Violation
#8 of Kingdoms
Einar smiled as the orcs approached the north gate, lead by a rather tall orc wearing a crown, a tattered purple cape, and stolen jewelry, "About damn time." He was sitting on a pile of orc bodies while the other people in the city trembled in fear. Three of them had been killed by Einar, and the red headed woman was injured.
The orc king cleared his throat, "So you are the one causing problems. This land was gifted to us by the late king, you have no right." Compared to the other orcs, this one tried his best to sound like stuffy royalty, "Please surrender yourself for proper judgement."
"Thing is, I have no plans to do so. I was told that the former king of this place simply tried to make a peace treaty with you, they didn't give away the land. In any case, I don't care. I want to fight more." Einar hopped off the pile of bodies, "I propose a royal duel."
"A royal duel? Yes, yes I think that would be appropriate." The orc king beamed, "This would only strengthen my claim! Very well!"
A female voice echoed from behind the platform where the females were still struggling to stay on their feet, "Stop this right now!"
Astrid walked out with her sword drawn and ten soldiers in blue steel armor at her side, "Well your ship got here faster than expected. I was just about to finish this."
She snapped her fingers and an arrow flew out from a broken window and pierced Einar's arm, "Captain, cut loose these prisoners, make sure nobody harms them."
"Understood." The captain and two of his men cut the nooses and then stood with their shields up in front of the exhausted women.
Einar pulled out the arrow, "You thought to kill me with that? A sneak attack?" He dropped to a knee, "What?!"
The orc king snarled, "Young woman, you have interrupted a royal duel! I demand reward!" He paused for a moment, wondering if he used the correct words, "You will become-"
"Silence. Einar, I am to take you back alive. That poison will paralyze you for several days, your punishment will be dictated by our father and mother. The reckless slaughter of the orcs and civilians of this land will be taken into account. As for you, this man here is merely a boy, still living in a rebellious phase of life."
The orc king thought long and hard about how to react, "So... he cannot issue a royal duel then?"
Astrid nodded, "Correct. The only one here that could would be me unfortunately. As my brother started this and caused great chaos here, I must take his place. Are you aware of how a royal duel proceeds?"
"You... bitch..." Einar was lying face-first in the dirt and dust now, failing to move even his fingers, "I'll... kill... you..."
The orc king smiled, "Of course. But please explain it so my army understands." He only brought ten orcs with him, but that wasn't a serious point of contention.
"If there are soldiers with one or both parties, they are to form a circle. This circle constitutes the dueling arena. In addition, if any relevant members of royalty, leadership, or generals are present, they are to observe the duel and follow through with the results. Choose your leaders. As this duel is in regards to this city, the leaders of your enemies will stand in place."
The orc king summon three of his most well-armed soldiers while the old man, the injured veteran, and the injured red headed woman stepped forward, "We are... the unofficial leaders I suppose. What do we do?"
"As I said, you will carry out the results of the duel. Orc king, nobody is allowed to interfere with the duel. If you are to die, your men are not allowed to attack. Same goes for my side. Now state your terms." The orc king's blank expression was all Astrid needed to see, "At the end of the duel, the victor is allowed to claim a reward. This can be monetary, an order, things of that nature. For my side, the orcs are to leave this city and never return."
"Ah, of course. I was merely... testing your knowing. My orcs will be given free reign of this city and all rebels are to be executed."
"Wait! We can't agree to that!"
Astrid turned to the red headed woman, "I know nothing of this land, yet even I know that, in your current situation, his orders would be followed if I did not interfere. Einar would have lost quickly. This is your only chance at freedom."
The injured woman winced, "Fine... but if you lose... I'll kill you..." Her bleeding had stopped but the wound was still fresh.
"What have you done Einar... Very well. Captain, you may signal the duel."
With his shield still raised, he shouted out, "Take positions!" One of the frail orcs hid behind the muscular one, "Astrid, are you ready?"
"Yes." She held her sword in both hands and stood firm. If it wasn't for the gentle breeze ruffling her fur, she could be confused for a decorated statue.
"Orc king, are you ready?"
He growled, "It is a shame to kill a woman so attractive, but yes, I am ready." He drew his axe, a finely crafted weapon typically meant for two hands. It was beyond orc craftsmanship, and was most likely from another kingdom. As a gift or a trade, that part was unknown.
"Begin."
Unlike Einar, Astrid made sure to practice her father's lessons well, such as analyzing your opponent. The orc king was tall and mostly muscle, combined with the axe her sword would not stand up to blocking. His reach was also very long, so staying in close quarters for any period of time would be risky. From his stance, she could tell that he knew how to change the direction of his swing without hesitation, further adding to his lethality. This was not the time to go for the kill, but rather to wear him down slowly with light cuts.
The orc king ran at her without thinking, and she imagined briefly that a fight between him and Einar would be similar to watching a man fight his own shadow. He lifted the axe high and attempted to cut Astrid in two. Not wanting him to change direction, she waited until the last second and deftly danced around to his back, slicing his side and delivering a quick stab to his backside. Astrid left his reach and returned to her stance.
The orc king howled and turned as quickly as he could. The berserk rage of an orc, according to books at least, made them more resistant to pain and much harder to stop, though they often surrendered strategy and balance. His purple blood puddled on the dirt and he charged once again. Astrid didn't have to change her strategy much.
She dashed quickly towards the orc king and just as he commited to a horizontal swing, she dropped to the ground and used her momentum to slide through his legs, making sure to cut the tendon on his right ankle and pierce the flesh of his left thigh. She dashed again to create some distance. The orc king tried to turn, but fell instead. Without the use of his right foot, he was crippled.
Crippled, but still deadly.
He used his left arm to drag himself towards Astrid and tried to cut her feet. She jumped on top of the orc king and stabbed her blade into his skull, withdrew it, then pierced his heart, "The duel is complete."
Astrid wiped off her blade on the orc king's cape, "You understood the terms of the duel. Leave this place forever."
A female orc ran over, "Please! Take me with you!" She begged one of the leaders of the orc army, "I can't stand the smell of these peasants!"
"You are free to do as you wish, we are not holding you as our prisoner." Astrid examined the situation, making sure that her other soldiers properly disarmed and bound Einar, "As are the rest of you." The orc army left with one of the orc females, but the others didn't move. The human princess was buckled over, trembling with dried tears on her face, "And what of you two?"
The muscular orc looked directly into Astrid's eyes, "I was a hunter of my clan, the finest. When that bastard forced us into a kingdom, I was 'gifted' as a wife. I'm happy he's dead. If possible, I would prefer to learn from you. I could not best him, but he was a joke to you."
"Understood. And you?"
The frail orc opened her mouth, but didn't speak, "She was a healer of her clan. She rejected the formation of a kingdom, and to silence her, they cut out her tongue. She was also a 'gift' from her clan, but now she is a sister to me. I would prefer if she stayed close to me."
"I see no problem with that."
"Wait... aren't you concerned with the princess?" The old man said, breaking the awed silence of the crowd, "She has been injured as well! Mostly by Einar."
Einar was paralyzed on the ground, now unable to talk, "She is your responsibility. As the orcs are free yet told to leave, they were the primary concern. Captain, escort Einar back to the ship along with the two orcs. Instruct the ship to prepare to leave."
The red headed woman approached Astrid as the soldier in blue armor followed the orders, "You... you said you are that man's sister..."
"Yes, I am his twin. By blood alone."
"So... he's going to get hurt, right?" Astrid nodded, "Good... I hope he's put to death."
"He attacked you, I can tell. He has no control over his violent behavior, and lives only for death. I apologize for the problems his presence have caused."
The old man and the veteran were seeing to the princess' safety, "I want to see him punished... I knew from the start he was trouble. He killed orcs without thinking, and our own people... take me with you."
Astrid examined the ruined city, "I cannot deny your wish, but are you sure? You may never return to this land and you will be expected to abide by all Wendlow laws."
"My family was killed and I've had to put up with orcs that did terrible things and cowards that were afraid to act even a little. I can handle it." Her crossbow had been broken, most likely in an attempt to defend herself against Einar, "Probably have better weapons there anyway."
Astrid examined the injured woman, "If you feel you will be able to contribute to the nation, you will be welcomed. If not, you will be exiled to a district. Follow me."
"Wait! What are we to do?!"
"You have your city back. Rebuild and become stronger for it." The red headed woman followed Astrid as closely as she could, pushing the pain aside and hoping for a better life, "What is your name?"
"Nance."
"Nance, you will be expected to do a lot. I'd prepare your mind and body when you get the chance." The ship was more than Nance expected, it was far larger than the ships that appeared before the invasion. Made of a dark wood, there was hardly a scratch on the side. A carved wooden mermaid adorned the stern and the sails could easily blanket several homes. Nance followed Astrid up the board used as a ladder, "Are we ready to leave?"
"Aye, I see you have some new passengers."
"They chose this, there won't be trouble. Cast off when you see fit, I will retire to my cot."
"What about me?!"
Astrid sighed, "Follow me, there are extra beds." Below the deck, several cots were occupied by soldiers without armor while two were filled by the orc women. A doctor was treating them for injuries, "What is the situation?"
The doctor was wise beyond his years, which was a compliment seeing as how old he really was, "Malnourished, some rope irritation, minor cuts. The nipple rings were put in by force, as this young lady tells me it was a sign of owner ship. They have been clamped shut, you'll need a blacksmith to cut them off. I will be able to treat the other problems, so don't worry."
"Can you treat my cut?"
Nance sat on a bed, the use of her stomach muscles intensified her pain, "Aye, just lie back, I'll get to you in turn."
The soldier Captain approached Astrid, "Well done, I doubt we could have performed any better without you."
"Nonsense, you were all capable. Einar flailed about with his stolen sword, which was enough to take out the weaker opponents, but not a trained opponent."
The frail orc had her eyes locked onto the Captain, "I can't approve of his methods, and his actions nearly doomed that city, but the orc invasion needed to be stopped." He nodded and walked off to check on his men.
Astrid looked at the frail orc. Her ears were just a little pointed, a midpoint between human and feline ears, her nose was tiny but cute, and her eyes were a bright green and large, "Something about him catch your eye?" The orc jumped and blushed.
"It would seem that my sister has an appreciation for him." The muscular orc sat up in her bed when the doctor finished treatment, "My name is Minya. This is Patli. You are Astrid, correct?"
"Indeed."
The orc nodded her head, "Very well, I wish to be your apprentice, to learn as you learn and fight as you fight. It would honor me greatly for you to accept."
Astrid wasn't sure about taking on an apprentice, she was no great warrior, "Come on, don't make the girl beg." The doctor joked.
"Very well, training will begin after punishment has been rendered upon Einar."