“Why should we respect their customs when they respectnone of ours?”
“You married my father!”
“Yes! Byourlaws!” She was yelling. “Has their word ever made a difference? You want an alliance with people who have robbed us, lied, killed, who have swindled your brothers?—"
“I did,yes!I wanted friendship for our peoples! And that wasmydecision to risk!”
“It is not your decision whetherweaccept that risk.”
They stared at each other.
“Will you exile me, then?”
She didn't falter. “No need. She's the one who broke our laws entering this place.”
“I carried her in unconscious. You cannot do this.”
“I can do a great many things?—"
“Mother.”
She stopped. She didn't smile.
“She's valuable,” he repeated.
“Oh?” she said. “Where are the potions they promised?”
“That was not her oath.”
“And this was not mine.”
A voice called over the crowd, in their same Orcish, “What's that? Is this the happiest day of my life? Is this the triumphant return of the most glorious rose of the battlefield, the huntress of my heart?”
The crowd parted, some of the warriors chuckling or smirking, and Piotr was there, lurching along, Hagmar at his side looking winded, eyes wide. Piotr strode into the breech and, leaning on his cane, he threw the other arm wide. “My wife! You look even more lethal than when we parted!”
“I know what you are doing and it won't work, husband.” Her chin jutted out. “You coddle him. I must make choices for our people.”
“I didn't marry Drazha of the half-blade because I wanted to be in charge, love of my life.” At that a laugh rippled across the crowd gathered, and he smiled through it. “But you just returned! Surely all this choosing could happen on a full stomach, yes? There is no need to rush. Does our daughter-in-law look like she's running away?” He reached the center of the circle, between us, put a hand on my shoulder.
Drazha hissed under her breath, but with Piotr there, it felt like some of the venom had left her. “She looks like the squirrels and the mice would devour her not ten steps outside.”
“She's stronger than she looks. It would take at least…five squirrels.” He released me, held a hand out to his wife. “Please, captress of my love, let's all calm down before you finish scolding our son, alright? Just some rest and a meal. For my sake.”
She stared at me one more second, as if tabulating all the ways I could die, before she looked away. “Fine. The band needs rest. We will convene at the morrow's moonrise, when we've eaten meat and slept by fires.” Her voice rose with the last instruction, and her warriors shouted agreement, started filtering out into the crowd that had gathered outside the circle. The pale and fuzzy dawn cast its soft light on embracing families, couples and friends. None of them seemed particularly worried about what would come next, except for us.
Piotr winked at me, muttered in Common, “See? No worries,” before saying to Khal, in Orcish, “I hope you have a diversion planned. Don't make your mother kill your wife.” He clasped his shoulder and then followed Drazha from the ring. She didn't look back at us.
Vrathgar came up beside Khal. “Better than I expected,” he grunted. “I guess she has a soft spot for you.”
Khal shook his head.
Just then, I staggered as the last of the power that had gathered in my body ran out, and the thread of whatever spell gave me comprehension snapped.
“Rowena! Are you alright?” Khal's face was inches from mine, worried, desperate.
“I'm f-fine.” Heat rose in my face. The orcs were watching. Even in this, I was making him look weak. “Sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He looked over my head, scanning for something, and a lump rose in my throat. What an odd thing, to have him believe that.
