Alien Orc’s Prize (Starlight Brides)

6. Luna

CHAPTER 6

LUNA

I ’d landed in the morning Orhalla-time, and by late afternoon I still hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of my new husband.

But at least I hadn’t been left entirely alone in the jaw-droppingly gorgeous structure atop the seaside cliffs that was Prince Gal’s family palace. Neena and Noona, along with three other orc women I was pretty sure were some kind of royal lady’s maids, didn’t leave my side. It was nearly impossible to escape them even for a few minutes to go pee on my own in the cavernous, sunlit bathroom. They certainly didn’t give my prudish human modesty any thought when it came time to bathe, because they stripped down and splashed right into the gigantic heated pool with me. I blushed, but didn’t argue, not wanting to offend my new sisters-in-law and also shyly glad for their enthusiastic company.

The three lady’s maids – Ari, Doree, and Manti – were efficient in their work, scrubbing, polishing, and primping every inch of the two princesses and me. After the bath, the three of us were dressed in heavy, silken robes as the lady’s maids got to work on our hair. I sat awkwardly through it, not used to having people touch me this way. The last person who’d brushed or styled my hair for me had probably been Lyric, and that would have likely been more than ten years ago.

“I didn’t realize how light your hair was!” Neena said on a gasp as Doree worked some sort of fragrant oil into my now-dry hair.

“Well, it’s probably a lot cleaner now,” I said with an uncomfortable laugh. I hoped they didn’t think I was some gross, dirty human. But the journey had been long, and my hair in its ratty little bun at the back of my head had definitely been a bit grimy.

“It’s like the colour of honey from the south!” Noona said almost dreamily. “It makes me want to eat a honey cake!”

“Oh. Thank you. I’ve never tried a honey cake,” I said politely. I wasn’t sure what honey looked like, having never seen or eaten it myself. But it seemed to be a compliment. My hair colour, a murky shade between blonde and brown, had never been exciting to me, especially in contrast with the slippery, exceptionally glossy black locks that all five of the orc women in the room had on display. But Neena and Noona genuinely seemed to be interested in the colour as Doree put my hair up into an elaborate coil on the top of my head.

“You both have beautiful eye colours,” I blurted, trying and probably failing to find a graceful way to return their kind words. Where my own eye colour was as wishy-washy and undecided as my hair – yellowish in some areas, brown in others – the two princesses had eyes of achingly lovely, clear, teal-tinged blue. Just like the sea I’d glimpsed outside.

They both looked pleased – though surprised – by my statement.

“Thank you. Though, this eye colour is nothing unusual,” Neena said. “Most orcs have eyes some shade of green or blue.”

“Gal has very beautiful eyes,” Noona said, not without a healthy dose of indignation.

“He got the colour from our mother,” Neena explained. “Very dark brown. Like ink spilled into strong tea. Not that he deserves them!” she added with a fiercely upturned chin.

“Why… Why doesn’t he deserve them?” I asked cautiously, heart climbing into my throat as Doree secured the last bit of my hair.

“He frowns too much!”

“He grunts too much!”

“He’s too impatient-”

“-and arrogant-”

“-and self-important!”

“Imagine having a face like that-”

“-and eyes like those-”

“-and using them to just glare at everyone all day!”

“And that’s when he isn’t ignoring you!”

Neena and Noona stopped for breath, their faces wearing identical expressions of annoyance. Stunned, I tried to take in everything they’d just said in their rapid-fire, back-and-forth manner. Nothing sounded too overtly terrible, though my new husband didn’t sound particularly nice, either. I reminded myself that their thoughts about Prince Gal were filtered through their role as his younger sisters and I tried to keep an open mind. But the princesses had paused for long enough, it seemed, and launched into yet another attack on Prince Gal.

“He turned his nose up at every woman we brought for him!”

“Turned his nose up at the whole prospect of marriage!”

“And now that his wife, the one he actually picked, is here-”

“-he hasn’t even bothered to come!”

“He hasn’t even ensconced you in his own quarters!”

“Is that unusual?” I asked, finding a tiny opening in the conversation and latching onto it like a lifeline. It had been fairly obvious to me that the chambers I’d been given, the ones attached to this glorious bathroom, were not inhabited by the prince. There was nothing belonging to a man in there. Nothing belonging to anyone at all. A beautiful-but-empty guest suite.

I wasn’t familiar with orc customs, so it hadn’t struck me as odd.

Until now.

“It is unusual!” Neena said, sounding shocked and offended on my behalf.

“Highly unusual!” Noona agreed stoutly. “A newly married husband should be sleeping beside his wife! Or at least somewhere in the general vicinity!”

“Not to mention the fact that he so badly needs an heir and now he’s got his wife in a bed halfway across the palace!”

“Not that begetting an heir has to happen in the marital bed, but-”

“-it certainly seems the most likely place!”

Neena and Noona swanned out of the bathroom into the main bed chamber beyond, practically vibrating with righteous anger on my behalf, followed by their maids. Luckily, it was only Doree who probably saw how my human cheeks got hot and pink at the casual mention of begetting an heir.

Once out of the bathroom I was dressed like a doll for dinner amid many exclamations of “What in Orhalla will even fit?!” and “You’re so tiny!”

Tiny was something I’d never been called or strived to achieve in my life. But to the orc women, all of them nearing seven feet tall, I supposed I was small, curves aside.

I ended up dressed in a gold-coloured gown with deep green trim. Doree had to pin the beautiful but too-big garment in several places to make sure I wouldn’t trip on the skirts or have the waist or neckline sagging open. Even with the rushed, pinned fit, I’d never worn something so fine. I caught a look in an oblong mirror near the massive bed and didn’t recognize myself for a dizzyingly disconcerting moment.

Once we were all dressed – Neena and Noona in matching gowns of red and blue and me with a pair of soft indoor slippers meant for a child – I was told it was time to go down for dinner.

“Let’s see,” Neena said, taking my arm and steering me towards the door as Noona followed, “if your new husband bothers to show up.”