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He whistles slowly. “The orc must really trust their partner to do such a thing then.”
I shake my head. “There’s trust, yes, but also a primal, instinctual urge. Our instinctwantsus to mate. There have been many orcs in our past that chose poorly and faced the consequences when theirpartner left.” I think of my comrade Gunag, the right hand to the king. Another half-elf, though he spurns his elvish heritage. We grew up in the same exile village before joining the same cohort of the Horde. His mother was a wild forest elf, but his parents were notAsh’kas. His father took her in a traditional Bride Chase, and their relationship started in enmity. Still, he Claimed her anyway, which is how they came to be banished. His mother was always miserable and one day, when we were young, she disappeared. Gunag’s father didn’t last long after that, succumbing to the wasting sickness within a year and leaving Gunag, for all intents and purposes, an orphan. To this day he hates all the fair races and easily gets in fights with those that call him “elf-blessed” or “elf-pretty” when speaking of his looks.
Marvik merely nods, looking considering, then asks, “So were your parents bonded in the way of the elves or the orcs?”
A flash of hurt courses through me at the reminder of my parents, but I find that I don’t mind speaking of them. It keeps them alive, in a way, and the idea of sharing them with Marvik makes them seem present. “Both and neither. Theirs was a strange mating, filled with obstacles and so neither ritual was done in the usual way. My father first saw my mother on a diplomatic mission to Arisil.”
“Orikesh sends diplomatic missions to the land of the lunar elves?”
I shoot him an annoyed look. “Diplomacy is not our strength, but we have learned to navigate it. My father was trying to bring more healers to Orik. Arisilian elves are some of the strongest healers in the world. My mother is a gifted healer and was part of the party that greeted him on his arrival. The moment he saw her, his Mating Instinct arose. But Arisil is an ally of the orcs, not an enemy, so there was no way for him to take her to do a traditional Bride Chase. Luckily, for him at least, while they interacted as a part of the diplomatic mission, my mother experienced the Recognition. After that, he didn’t need to take her away; shewantedto go with him. She did the First Ritual of Mating immediately.”
He breaks in, “The first ritual?”
“There are three rituals, The Exchanging, The Exploring, and The Speaking. The Exchanging is when the couple that has experienced the Recognition gives each other something of sentimental value to keep, as a sign of trust.”
“And the others?”
I clear my throat. “The Exploring is a soft way of saying fucking, coming to know each other’s bodies. The last, The Speaking, is what seals the bond, the ceremony in front of family that I mentioned. My mother, when she realized what my father was to her, didn't hesitate and gave him a ring that her brother had made for her for her ascension to adulthood, the most precious thing she possessed. When she explained to my father what was happening, he gave her a dagger, the last his mother had made before her death. With that, they were on the path of matehood, something that couldn’t really be stopped. But my mother came from a wealthy, influential family and they were horrified that their only daughter wanted to mate with an outsider. Not just any outsider, but an orc.”
Marvik cocks his head. “But you said that Orik and Arisil were allies.”
I snort. “Tense allies to avoid mutually-assured destruction. Historically we were enemies and warred constantly, but there was never a clear victor. Orcs have the superior weapons and a bigger army, but Arisil is surrounded by mountains and forests, making it difficult to invade. Even if you did make it inside, the magic of the lunar elves is formidable. After decades of bloodshed, a truce was forged. We are allies when it comes to war and trade, but it is a badly-kept secret that lunar elves still think of orcs as little more than barbarians. Inelegant and ugly. But that is not new. All the fair races think like that.”
“The fair races?”
I blush slightly at my slip, but there’s no way I can refuse to answer. Not after my speech earlier this week about not dodgingquestions. I feel my ears heat as I say, “It’s a . . . not kind name orcs call elves, humans, and nymphs.”
He quirks a brow. “It doesn’t sound too insulting.”
I mutter, “It insinuates that they are only good for their looks. For . . . breeding purposes. But that they have no strength or skill worthy of respect.”
Marvik surprises me by barking out a small laugh. “It sounds like the disdain is mutual then.”
I smile a little, relieved that he isn’t offended to be lumped into such a group. At the very least,Ido not think that he is only good for his looks, though I don’t say so. “I suppose so. Anyway, my maternal grandparents and uncles tried and failed to stop the rest of the rituals. They made their disapproval loudly and forcefully known. When that didn’t work, they refused to acknowledge that my mother had experienced the Recognition. They shunned her and when my mother and father stood beneath the full moon and spoke the binding words, they did so alone, with no love or support from family.”
“That must have been hard for your mother.”
Nodding, I say, “It made her mating very bittersweet. She has never forgiven them for it and says thatsheis shunningthemnow, that even if they reached out, she would not accept them.”
Marvik nods again, finishing off his meal. “Not all families deserve second chances.”
I think of what Marvik said about his mother and father. I suppose he understands that just because someone is family, it doesn’t mean that they automatically deserve trust and forgiveness.
My lover continues, “But you said that they did the orc tradition as well? Or at least in their own way?”
I finish off my own meal, wiping my mouth before saying, “Oh yes. After they got to Orik, my father took my mother to a secluded place to chase her and breed her. I was most likely conceived on that very trip.”
Marvik makes a choking sound, though he didn’t appear to be swallowing anything. When he composes himself, he sputters, “Theytoldyou that?”
I laugh at his reaction. “Orcs are not as prudish about sex as humans. Neither are elves. It is seen merely as a fact of life. But I assure you, it was tastefully told, without too many details. I wouldn’t have been able to stomach too much of that either.”
Marvik considers this for a moment, then asks, “But why did your father take her to chase her if she was already his mate? Was it a ritualistic thing as well?”
I shake my head, “It’s part of the Mating Instinct I told you about. Orcs are, at our core, predators. We have a need to chase, to hunt, to Claim. It is as integral to our being as eating or breathing.” A warning voice goes off in my mind, reminding me that I may be giving away more information than is wise, but I’m in too deep now. There’s no way to stop the conversation without making things tense and awkward.
The man across from me cocks his head to the side. “To claim with that bite you mentioned earlier?”
I take a deep breath. “Yes. It also makes the binding permanent.”
