Chapter 36
Clover
My body is wrecked after the Twelve Knots ritual is finally complete.
The ritual takes days, just like King Lix’tuk said.
There’s no real sleep. Just bouts of unconsciousness when one of us is too exhausted to keep going.
After the ritual is finally over, I sleep like the dead.
I’m not sure how long I’m out for, but when my eyes open, he’s already awake, resting on the bed beside me.
The look in his dark gaze and the smile on his rough lips give me the answer before I get to ask.
“Am I…” I glance up at him and down at my stomach.
“With child?” he rumbles. “Yes, you’re pregnant.”
“You said we would both know,” I say, putting my hand on my stomach. A second later, the food and water I had last night threaten to return. “Oh god, I need the restroom.”
“That’s how you know,” he chuckles, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “I’ll help you.”
He scoops me up and carries me down the hallway to the bathroom. I remember my mom being sick when she was pregnant with Abigail. I think she was a lot further along before she started getting sick, but I’ve learned that a lot of things are different with orcs.
“You’re going to be okay, Clover,” King Lix’tuk says, holding my hair out of the way and rubbing my back soothingly. “I warned you my offspring would be strong and take a toll. The treatment protocol may have strengthened your womb, but that doesn’t mean it will be completely painless.”
“Yeah, I kind of expected that,” I groan, wiping my mouth. “Our wedding is in less than a week. I don’t want to throw up on you when we say our vows.”
“Worse things have happened during orc weddings,” he laughs. “But maybe our child will allow us to enjoy the day.”
“Just one thing missing,” I say, leaning against him. “I still don’t have a Maid of Honor.”
“Clover, I’ve searched this entire planet for Rose. I’ve reached out to the wolf shifters and the demons. I’ve offered a bounty to anyone in Concord City who can locate her,” he sighs. “It’s like she vanished without a trace.”
“That’s what it feels like,” I mourn. “But that’s impossible, right? Jasmine wasn’t able to track down all the buyers, but most of them died during the revolution. Rose has to be out there… somewhere.”
“I’m afraid that no news isn’t good news. As much as I’d like to reassure you, I fear something terrible has happened to her,” he breaks the news gently. “I’m sure Jasmine or Lady Frax’mo would be honored to stand by your side. Or your sister, Beverly.”
“They would, but… I don’t know. It just wouldn’t feel right,” I say. “When Rose and I were little, we never expected to have a wedding, but we used to daydream about them. We always said if it happened, we’d be there. I know it’s foolish, but I’m going to leave the spot open for her. Just in case.”
“You’re a good friend,” he smiles. “If we don’t locate her by our wedding day, we’ll honor her during the ceremony.”
“Thank you,” I sniff, gripping his hand. “Help me up. I need a shower.”
King Lix’tuk helps me to my feet and into the shower.
I don’t ask him to, but he takes it upon himself to bathe me.
His rough fingers are incredibly soothing, especially when he washes my hair.
He removes all the braids and trinkets, which I’ve been meaning to do for a few days, since I’ll have a stylist on my wedding day.
“If your stomach wasn’t upset, I’d have to take you back to our bedchamber,” he hums, tracing my skin while he dries me off.
“You know, you’re quite needy for an orc who is supposed to be in his final days,” I tease, leaning into his arms.
“Once our baby is born, my days may last even longer. Carrying my child will extend your life, too. I won’t be able to rest until my son no longer needs me.”
“Oh, is that how it works?” I ask, surprised.
“With my bloodline it is,” he growls.
“Then I’m really glad I’m pregnant. It means you have to put up with me even longer,” I laugh, my stomach finally feeling settled.
“Yes, you’ll be haunting this fortress with me for a very long time,” he says, kissing the top of my head.
We spend the day together, and when we finally make it back to the bedchamber, we’re both too exhausted to do anything but sleep. After knotting me twelve times, it seems that even the mighty orc king needs rest.
The next few days pass too quickly, and when our wedding day finally arrives, I feel extremely unprepared.
Thankfully, I’ve got a great support system, even if Rose isn’t here. My mom and Lady Frax’mo make a fuss while they help me get ready. Beverly helps some, but she’s mostly busy taking care of Abigail. She’s the flower girl today and quite excited to scatter the flowers down the aisle.
My wedding dress is white and gorgeous, the kind of gown I never dared to dream about back in Troona.
The bodice is fitted with delicate silver embroidery that mimics the swirling battle patterns etched into orc armor but softened with tiny pearls and threads of pale gold that catch the light.
It hugs my waist before flowing into layers of silk and chiffon that move like water when I walk, modest enough for orc tradition yet feminine enough to feel like me.
The neckline sits just off my shoulders, showing a hint of collarbone, while long, flowing sleeves end in pointed cuffs that brush my wrists.
My hair is styled in beautiful braids. A train trails behind me, edged with the deep forest green of Uzrirgard, a subtle nod to the kingdom I’m joining.
Lady Frax’mo and my mother added a few small orcish charms.
When I look down at myself, I don’t see the dusty, scrawny second-born girl from the salted fields anymore. I see someone who chose this life, this king, and this future.
Our wedding is a mixture of human and orc customs. My parents are pleased with the familiarity.
The orcs are happy their soon-to-be human queen hasn’t stomped all over every custom they have.
I’m not sure how things will go once I’m actually on the throne beside King Lix’tuk and making decisions, but the orcs are a lot more receptive than I expected.
We’re having the wedding outside, so once I’m dressed, I hide in a tent to wait for the ceremony to begin.
“If you’re all set, I’m going to go sit with my family,” Lady Frax’mo says, plucking a few strands of hair from my dress.
“Yes, I think I’m ready,” I reply. “Thank you so much for all your help. I mean that. I know you hoped it would be your daughter standing here today.”
“I just wanted to make sure King Lix’tuk’s bloodline survives,” she says warmly, putting a hand on my stomach. “And you’ve done that, so you’re the only one who should stand by his side today.”
Orcs don’t give hugs very often, but Lady Frax’mo pulls me into a tight embrace before she leaves the tent. My mom walks closer and examines me one last time, making sure there’s nothing that needs her motherly touch.
“Abigail is obsessed with everything orc right now,” my mom says absently, like she’s just trying to fill the silence. “If she doesn’t grow out of it, I may end up with two orc sons-in-law.”
“I think you’ve got a long time before you have to worry about that,” I laugh. “You’ll have a human one soon enough, I’m sure. Beverly and her boyfriend seem very close.”
“A little too close,” she complains, clicking her tongue.
My father walks into the tent with a smile on his face and a tear in his eye. I’m surprised to see the emotion on his face, but I guess it’s an emotional moment. He’s about to walk his daughter down the aisle. He never thought he’d get to do this for me.
“Clover, you’re so beautiful,” he sniffs, wiping his eyes. “One of the wedding attendants said the Bridal Chorus is about to start.”
“Oh Dad,” I have my own sniffles to contend with now. “Okay, I’m ready,” I hurry to his side.
The music begins and my mother slips past us to go to her seat. My father leads me out of the tent, and I have to laugh when I see all the flowers. Abigail practically carpeted the entire way from the tent to the altar with them.
But then I see King Lix’tuk and everything else just fades into the background. His armor is similar to what he wore during the revolution, but this set is layered with so much gold and so many gemstones it would never survive a battlefield.
Then a loud noise distracts me, and I’m not the only one. Orcs and humans alike cover their ears and look up at the sky.
“What was that?” I cry, glancing at my father.
“I’m not sure,” he answers me with a touch of fear in his voice.
It sounds like a ship is approaching, which makes most of the orcs move to protect their king.
A few stand near me, hands on weapons, in case they need them.
I feel a twinge of worry, especially when something begins to shimmer into view above us.
I’ve seen something similar before, when orc ships drop their cloaking system.
“Is that a… spaceship!?” Abigail squeals, a mixture of fascination and terror in her voice.
That’s definitely what it looks like. It’s grey and silver with black accents. It appears to be a lot more advanced than the ships in Uzrirgard, and those are already far beyond anything humans had before the revolution.
“Protect the king!” Lord Frax’mo yells.
“And the future queen!” Lady Frax’mo adds.
I should have known my wedding day wouldn’t go smoothly. My father keeps me behind him, and we’ve got several armed orcs in front of us. Everyone’s tense. I’m not sure what to expect.
The spaceship hovers for a moment, then touches down in a nearby field.
Not far from where the orc ships are parked, but it’s bigger than three of them put together.
Orcs converge on it, weapons drawn, and even King Lix’tuk looks concerned.
He says something to me from across the distance, but I can’t make it out.
The doors on the ship hiss open and a ramp lowers. I hold my breath, unsure if we’re about to meet aliens or something a lot scarier.
Until I see blonde hair and blue eyes, then I’m pulling away from my father and trying to push through the orcs in front of us. I feel King Lix’tuk’s attention snap toward me from across the aisle, but he doesn’t stop me.
“Rose! It’s Rose!” I scream.
“Hold your fire!” King Lix’tuk shouts. “Apparently, it’s our missing Maid of Honor.”
The orcs near the ship fall back and then I realize Rose isn’t alone.
A man steps into view who is easily seven feet tall with long, flowing red hair and a thick red beard.
He’s wearing armor, but it doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen orcs wear.
It looks closer to what I’ve seen on the statues that are supposed to represent some of the Twelve Gods.
“It’s… it’s one of the Twelve Gods!” one of the orcs near the spaceship yells.
“I am no god,” the man rumbles. “My name is Ragnar.”
“Yeah, he’s not a god,” Rose laughs. “Just a Viking wolf shifter.”
I finally get close enough for Rose to see me and she runs the rest of the way. We hug like we haven’t seen each other in years. That’s what it feels like, considering we spent pretty much every single day of our lives together before the auction.
“Oh, my goodness!” I weep, hugging her as tight as I can. “I have looked for you everywhere!”
“Yeah, unless you’ve been looking at the stars, you’ve been looking in the wrong direction,” she laughs. “But you really didn’t think I was going to miss my best friend’s wedding, did you?”
“I thought I’d lost you forever!” I sob, forcing myself to let go of her so I can wipe my eyes. “What happened!?”
“It’s a long story, but after I got auctioned, they took me back to my suite,” she says, gesturing to the Viking standing by the spaceship. “Then he showed up, claimed I was his mate, and dragged me across the damn universe.”
“And he’s… a wolf shifter?” I ask incredulously, my eyes widening.
“Not like the ones from here, but yeah. He’s definitely a wolf,” she grins. “Hope it’s okay I brought a plus one.”
“I’m just so glad you’re here!” I say, hugging her again.
“Now that the Maid of Honor has arrived, can we get on with the wedding?” King Lix’tuk’s voice booms.
“Wait, I’m the Maid of Honor!?” Rose asks. “I haven’t even been here!”
“It didn’t feel right to ask anyone else,” I say, shrugging slightly. “If you don’t want to, I understand. You can just watch.”
“Nope, I have been the worst Maid of Honor ever. I’m definitely not going to let you stand up there alone,” she has tears of her own now.
Rose hurries to stand at the altar. Ragnar says a few things to some of the orcs, then they let him take his seat. I return to my father’s side, my smile even bigger now that it feels like my wedding party is complete.
Once the music begins again, I take my father’s arm, and he escorts me down the aisle.
I used to be just a girl from Troona.
Now my father is walking me toward the king of orcs, my best friend has returned from the stars, and beneath my heart, the future of Uzrirgard is already growing.
Finally, my future is the one I chose.
The End