The Half-Orc's Maiden Bride (Aspect and Anchor)

I confess my fears in bed that night, after another round of lovemaking. "You just don't know my father like I do," I fret when he tries to soothe me. "Papa is like a bull with his head down when he gets an idea. He knows you're wealthy and he thinks he can take it."

Agakor rubs my back, his fingers trailing up and down my bare spine. I'm curled up against him, naked, my cheek on his chest, one hand possessively cupping his sac because I love touching him intimately. I'm growing as possessive of him as he is of me. "You worry too much, love. Let me take care of it."

"But I know what he's capable of," I protest. "He'll scheme his way to get his hands on your coin."

"No one can take it from me, Iolanthe. They cannot take you. They cannot take my funds. I will go to war to protect you. Trust in that."

I frown, because I don't want him going to war. I don't want any of this. I just want to have a quiet life with my wonderful husband. I need to talk to my father directly, I decide. If he has a scrap of affection for me, maybe he'll listen. Immediately, I begin planning what I must do. Horses, I decide, since woales are slow. I'll need men to go with me, as well—

"Iolanthe?" Agakor asks, twirling one long strand of my hair around his finger. "You're too quiet. Tell me what you're thinking."

Already he knows me too well. I roll his sac in my hand, teasing his balls as I look up at him and give him a sultry smile. "I was thinking that we need to work on me getting pregnant. Then there can be no question about anything."

His eyes light up, and he grins. "I love the way you think, wife."

"I love it when you call me wife," I purr back, sitting up and slinging my leg over his hips. Tomorrow, I decide. Tomorrow I'll ride out and talk to my father. Tonight is for my husband.

The next morning, I kiss my husband a dozen times in the courtyard, weepy.

Agakor just chuckles, holding me close. "We're only going one town over, love. I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon, I promise. I just want to make sure that all the mercenaries in the area know that I'm looking for more trained men, and that I pay well. You'll be safe here in the keep."

"I know," I sniff. My head is full of my plans, which could be dangerous. It's not hard to be upset. What if I meet my father and he refuses to let me go back to Agakor? I won't let that happen, I decide. Digging my fingers into Agakor's tunic, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his chin. "I'll miss you, though. So much."

"If you need anything, Tindal will help you," he promises me. "Just ask him."

"I will."

He pauses, gazing down at me. "You make me so happy, Iolanthe. Don't let your father's saber-rattling worry you, all right? Let me take care of you, as a husband should."

"Of course." I smooth out the front of his tunic, since I just wrinkled it. "I love you, too. I hope you have success on your trip. Hurry back soon."

I wait in the courtyard, waving goodbyes until my husband's horses and his men are out of sight. He's leaving with a small band—worrisome—but I understand why. He wants the rest to remain here at the keep, protecting it. Protecting me. Well, I can protect my husband, too. I gather my skirts and head inside, looking for Tindal.

I find him in the cellar, overlooking the delivery of several barrels of ale. He immediately gets a wary look on his face as I march towards him. "Uh oh," Tindal says. "I know that look. That's the look Agakor wears when he wants something and he knows I hate the idea."

Am I taking on some of my husband's mannerisms, then? I find the idea pleasing. "I have a favor to ask."

"Of course you do." He eyes the men carrying barrels in, wincing as one is set on the floor with a loud thud. "If you spill it, I still have to buy it," he warns the man. "Don't cost me good coin!"

I wait until the barrel is settled and then turn to Tindal. "I need several men and a few fast horses."

He blanches. "Do I want to ask why?"

I consider lying. If Agakor was here, he'd stop me. He'd throw me over his shoulder and take me to bed and lick me until I'm writhing with pleasure and every single thought has flown out of my mind. But my actions are to protect him, just like they are to protect the home we're building here. So I decide to tell Tindal the truth. "My father is feeling out other lords and I'm worried he's going to get too many people on his side. If he rouses the entire countryside, it won't matter that Agakor bought this keep fair and square, or that he paid my father a wagonful of coin to marry me. They'll see a half-orc interloper and that's it. So I mean to go and have a nice long talk with my father and make it very clear that I'm here by choice."