Everyone slept late, similar to the previous day. Emily awoke to find Charlotte sleeping in the same spot close to her, along with Matthew at his place a few spots down. Orcs slumbered or quietly ate or went about their business with gentle sobriety.
Emily ate a breakfast of gruel, choking it down, and went back to sleep. She had never felt more exhausted in her life. Her body was all used up, along with her mind.
I would say my soul is used too
, she thought, drifting to sleep.
But I don't have one.
Later, she was told there would be another feast, and that she was picked to be a servant again. Emily got the suspicion that
every
night was going to be a large feast and celebration. That that was simply the life of the orcs when they weren't hunting or fighting.
Indeed, the celebration was similar, but Emily went about her work with solemn familiarity this time instead of unsure eagerness. She knew what to expect.
As she delivered bowls of stew, she couldn't help but dwell on her conversation with Raines the previous night. Something about it had made her feel empty.
Raines lied so easily to everyone
, she thought.
And I did too. So many people were hurt because of us both.
She cast her eyes over the chained subjects of Grimsfield.
But this is the only way. We weren't meant to ever even exist. The fact they don't simply slaughter every one of us is a blessing. The orcs truly are of divine origin.
It was as if she was just now truly realizing how much of an animal she was. She had always known it intellectually, as an orc cultist, that she had no soul, no purpose. But here in this great hall, she was learning it first hand. That's what created that empty feeling inside her chest. Her previous life, filled with its ups and downs and never-ending distractions, had been a lie.
She came upon Shalla the jovial orc, who lifted a mug of ale in the air for a toast, and was caught off guard to see Matthew on his hands and knees in front of her, acting as her foot stool. The orc's long legs were stretched out, resting on his back. His head was downcast, his body still.
Emily smiled. The sight made her feel warm and good.
Charlotte was stirring the cauldron again, her toned body glistening with sweat like the night before, but she also seemed to be engaged in some kind of conversation with the eyepatch orc.
"Ohrgza," said the orc, jabbing her thumb at her chest.
"Or-suh," said Charlotte, concentration on her face.
The orc shook her head, and repeated her words. "
Ohrg. Za.
"
"Ohrg...zah..."
Ohrgza smiled.
"Oh, Emily," said Charlotte. Emily noticed she wasn't calling her Baroness anymore. "This is Ohrgza, by the way."
"Nice to meet you," said Emily, but Ohrgza didn't seem to understand any of it. "How are you holding up, Charlotte?"
"Decent enough, all things considered. At least I'm still getting my body training in with all this stirring. Gets hot, though." She wiped sweat off her forehead, her athletic arms and shoulders shining in the warm light, along with her small breasts.
Emily filled bowls of stew. "So about Matthew. He doesn't seem to be handling the change very well. I don't think he'll be able to offer those guards any drinks. Besides, it seems like he's been temporarily relieved of his duties at the moment."
"Huh? What was that?" asked Charlotte, turning away from Ohrgza.
"The guards, remember? You wanted Matthew to get them drunk so we could try to escape?"
"Oh, yes, of course. No worries, then, we'll think of something else, surely." She turned back to the orc, and then jabbed her own thumb at herself. "Charlotte. Charlotte."
"Char...leet..."
"No, no," said lady knight, shaking her head. "
Charlotte.
"
Emily smiled, letting them be.
The evening progressed, and she offered stew to Ashra, who took it without word, as usual.
I never see her engaging in any of the mounting
, thought Emily, considering the orc.
Not with humans, or with an orc mate. I wonder why?
Emily thought back on the writings of Sir Gladahan. He noted that orcs needed to express themselves regularly, sometimes twice or more daily. It was a biological need, and not achieving these regular orgasms could result in mental and physical anguish. Emily wondered if that was why Ashra seemed so surly all the time. What if she wasn't getting her testicles milked?
But oh, what if she isn't even a sire? She could be a matriarch. There's no way to tell with just looking. There's no physical differences between them. She could be getting mounted in privacy away from the great hall. Hmm. I wonder...
"Excuse me, my lady Ashra," said Emily.
The orc arched a fierce eyebrow at her.
"I was just wondering. Are you a sire, or a matriarch?"
Ashra frowned and set down her bowl. "What kind of stupid question is that? I'm a sire, of course. Go bother someone else."
Emily hurried away, feeling foolish, her face red.
I think I just insulted her. Damn me.
She did her work, she provided her body where it was required, either getting mounted or sucking off cocks with her mouth, and another evening passed. Slowly, humans at the chains began to be plucked up, and Emily noticed more and more of them sleeping off the chain with an orc along the side of the room. They'd been picked. Communal thralls no more.
Late that night, Emily stirred, restless in her sleep. In the dark, she noticed Charlotte was being quietly mounted beside her. It wasn't out of the ordinary. Charlotte was fucked just as much as any other thrall, in general, and she bore each mounting with brave integrity, just waiting for it to be over. But this time, in the dim light, Emily could make out that the eyepatch orc, Ohrgza, was the one mounting her.
