The long Road to a new home.
Once the humans had left the camp and made their way back home to Yaarlarth, Malach and the Orcs made quick work of breaking the tents down and packing up the caravans and horses.
Thera helped the Elves get into the remaining caravans, making sure they weren't too cramped inside.
"It's about a 4 days travel to Vibhurik from here. And it's all through the forests, as long as we don't run into any bandits or predators, we will be fine and taking rests periodically." Thera gave a smile to the elves, closing the Caravan she walked away.
She went up to Malach who was with his horse. " Ya know, I kind of expected them to be terrified of us but.. One of them wouldn't even look at me the entire time I was helping them even though yesterday he seemed fine. Did something happen?" She looked at him with her arms crossed.
"Don't know. Don't care. Are we ready to move out?" Malach wasn't looking at her, he gave his horse's neck a comforting pat as he waited for her response.
She gave him a hard look. He could sense her irritation with him. "Yes. We are." Her tone was flat.
Malach nodded and climbed up onto his horse. "Good."
As he tried steering his horse to move around her she took hold of his saddle strap. "Are you sure this is a good idea Malach'karh? We haven't exactly been on good terms with their kind, and they know it."
"They won't go with the humans." He said plainly.
"What happens when we take off their shackles? Sure they may have been peaceful back before their enslavement but that was over 100 years ago. No one knows what the fire elves are capable of Malach. And honestly I don't think they know either."
"Do you want me to leave them in their shackles?" His gaze snapped onto her with a sharp tone in his voice.
"That's not what I'm saying.."
"Then what?" He looked down at her. "Do not pretend to be ignorant of their suffering. They have never walked the land as a free being in their entire lives. We are about to be in the middle of a war, where these people will have a chance at finally being free. And all they know of us is that we are savages. Which isn't entirely wrong."
Thera tries to speak but he cuts her off with a huff. "They ASKED to come with us. Do you see how sad it must be, for the elves to find more comfort around Orcs who are rumored to eat elves, rather than the humans? They are terrified of us. Of me…"
"Malach… I just mean that realistically, Vibhurik is not as grand as it once was, perhaps if the King from our other clans would take them-"
"No. They refused to join forces with Yaarlarth when I became King. They were allied with Chalach. Not me, and I will not rule as he did just to gain their trust. The elves stay with us. Once we get home, the Shamans will set them free from their shackles and I will kill anyone who questions my decision of letting them come with us." He meant what he said, cold as it may be, anyone who knew him would know not to challenge Malach.
Thera huffed. Nodding her head defiantly, but accepting his words. "Chalach was a cruel king. Even for an Orc… But even so, you can't let your compassion blind you from the possible dangers to them and to us."
Malach looked away. "Get Durlag to begin our travels. I want Arug on the right flank. I'll take the left. Sel'dak can keep rear guard." Without waiting for a response he got his horse into a gallop and headed to the left side of the formation of horses and caravans.
Thera shook her head with a worried sigh. Climbing onto her horse she got the orders to the others. Soon they were off on the road to Vibhurik.
—--
During the first day of traveling the elves kept each other company. Cyrus had calmed down from his prior melt down. Knowing it was a dream didn't ease his mind from the vivid and disturbing imagery.
He curled up and watched the trees pass by through a small gap between the tanned hide and the wood framing of the caravan. He wanted to walk between the trees, he wanted to feel the branches, leaves and bark with his fingers. Nual was a kingdom of stone and rich metals on the shoreline. The sands were lovely, the ocean was beautiful, never being given the chance to touch the soft waves he would watch from the highest windows of the palace.
But the trees were right there. Last night he could have probably gone and touched the trees, but he was too afraid to walk around.
As Cyrus looked outside with longing he thought he saw something lurking in the forest. His chest tightened with fear, he looked again but they moved too fast on the road for him to find anything.
He relaxed, thinking that maybe he was just being paranoid. Watching the trees pass by it was then he saw it again. A dark, large furry beast running in the forest in the same direction they were headed.
His chest clenched when he saw the head turn to them, it started getting closer and Cyrus moved away, putting his arms over the elf next to him.
"There is a beast in the woods…" His words trembled, he tried keeping quiet.
They all lurched forward as the caravan stopped. And they could hear arrows zipping through the air, the stomping of the beast over the leaves and the hard dirt floor of the forest reached Cyrus' ears. The Orc's yelling to take the beast down. It was chaotic outside in the matter of seconds.
He moved back to look outside, hushing the elves as they panicked with whimpering cries from the loud sounds outside.
Cyrus's eyes went wide as the beast charged right to the caravan they were in. The arrows the Orcs shot sticking up out of its thick fur. The beast's huge mouth opened, letting out a deafening roar as it stood up on its back legs, standing nearly 20 feet tall Cyrus had never seen such a monster. The beast was getting ready to swing its large claws at the orcs standing in front of the caravan.
Mid swing Malach jumped onto the beast's shoulder, landing a short sword into the beast's thick fur he swung his other hand holding his axe into the beast's chest and neck repeatedly. The beast fell back onto its front claws, thrashing about as it tried throwing Malach off. 8 other Orc's stabbed and hacked at it.
Malach had climbed up onto the beast's back and savagely stabbed his short sword into the back of its neck. The beast collapsed onto the forest floor shortly after, shaking the ground and sending out a gust of air that rippled through the hide on the caravan.
Cyrus and the elves were horrified. They were grateful to be safe, but Cyrus could only think of how ruthless Malach had been to the beast. It reminded him of the dream he had.
Malach got off of the beast, landing with a thud on his feet he wiped his blade on the beast's fur before putting the short sword away, he ripped his axe out of the beast's chest, blood splattering and soaking the ground.
"Set camp up in the clearing next to the river." Lowering his mask he sniffed the air, his ear twitched as he looked around. "There are no cubs it seems. Harvest the meat, waste nothing."
The orcs huffed loudly at Malach's orders. The caravan started moving as the group started to head to the river, which Cyrus didn't even see one.
As the caravan moved past Malach his eyes locked onto Cyrus' for a moment, a fear rose in Cyrus' chest. Malach's eyes looked to the ground, and he turned away. Cyrus' could see him cover his face as they moved out of view. Cyrus started to feel a bit guilty, but he moved away from the gap and checked on the other elves.
—---------
The camp was set up near the river, the sun was still high as the elves were let out of the caravans. Thera and a couple of other orcs, mostly female, came up to the elves with cloths.
"I'm sure you all would like to bathe, come. We will make sure you have privacy." Thera led the elves to follow her to the river.
They went a little upstream and let the elves bathe in the river. Despite Thera asking if they wanted to separate based on gender, the elves wanted to stick together. They helped each other wash off the old golden paint that adorned their skin. The sweat and grime that built up on them. Even the dried up blood from being caught in the fighting at the Rose maiden's den.
After bathing, the elves were told they could do whatever they wanted, so long as they didn't walk too far out of the camp grounds to keep from being hurt from possible predators. The majority of the Orcs worked on harvesting the meat from the beast.
Cyrus walked just outside the camp with the other elves, they admired the trees and plants. Cyrus crouched down to touch the leaves of a wild flower bush. A sense of calm filling his mind. The small flowers on the bush
Were a light blue with a bright white center. The flowers had 5 petals, Cyrus' fingers gently brushed against the soft velvety petals.
He plucked one, bowing his head to the rest of the flowers. "Thank you, I hope the forest sprites don't get upset with me, but I can't bear to part with you."
Cyrus returned to the other elves, putting the flower in his hair behind his ear. He got some odd looks from the orcs but paid them no mind.
The rest of the camp stay was quiet, the elves were allowed to stay in Malach's tent once more, but Malach didn't guard it this time. He stayed in another tent for the night so he could sleep.
Durlag kept watch that night. During the rest of the trip to Vibhurik there were very few predators who dared attacking on their route.
Malach also kept away from the elves, ordering Durlag and Thera to be the ones who mostly interacted with them.
—------------
Malach rode front for the final few miles it took to get to the gates of Vibhurik. The gates were tall, made of wood and stone with torches set up high. Though normal people would probably not notice the orcs high up in the trees around them, he knew his soldiers watched them approach.
As he rode his horse up to the gates with the large group in tow, a group of Orcs welcomed them back, opening the gates and greeting Malach.
"We have the Nual elves with us. Have the Shamans prepare to see them, and get some space set up in the long house for them."
Malach wasted no time in throwing commands around, getting the caravans and the orcs that arrived back with him inside the gates. The orcs at the front stables right inside the gates took the horses, and helped unload the caravans. There were orcs that ran to carry out Malach's orders, the large wooden gates slowly closed back up.
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