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- The throne room was crowded with dignitaries and nobles. They covered
- most of the stone floor of the room and pressed at the foot of the fur covered
- dais. The crowd talked and gossiped among themselves. Much had happened in
- the empire since the last Anniversary Celebration. The elven kingdom had been
- crushed and its queen taken as a slave. Twenty of the highest officials had
- been sold to various rulers for pot girls. A bare handful of elves had
- escaped and was rumored to be hiding in the Pixie Wood. The last rebels of
- the Northern Desert had been crushed. The Dark Lord's dominion now
- encompassed all but a few hundred square leagues of the continent.
- Slowly the great double doors at the end of the room swung open. The
- Dark Lord stood in the doorway, flanked by his advisor and sister, Zara. He
- strode down the long carpet, a short cape billowing behind him, with more
- magnificence in his stride than any in the room had ever seen. Zara, in a
- long black dress tailored to match his apparel, followed him to the dais. All
- bowed or curtsied as the pair passed them.
- The Dark Lord reached the end of the carpet and mounted the dais.
- Turning to face his subjects, he seated himself in the concealing shadows of
- his throne. Zara stood to one side. At a gesture, the dignitaries rose. A
- few mumbled words caused a quill, a long parchment, and an ink bottle to float
- in front of Zara.
- One by one the visitors approached the dais and presented their yearly
- tribute. The plains provinces gave grain and slaves, male and female. The
- males would be put to forced labor on the roads, on the farms or in the trade
- galleys. The female slaves were sent to the castle's waiting room, pending
- their examination by the Dark Lord. The grain was presented by voucher. A
- certain amount was stored in the Dark Lord's granaries for use of the palace,
- the troops in the field, or the peasants themselves, if necessary.
- The forest rulers told of timber, pelts, and other resources that but
- awaited the Dark Lord's word. Several bales of fur were given as a token of
- the riches that were his to command. Zara made the notes of location and
- amount pledged on the parchment.
- The ShetaRra chieftains were there in their full desert regalia. They
- pledged eternal fealty and presented the company of five of their warriors who
- would guard the harem for the coming year. The nobles, soft and citified,
- gave the ShetaRra wide berth. They knew why the last desert rebellions had
- been crushed. With this tribe of fierce men and fiercer women as allies, the
- Dark Lord was unstoppable in the northern sands.
- The Dark Lord sat boredly through the proceedings. It was interesting
- to see what he was getting, but tons of wheat and logs of wood bored him. The
- furs had been of good quality--his troops would be warm this winter--but of
- only slight interest. He wished he were out leading a few of those troops.
- The problem with acquiring an empire is the running of it afterward, he
- thought. The wood and grain were vital, but of less interest than the gold
- and jewels. His mind wandered and he remembered that he was planning to
- commission a necklace of emeralds for Zara's birthday. He had no difficulty
- remembering the date, seeing as how it was his also. They would be beautiful
- with her green eyes. There would be dwarves on the grounds for several days,
- he could have it done immediately.
- The Dark Lord looked up from his planning to see an orcish chief
- approaching with twenty soldiers. Urfchet was a loyal soldier and he trained
- his subjects the same way. The orcs marched in seven columns of three with
- Urfchet out in front. The Dark Lord was startled: the tribute was twenty, not
- twenty-one.
- "Mighty One," the chief began, "my people have always been loyal to you
- and your cause. A fortnight past, the Great Grumpch appeared to me in a dream
- and told me that you were his chosen and my people and I must serve you even
- better than before. You have eliminated our enemies and given us much spoil.
- Our lives are yours. Also, I was told to give of my family, my only daughter,
- the light of my life, that you may know our sincerity in this. Gretch, come
- forward!"
- From the midst of the soldiers stepped an orcish maiden, dressed in her
- finest blood-red feast clothes. By her people's standards, she was a beauty.
- Her ears pointed up and had the slight, bristly tufts on the ends that were
- found so attractive. Her snout had just the right tilt and the pinkish end
- was moist, a sign of excellent health. Her small tusks were a lovely yellow
- and curved up from her lower jaw. She was round and brawny, a perfect figure,
- with low slung breasts and wide hips. Her talons were a healthy black and
- nicely pointed. All in all, she was the best looking orc wench in the tribe.
- Gretch dropped a perfect curtsey to the Dark Lord, and smiled a toothy
- smile. Inwardly, the Dark Lord groaned. He had expected something like this,
- especially since he had passed over the orcs in the annual beauty contest.
- This meant he would have to bed the repulsive female that stood, bobbing and
- smiling at the foot of the dais. He began to scheme, thinking of how to get
- rid of her gently with no offended feelings anywhere. He knew the orcs would
- not stand for having Grumpch's will flouted, even by his chosen one.
- Forcing a smile, he nodded his approval. "I accept her without the
- preliminaries. I am honored that you would bestow such a beautiful female on
- me," he told her father. Urfchet beamed with pleasure. "For now, it is long
- past the zenith, and the meal will be getting cold. You are all dismissed to
- the dining hall. I will join you shortly."
- The Dark Lord rose and descended from the dais, Zara in his wake.
- Offering his arm to Gretch, and holding down his gorge by force of will, he
- escorted the orc princess out of his throne room. Zara and the five new
- ShetaRra trailed him. The guests left after the eight had vanished around the
- corner.
- The Dark Lord led Gretch to the harem. The two ShetaRra on duty
- immediately snapped to attention and opened the door. After the Dark Lord,
- Zara and Gretch had passed through the portal, they set about greeting and
- instructing the new guards.
- The eunuch was surprised that his master would make a surprise
- inspection, especially on the tribute day. He called the girls to attention,
- breaking up Phyllia's reading lesson, and Verca and Elna's composing. Lucy
- and Phaedra had been rehearsing for the banquet, accompanied by Prisca and
- Vanessa. They had been in the middle of a complicated balance and the
- eunuch's clap caught them by surprise. They tumbled into an ungraceful heap
- on the cold marble. The Dark Lord chuckled as the pair disentangled
- themselves and joined the line.
- "Lem," announced the Dark Lord, "this is Gretch. She'll be here for a
- time. I want her sent to me in two weeks. Until then, she is to stay here."
- "Yes, Master," Lem responded. "I have a collar in the alcove if you
- need it."
- "No, I'll collar her later tonight. She is a special gift and I want
- her well taken care of." The Dark Lord pulled the eunuch aside and hissed,
- "See to it that she's bathed immediately and depilated shortly thereafter.
- And give her a dose of the herbal sludge, I don't want a half-orc bastard."
- "Yes, Master. I will also give her a full examination. I've heard
- about orcish females."
- "Very well, then, take good care of my present," the Dark Lord called as
- he turned to go. "And Lucy, flex your knees, it might make that lovely
- balance easier."
- "Yes, Master," she said, blushing furiously.
- Gretch looked around the harem in wonder. It was so white and clean it
- made her uncomfortable. The other girls looked afraid of her and she wondered
- why. They were soft and vulnerable, now that she thought about it. They
- would freeze if they went outside. The hair on their bodies was concentrated
- into one small triangle plus a healthy growth on their heads. They were ugly,
- naked creatures, deathly pale and weak looking, she thought.
- The funny little man in the gray robe and sandals walked over to her.
- "Welcome to the master's harem, Gretch. I am Lem, the eunuch in charge.
- Please come with me." He led her to a curtained off alcove under the balcony
- and the stairs. The other girls breathed a sigh of relief. Gold-lily peered
- out from behind Rhea's broad figure.
- Inside the alcove, the eunuch looked at the orc. "Take off your
- clothing, you won't need it here. I'll put it in a safe chest so that you can
- have it back, if you ever leave." Gretch stripped reluctantly. The clothes
- were new. They had been made especially for her presentation to the Chosen
- One. The eunuch unlocked a large iron trunk that he pulled from a recess in
- the side of the alcove. Taking a scrap of parchment, he wrote "Gretch" on it
- and pinned it to the clothing with her brooch so that she would get it back.
- He folded her clothing and set it aside. It would be washed before it was
- packed.
- "Now for a bath. You must be rather dusty after your trip here. Go
- back out to the main room and ask for Rhea. She can take care of your bath."
- Lem handed her a crockery jar. "Give this to Rhea, she'll know how to use it.
- After your bath, come back here to me. I need to ask you some questions and
- look over your body to learn what is normal for your health."
- After the door had swung shut, and she was out of range of the ShetaRra,
- Zara asked, "What prompted you to take her? Have you gone completely mad?
- Don't you know that orc bitches have teeth?"
- "Zara, one doesn't flout the will of Grumpch in front of his most
- fanatical followers. Besides they are the best soldiers I have, surely I can
- tolerate one night with a woman of their people, whom, I might add, they have
- freely given me. I am not enthusiastic about the prospect either."
- "Didn't you hear me? Orc females have teeth."
- "So do you, my dear sister. It didn't stop me in your case. I prefer
- my women to have teeth, it makes it easier for them to eat."
- "Not ordinary teeth. To be completely crude about it-"
- "I wish you wouldn't. Not that it shocks me, I just don't find it
- appealing from you."
- "You're still thinking about being called 'the Chosen One of Grumpch'
- aren't you? You haven't heard a word I've been saying."
- "I've heard. But if you're going to hand me the story about the rape-
- proof orcish woman, I've heard it from Balkar. I personally think it is a
- fairy tale. Now smile, we have guests to impress."
- Gretch took the crock carefully and left the alcove. She was
- embarrassed to be naked, but the other girls were refusing to look at her.
- She walked over to a pair of blondes who looked alike. "Who is Rhea?" she
- asked.
- "Rhea is the brown haired one over there, the big one," said one of the
- blondes, pointing to a pair of brunettes laboring over a clay tablet. A tiny
- blonde sat nearby. She looked different from the others to Gretch. There was
- something strange about her.
- Gretch went to the trio sitting by the wall with the tablet. As she
- neared, she saw what was wrong with the little blonde--she was an elf, the
- natural enemy of Gretch's people. No one had told her that the Chosen One
- mated with elves! Instinctively, she snarled. Rhea and Gold-lily sensed
- danger and looked up. Phyllia, struggling with her reading, did not.
- Rhea quickly rose and went to Gretch before the situation could become
- heated. "I am Rhea. The eunuch sent you out to me?"
- Gretch nodded and handed her the crock. "He said you would know what to
- do with this." Rhea opened the crock and smelled the contents. She shook her
- head.
- "I suppose you need a bath," she said, not hopefully.
- "The eunuch said so, but I don't think I do. I had one a fortnight
- ago."
- "We bathe everyday here. It may be a little cold right now, but you'll
- get used to it."
- "Is it healthy to bathe so often? It washes off protective coatings
- from the skin, doesn't it?" Gretch asked puzzled.
- "Our master likes us to look clean and smell fresh; right now you don't
- fit either of those criteria. Now into the fountain with you, but stay in the
- lower level," Rhea snapped, a little shorter than she had intended to. She
- had never been comfortable around orcs.
- Reluctantly, the orc stepped into the fountain. Gold-lily moved near
- Morgan for protection. It looked like a long two weeks in store for the elven
- princess, Morgan thought, absently rubbing a long-healed wound from her
- taming. Rhea seemed to be abandoning the little one in favor of a new girl.
- This was routine, but unexpected in the elf's case. Morgan smiled at Gold-
- lily, assuring her of protection.
- Gretch knelt in the tepid water. Rhea, sitting on the edge of the
- fountain, handed her the pot of soapwort ointment. After the orc had gotten
- wet, she rubbed the soap over her body. When she went under to rinse, the
- water in the lower basin turned a sickly gray. Rhea fished for the lever that
- would open the drain, so that the water would not be recycled to the drinking
- level at the top of the fountain.
- "When you get the soap off of you, step out of the fountain," Rhea told
- her. Gretch followed the directive. Her skin was a grayish pink, with liver
- brown mottling, Rhea saw when she left the water. Gritting her teeth, she
- began rubbing the contents of the crock the eunuch had sent over Gretch's
- body. The sharp bristles on the orc's arms and belly pricked her hands and,
- by the time she had finished, they were bleeding. She had used all of the
- depilatory on Gretch, and had not even come to the armpits or legs. She would
- ask Lem to cut those before she even thought about attempting to remove the
- black bristles that had been ceremonially braided into fantastic patterns.
- "Let that dry," Rhea instructed. Gretch stood quietly, waiting, while
- Rhea went to the eunuch's alcove. She knocked gently at the wall beside it.
- Lem peered out and Rhea held up her bloody hands, rather melodramatically,
- Vara thought to herself as she watched. Lem took the injured slave girl
- inside the alcove. She returned shortly with a small earthen dish of salve.
- Gretch watched as Rhea tended her cut hands. "Did I do that? Your
- hands are very soft, aren't they? I'm sorry."
- "Don't worry about it. You won't do it again. The ointment I used will
- remove the bristles so that they don't irritate our master," Rhea informed her
- shortly. "Is it dry yet?"
- Gretch nodded and a few flakes fell to the floor. "I think it is."
- "Then back in the fountain with you. Wash it off well, Gretch." The
- orc obeyed and soon the water in the lower basin was black with floating
- bristles. She knelt under the second tier to finish the rinsing.
- When the depilatory had been rinsed off, Gretch stepped out of the
- fountain and Rhea handed her a towel. The orc looked puzzled, so Rhea
- demonstrated its use to her. When Gretch was dry, Rhea noticed that the
- fountain had stopped draining. The grid over the drain was clogged with black
- bristles. She sighed and scraped a double handful off of it. They could be
- rinsed clean and used in hairbrushes, she thought. The drainage resumed.
- Seeing that she was finished with her bath, and feeling horribly naked,
- Gretch went back to the eunuch's alcove. She knocked on the wall beside the
- curtain as she had seen done earlier, and Lem let her in.
- "Lie down on the bed and I'll be back shortly," he said scooping up her
- clothes and leaving the alcove. Grabbing Vara and Lila, who were sitting near
- the alcove, he instructed them to wash Gretch's clothes and hang them on the
- weaving frame to dry. He turned and re-entered the alcove.
- Using the standard procedure, he questioned the orc about her life's
- history. The questioning was followed by a physical examination. Lem got as
- far as her shoulders, having checked her ears, eyes, snout and teeth, before
- he stuck his head out of the curtain and yelled for Rhea.
- "I thought I told you to depilate her!" he snapped.
- "I did, sir, but have you seen the bristles on her? I salvaged a good
- number, enough for four new hairbrushes. I didn't want to try the ones I left
- before they had been cut."
- "Very well," Lem grumbled, "I can see your point. I'll take care of
- them. Go back to Phyllia."
- Lem went back to his study of Gretch. After the external examination,
- he began the internal. He set the candle in a stand beside him, and peered
- into the dark recesses of the orcish interior. Noticing a protruding ridge an
- inch or two inside, he prodded it a bit with a finger. He pulled it back,
- bleeding and cut to the bone, and saw a set of clenched teeth where the ridge
- had been. Lem stared at his hand in pain and shock, noticing the teeth-marks
- on the bone, as if she would have gone through that too. He was dreading
- telling the Dark Lord.
- Poking his head back into the main room, he called for Phyllia and Rhea.
- The pair came on the run, hastened by the urgency in his voice. He dismissed
- Gretch before they arrived. She let them in on her way out. She had thought
- it over carefully while lying on the eunuch's bed, she could not let the elf
- live. That was her next job: kill Gold-lily.
- The two girls entered the alcove to find Lem holding a bleeding finger
- aloft like some mad prophet. Rhea saw what was needed and prodded Phyllia out
- of her shock.
- "Get the curved needle out of the sewing case, and the black, shiny,
- flat thread," Rhea told her. "You're going to sew him up. What happened,
- Lem?" she asked as Phyllia rummaged for the requisite objects.
- "Gretch bit me," he said, rather shocked and surprised. "She bit me,"
- he repeated as if unable to believe the reality of his wounds.
- "Why? Did you poke a rotten tooth while checking her mouth? Jarna bit
- you for that, but not as badly."
- "No, I was done with her mouth. I was giving her the internal check for
- sores and pregnancy, even though she said she was a virgin, and I saw a ridge.
- Thinking it was the remnants of her maidenhead, I prodded it. She bit me."
- "Vagina dentate?" she asked. "I thought it was just a myth. After all,
- the orcs have to propagate somehow..." she trailed off. "How far in was it?"
- Rhea asked. Phyllia had found the equipment.
- "Sterilize that needle before you even think of using it on me," the
- eunuch screeched shrilly as she threaded it and prepared to sew.
- "What?" Phyllia asked.
- "Pass it through the candle flame. Then start sewing," Lem instructed.
- Phyllia passed the needle through the candle flame. She had tied a neat knot
- in the end of the thread. Lem, sitting on the floor, lay his hand on the seat
- of his chair. "Be careful, Phyllia. Please, be careful," he breathed.
- Cautiously, she began to stitch the sides of the wound together. Lem
- gritted his teeth and blinked back tears. His low threshold of pain was being
- taken out past the limit.
- "You didn't answer my question, Lem," Rhea reminded him, in an effort to
- take his mind off of the pain. "How far in were the teeth?'
- "An inch, maybe two," Lem rasped through clenched teeth in the uncertain
- voice of one about to cry. "What difference does it make?"
- "That explains much. The orcs are small enough that they fit beneath
- the teeth. From the looks of your finger, our master should be warned, and
- quickly."
- "I've finished," Phyllia said, tying off the gut at the end of the
- stitching. "Now what?"
- Lem instructed her in what herbs were needed and how to prepare them.
- Rhea supervised her reading pupil carefully, her own slight knowledge of herbs
- being greater than Phyllia's at this point. She didn't want the girl
- confusing duckwort and belladonna and poisoning Lem unwittingly.
- After his finger had been packed in healing paste and wrapped in a clean
- cloth, Lem directed Phyllia in mixing a dose of preventative for Gretch.
- While the eunuch was busy in the alcove, Gretch began to hunt for the
- elf. She saw the little rat had taken a place beside a tall girl with short
- hair. The orc looked at Gold-lily, catching her eye. She snarled and bared
- her upper fangs. The little coward crowded closer to the larger slave, as if
- expecting her protection from the orc. Morgan looked up and saw Gretch
- approaching. She moved quickly, placing herself between Gold-lily and the
- orc.
- "Gold-lily has asked me to protect her. If you value your ugly hide,
- you will leave her alone. If you try to hurt her, I will make you wish you
- hadn't even thought about it. Now leave us alone, pig-face," Morgan informed
- Gretch harshly. When the orc had backed down, she turned to Gold-lily and
- reminded her, "You owe me your silver bracelet for this."
- "For your protection for as long as it's needed," Gold-lily responded.
- "If you have to fight her, I'll add in my beryl ensemble as we agreed."
-
-
-
- Finally, the Dark Lord could put it off no longer. He had to do
- something about Gretch. Lem had warned him about the teeth, but he still had
- to do something. General Gnash had no mate, he remembered, also noting that
- Gnash and Urfchet's peoples were hereditary enemies. That could be to his
- benefit. The rivalries between orc tribes could boil over now that there was
- no common enemy. Urfchet would be loathe to attack Gnash's people for fear of
- harming Gretch and Gnash would not dare to attack Urfchet for fear of the
- treatment he would receive at home. Even the Dark Lord didn't want to cross
- the family loyalties of the orc tribes, especially when a female's wrath was
- involved.
- He drew up the summons for General Gnash to appear in his court as soon
- as feasible. There was a brief peace and he wanted this done before he
- decided to finish conquering the continent. From Lem's reports, Gold-lily was
- in danger and the other girls were beginning to become ill. Gretch was having
- a decidedly bad effect on the morale of his slave girls; even Elna, bred for
- pleasure though she was, was having difficulty responding to him. It was time
- to summon the orcish maiden.
- Leaving the study, after giving a messenger the summons for General
- Gnash, the Dark Lord went to the harem. The girls knelt, beautifully, but all
- looking upset to some degree. Lem came out of the alcove, the bandage still
- on his finger.
- After a brief inspection, the Dark Lord turned to Lem. "I want Gretch
- for tonight. After that she is to be lodged in the room in the West Tower."
- The other slave girls looked as if a death sentence had been halted. "Her
- clothes are to be returned to her, and I will remove her collar. Do this when
- I return her."
- "But, Master,.." Lem began.
- "No 'buts'. Do it," the Dark Lord commanded, snapping his fingers for
- Gretch to follow him.
- The orc heeled him from the room and up to his bed chamber at the top of
- his tower. Even the hounds displayed more than their average ferocity towards
- Gretch. She snarled right back at them. It was clear that this female
- brought out the worst in everyone around her.
- When they were alone in his chamber, the Dark Lord sat heavily in the
- plush chair behind his carved desk. Gretch knelt in the required position.
- The Dark Lord had seen men and women killed in more bloody ways than he could
- name. He had tortured his own brother-in-law to death. He had seen cruelty
- and terror in forms that had no name. Even so, his stomach did a slow roll at
- the sight of the kneeling female orc who awaited his attention.
- "Gretch," he began, rather slowly, not wanting to hurt her feelings in
- any way that she might bear a grudge for, "you can put your knees together and
- bring your arms around the front of your body."
- "Yes, Master," she replied and obeyed.
- "Gretch, look at me. What I'm going to say might hurt your feelings,
- but I have to let you know. I won't be using you. I'm going to give you to
- General Gnash. I'm sorry. I just cannot bring myself to use you. By orcish
- standards, you are beautiful, but by human standards, which I use, you are
- less than desirable."
- "Master, may I speak?" Gretch asked. Her language had improved during
- her stay in the harem. The Dark Lord nodded. "I have prayed to the Great
- Grumpch constantly while I was here to make me worthy of the attentions of his
- Chosen, but also I prayed to find you attractive. You are less than desirable
- by orcish standards, my Master. You are too pale, and your skin is too soft.
- Your nose is too small and does not tilt right and you have no tusks. Your
- teeth are small, weak things compared to orc teeth. I knew that among the
- type of females you favored I would have no place. I am glad you are giving
- me to General Gnash. I have seen him and he is very handsome. Forgive me for
- my boldness, Master." Gretch bowed her head expecting punishment for her
- words.
- "Gretch, come to me," the Dark Lord said softly. She looked up but his
- face was unreadable. Gretch stood and walked over to his chair. He reached
- out and drew her into an embrace. "You are lovely by your people's
- standards." Steeling himself, he kissed her gently on the lips, avoiding her
- snout as best he could.
- The Dark Lord released the orc and rummaged through the top drawer of
- his desk. Finding a small knife and a ring of keys, he scraped the sealing
- wax off of the lock on her collar and unlocked it. "You are free. I will
- take you to your new quarters."
- "Thank you, Master," she whispered, as he stood to take her back to the
- harem to retrieve her belongings.
-
- _______________________________________
- @BEGIN_FILE_ID.DIZ
- This is a piece that occurs after the Elven
- War, which is what the whole first 15
- chapters is gearing up for. Since I am
- still rewriting chapter 13, it may be a
- while before gretch gets written in. My
- thanks to Kimberly Truax-Greenberg for her
- piece "Shoushaleth's love" which inspired
- the description of Gretch. There is another
- version of Gretch that got eaten by the
- computer in which Lem was less effecient and
- the Dark Lord paid the price...(heh, heh)
- Since my collaborator disliked that piece
- intently (after all, it was his wang) I
- never bothered to reconstruct it.
-
- Slave of Matth
- Formerly Angel the Succubus
- @END_FILE_ID.DIZ
-
-
-