KORGAN
The oath burns in me like swallowed coals.
By blood and bone, I swear never to let a human weaponize my heart again.
I agreed to this show as a soldier accepts a mission: establish a presence, secure the objective (public favor), and extract without casualties. It was supposed to be a performance.
But the way I kissed her in the garden wasn't a performance. The rage I felt when they attacked her bakery wasn't tactical. I am failing the oath not because I am here, but because I am forgetting that this is a battlefield, and she is supposed to be the mission, not the prize.
My younger brother's face flashes behind my eyelids. Drakar, barely past his naming ceremony, caught between human artillery and orc pride. I'd chosen to evacuate the human children first, and by the time I circled back for wounded orcs, scavengers had found him.
The oath I swore over his body binds me still. No human attachment until the blood debt settles. No divided loyalties. No softness that could cost another orc life.
Trinity stirs against me, her breath warm on my neck. I tighten my arm around her waist, pulling her closer, the scent ofcinnamon and sleep filling my senses. For a moment, there is no war, no show, no politics. Just this.
Then I wake up.
My hand closes over empty, cold sheets. The silence of the room presses down on me, heavy and accusing. She isn't here. Shecan'tbe here.
I want to explain, to tell her about Drakar and the oath and the impossible position she puts me in just by existing. But she isn't here to listen.
The gym equipment groans under my fury. Every rep carries the contradiction, Trinity's laugh versus Drakar's silence. Her trust versus my sworn word. The future I want versus the past I can't escape.
"Rough night?" A production assistant hovers nearby with his tablet and nervous energy.
"Fine."
"Because the footage from last night was incredible. Really beautiful stuff. The network wants to fast-track some relationship development segments."
I set down the weights with deliberate control. "What segments?"
"Meeting family, sharing backgrounds, maybe some physical intimacy scenes. You know, normal couple progression."
Normal couple progression. As if anything about this situation approaches normal.
"I need to review contracts first."
"Oh, it's all covered in the standard romance clauses. Trinity already signed off on expanded coverage."
Trinity signed off.
Which means she expects this to continue. Expects me to meet her family, share my history, build something real while cameras document every moment. While I'm bound by oath to avoid exactly that.
"I'll consider it."
But I won't. Can't.
For the next three days, I master the art of tactical distance. Polite conversation during group challenges. Minimal eye contact during confessionals. Strategic partnering with other contestants for team events.
Trinity notices immediately.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asks after I deflect her third attempt at private conversation.
"No."
"Then why are you avoiding me?"
"Not avoiding. Maintaining appropriate boundaries."
