, insult to her or not. Susannah wanted to help the farmer, but there was only so much she could do without her husband's consent, and he was not likely to side against an orc with a human.
"Baron Denetsk, Rogar, Mr. Pritchard is a freeholder, and not one of your subjects. You are not allowed to molest or abuse freeholders. However, Mr. Pritchard, you and yours attacked the men of a baron. If you are abused by a noble, you petition my husband for redress, you do not take it into your own hands. In the name of my husband, I rule that the Baron's confiscation of your livestock is upheld."
The humans in the crowd started to shout angrily while the orcs cheered and gloated. Susannah raised her hands, and it took the guards pounding the butts of their spears for several moments to restore order.
"That being said: Baron Denetsk, in punishment for your men abusing a free woman, I hearby order you to pay Mr. Pritchard all the livestock you confiscated from him as reparations." Another storm of protest erupted at this pronouncement, from both the humans and the orcs. It seemed no one was happy with her decision. That made sense though, since Susannah herself was disgusted at the outcome. Rogar should have been gelded, she thought, but her husband would never stand for that, and his vengeance when he returned would be terrible to behold. Susannah thought that she was already in trouble enough just by ordering the baron to return the man's livestock.
Susannah slipped from the hall as the guards ushered the men and orcs out. Hopefully they would disperse quickly, and not begin rioting right there in the streets. Waiting outside the reception hall was Stefan Feria, the steward that Queen Jeanette had "gifted" to Bodak eight years ago when he was awarded the Duchy. The Queen had suspected that Bodak might not be up to the task, and had assigned a skilled courier to assist. While that had worked at first, as time passed Bodak began to ignore his steward, stripping him of all his authority.
"That was about as well as you could have done, Your Grace."
"I know, Stefan, but it still isn't right. That poor girl will not get any support for her child, and given the circumstances, I cannot see that he will be raised with much love." Susannah sighed despondently. "Then when he comes of age, he'll want to seek out the orcs, and want to take revenge on the humans who shunned him."
"I'm sure it won't come to that, Your Grace. Besides, there are much bigger problems in the Duchy. The orcs are running rampant over the freeholders. They plant nothing but grapes and hops for wine and beer, and when they need food they go raiding in Heste, or from the freeholders, if they're feeling lazy. Food is getting more and more expensive in the cities, and the poor go hungry-"
"I know all this, Stefan. We've discussed it time and time again. The Duke does not care. We are not going hungry, so he does not see the problem. Nothing you or I say will change that. I've written to the Queen, and she has spoken to the King, but under the terms of the treaty, there is not much she can directly do to interfere with how the Duke runs Braden."
