Chapter Text
About 50 years since Orcs and Humans signed a treaty for peace. Today, Orc Mountain is celebrating in their little town below it, the acceptance of the first orc to University.
“Ach! Look at him.” Says a rather inebriated father to his mate. He sniffs. “He’s so smart. And so…” Another sniff. “He’s my baby. And he’s leaving.”
His mate, sober and trying his best not to laugh at the overt display of his emotional Grisk mate. “Ach. But not a babe any more you ken?”
That got him an outraged gasp not just by the Grisk but the blubbering woman beside him. “He will always be our baby!” The Grisk and the woman clutch each other as if he’d demanded to sacrifice their son at an alter.
The Ash-Kai shakes his head. “Winnie, Aðgísl.” He says both indulgently but with a reprimanding steel. “Gideon will be fine.”
Winnie sniffles, a small pout adorning her lips. “But he’s going to be staying there. Without any clan or family to help him in a scrap. I know how shitty humans can be to people who are different.” She absently rubs her amputated arm. “I don’t want Gideon to—
“Ach, Winnie. I ken.” He pulls his woman to him in a gentle hug.
“D’Ash, you make ma cry again?” Gideon teases as he walks up to them. He sees his other father also in tears. “AND D’Að??” He clucks his tongue and dodges the head swat form D’Ash, letting go of his woman. Ash grumbles about how he would never make his precious mates cry. But his mates are too busy hugging their son and telling them that if he ever has to come home. If he ever needs to come home. He should do it immediately.
“The world has changed ma. I am an orc and they will learn that does no’ mean I am dumb. Or some primal beast. Ach?” He rubs his mothers shoulders in a comforting gesture and she nods.
“Yes. Yes I understand. They won’t know what hit htem! Because my baby is smart! And he’s going to kick their ass!” She flushes a brilliant red, her gold bangled wrist clinks as she covers her mouth. “With your brain.”
“Ach, I donna think they’d like me kickin’ their ass ma.” He flexes his muscles a little to emphasize his point. Winnie giggles.
“No. They won’t.” Btu then she sniffles again. “I’m going to miss you Gideon.”
His lips twist, his feelings torn. “Ach, ma. C’mere.” And he wraps his arms around her in a tight squeeze. “I’ll miss you too, ma. I’ll visit during the holidays.”
“You’re leaving tonight then?” Ash asks his son.
“Ach.” More sniffling on his tunic. It’s a good thing he hadn’t changed into his traveling clothes yet because he was definitely a bit soaked now that D’Að was gripping him and his ma in a hug. He pats them. “In fact, I was coming to say g’bye.”
Ash pulls his mates away from his son who is looking at his clothes in familial exasperation. They shake their heads at each other before hugging. “Good luck.”
“Thanks D’Ash.”
After changing, Gideon sets himself on his horse and begins the two day journey to University.
In University town
“Amber. You get back in here this instant!” Amber halts at the entrance of her home. The one she was determined to storm out of. It would ‘prove’ her lack of maturity but it wasn’t healthy to stay in this toxic environment. It is why she applied for university. It doesn’t matter that it is male dominant. It doesn’t matter that the studies for women are skewed and it’s harder for women to get into the ‘harsher’ academics because men are fearful the women can’t ‘keep up’. It had a dorm. And it was away from her mother.
She whips around, looking her mother in her red splotched face. “I am going to university. I will graduate. You will see that this isn’t some folly. I’m not some naïve little chit!”
The woman scoffs. “You’ll be back when you realize they aren’t just going to hand a woman a degree. And when you are, you’ll do what I tell you and marry Eric. It’s the best proposal you’re ever going to get. Doesn’t matter what you ‘feel’.” She uses airquotes as she sneers at me.
“I am going to my room to finish packing my bags and then in the morning I’ll call a taxi to the dorms. Good night mother.”
Amber arrives at the University. It had still taken an argument just to get out of the house. Her mother tried to make her ‘pay’ for the items she was taking to University. As if she were taxing her handmade clothing. Her mother was so damn stingy with money it was a wonder she’d even learned to make her own clothing! But old clothing from her mother and her own, or cloth that was going to be donated or thrown out because it was ‘worn’; as if two year old curtains were worn, had helped her learn to make them properly enough that no one ever knew they were homemade.
Eventually, her mother dropped the subject because Ardbert came over. Eric’s father. And her taxi arrived. Rather than going into the argument of why a woman shouldn’t go to university, she dipped. Absolutely booked it out of there and gave the taxi the address. She got a raised brow but nothing more from the driver.
Her dorm room is empty aside from two midsized beds, two small dressers and one closet. Her roommate still hasn’t arrived. She wonders who the woman is and hopes they can be friends. She sets up her side of the room, furthest from the door and then takes a tour of the university.
She takes a nap after figuring out the fastest routes to her classes. Classes that her mother says a woman doesn’t need to learn about. Classes that even the ‘councilor’ that was assigned to her discouraged her from taking.
“Those are mens classes, darling.” He had said. Emphasizing the endearment as if she’d given him permission to use it.
“It doesn’t say there is a gender specifics for this class when I signed up.”
“No. That would be illegal since women are citizens now.” The way he said citizens sounded like he wished we were still property. “But no women take those classes.”
“Then I guess I will be the first. If I want to own a business I better learn how to operate one.”
The man sighed heavily. Looking at me like I were a child throwing a tantrum and he’s being extremely indulgent. “It would just be easier if you would pay a man to take care of all of that. Instead of worrying your pretty head about things that are for men.”
She’d grit her teeth so hard, she’d feared they’d break. “Thank you for the consideration but I will still be taking the classes I chose.”
He shook his head and she snatched her hand away from him before he could take the liberty of touching her, “Sweetheart, you should really listen to me. I am your councilor and I only have your best wishes at heart.”
Best wishes my ass. “Yes, that is why I thanked you for being so… caring. Though, I’ll still be taking the classes. If that is all you wanted to discuss with me Sir, I’ll be on my way.” And she’d left without letting him continue. Muttering under her breath about sexist pigs who should damn well retire.
It is night and her roommate still has not arrived. As she falls asleep, she wonders how far away her roommate must live to be late. Tomorrow is the first day of school and it’s one of the most important when wanting to gain a good impression.
Gideon arrives at the stables late into the night but there is still a stable hand, who says he is the ‘night shift’. Providing his credentials as a student at the University and signing of a bunch of papers for legalities, the stable hand gives him a name card with his name, the stall number Fig was going to be placed in and their hours of operation. Everyone who owns a horse and brings them along must take care of the horse. They have to muck their own stalls, brush and feed their horses. The feed is provided by the university but the students are to care for their own.
Gideon is in full agreement of such an arrangement and does not mind that he has to come early in the morning to do just that. He is an early riser after all. “Awake ‘fore the sun.” His mother would say with a yawn.
Ach, but he is tired. Gideon walks to the dorms where he is greeted by a snarky and annoying male on duty who snickers, telling him to have a ‘good time’ in his rooms. He takes the step two at a time, forgetting how short the gait of a human was. Though, his mother was one it’s not like they have much built for humans specifically. Even in the village directly before the mountain. The houses are built with Orcs in mind. If a human ends up living there, then furniture is made to help better their lives.
At the door of his room, he double checks the key card that informed him he was indeed at the right place. He bites back a groan. Well, now he understood the cryptic comment. He can smell the woman on the other side of the door. He hadn’t forgotten that the dorms were co-ed but he hadn’t been expecting to gain a female roommate. Yes, there is limited housing but can he not share a room with a man?
Sighing, he vows to talk to someone in the morning. Tonight, he is too tired for anything, other than a good sleep.
No. There are no other rooms. No. He cannot share one with a man. This is the only available room for him. In fact, he’d asked to switch with another male maybe but they were not having it.
I let it go. D’Ash would tell me to. Rather not start this off with animosity. As the first, I am the example. I know this is a test. From the Sire. Ach. A test.
I take care of Fig’s stall and head to my first classes.
The chairs are tiny in comparison. One male thought it was funny and suggested I should sit on the floor. Wherein I suggested he could probably sit on my lap if I did. The material so far, seems easy. Professors, are annoyed. But they cannot do anything about it. Yet.
Ach, I know they will try.
At the end of my day, I head to the library. I breathe in the smell of the books around me. Joseph will be drooling with envy when I tell him of this place. I snicker.
The librarian glowers at me as though she’s thinking I’m going to eat the books. So, I sit in a seat well within eyesight of her. It will like to be beneficial to win her over.
When she clears her throat and points to the hours of operation I nod and put my books away in the bin for her to sort later. Nodding my goodbye I head to the stables.
There, I take Fig out for a hard evening ride before taking her back to the stables for a good cleaning and some well earned treats while I talk to the stable hand that was on duty last night. Vane is his name. He’s got three sisters and a single mom. When I commented on his friendliness, he’d laughed.
“Aye. My ma would’a whooped my ass if I’d’ve been rude. So’d my sis. My eldest sis is married to an Orc fr’m the south. She’d’ve whipped me 9 ways to Sunday if she’d found out. Not that ya’ll’re any diff’r’nt than humans. Have a ma, a da, an’ ‘stead o’ sisters ya got lots’a brothers.” He’d laughed as if he’d said a joke but I didn’t get it.
Long after the sun is down, I head to the bathrooms to wash off and then my rooms. But I pause at the doorway again. It’s odd coming to a room that is yours but doesn’t feel like yours. Especially when it really feels like a womans and you’re encroaching on her privacy. I scratch the back of my neck, my hair loose about my fingers from my shower. Shrugging, I enter the domain.
She is sleeping as she’d been last night. She must be an early sleeper. Another shrug and I crawl into the small bed. My feet nearly falling out of the damn thing. With even less room to roll over in. I sigh, laying with my back to the wall and my face to the door. Just in case.
It’s been a week and I’ve not met my roommate. In fact, I know she comes in every night but she’s so quiet, I don’t hear her. The only evidence I find of her arrival and disappearance, is her growing pile of laundry in a little whicker basket she seems to have brought from home. But I’m not nosy enough to touch her clothing. Just nosy enough to notice the growing pile.
Her bed is always neatly made and her books and utensils are all put in their proper place on her little dresser. She is a minimalist and I guess for someone who has to travel so far that she’s almost late on the first day of school, she has to be. The more you pack the worse the journey.
I know she is an early riser and goes to bed quite late but when she actually goes to bed and when she actually wakes up, Amber is unsure.
But today she is still asleep. I guess she has no morning classes?
She’s a big woman. With the darkest lushest black hair I’ve ever seen. I wonder if she’ll let me brai—I cover a giggle when I hear a slight snort and then a little louder snore. God, she sounds almost as bad as my mother! My mother can bring down a house and she laments that is why her last marriage fell apart. I think it’s just because she’s mean but who knows? My step father was very vain.
Leaving a note for her, I let her sleep and head to my class.
Dr. Hoffery’s class
I am one of the first to enter the room. Next to Chris a puppy like personality guy who is just a tad taller than me with dorky glasses that cover his baby blues and the biggest widest grin. I’m glad he decided to befriend me. It is extremely intimidating having no one on your side and men eyeing you like candy.
There are a handful of women here attending the college. Some are more bad ass than me. Some are easily intimidated and although they are ‘college women’ they are taking the ‘women recommended classes’. “How to care for a home”. “How to cook a meal”. “How to care for a husband”. Let me repeat. HOW TO CARE FOR A HUSBAND. Why would I want to take that class? If the husband I end up with rejects my education, tries to take over my business, resents the fact that I’m not a simpering idiot. I don’t want a husband. Let alone have to Care for a husband. What about my care??
But I’m ranting at deaf ears. Men do not care for women. And if they do. They’re guys like Chris. He couldn’t be more gay if he tried.
And then I see who is sitting next to Chris and I want to bash my head against the wall.
Eric. Eric is nice enough. His father is mostly pomp and Eric somehow turned out… decent. I think it’s because his mother mostly raised him and she was a ‘commoner’ as his father calls her. He’s already proposed and I’ve denied him. My mother is the one who keeps insisting I’m only playing coy.
Eric has baleful green eyes. Sandy brown hair that is cut close to his head because he says his father hates length. And skin the color of warm honey. I’ve also seen him without his damn shirt on and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. I just don’t want to marry him. Well, anyone right now. If ever; for the aforementioned reasons.
“Good morning, Miss Amber.” Eric smiles his most winning smile and I roll my eyes as he winks at me. If he wasn’t so bloody attractive I could have told him to go shove it. But everything about him is attractive.
“Morning Eric.” I look at Chris who is looking at Eric like he put the stars in the sky and smile indulgently at the lovesick guy. “Morning Chris.” His eyes meet mine and he too winks.
“Morning beautiful.” He’s probably the only man I’ll ever let call me that since I’m never getting married.
“Are you both prepared for that popquiz he hinted at our last class?” Both men look at me like I have two heads. “Oh no. You guys did study for it didn’t you?”
“He didn’t hint at that!” Chris is sweating. Because I see the realization dawning on his face as he thinks on our last class. He’d been too busy ogling Eric and we both know it. Groaning the guy starts yanking his books out of his bag, nearly smacking myself and Eric in the face so he can flip through his notes. All business.
Eric pulls his chair a little ways away from Chris because did I mention that Chris is the size of a behemoth? He might be just a little taller than me. But he’s nearly as broad as two of me with skin dusky and brown. You’d never believe the guy was a bottom.
Eric gestures for me to sit next to him. I sigh. No real reason to say no since Chris is sitting on the inside of the aisle and Eric is on his right.
“Father is trying to get you removed from the school.” Eric states matter of factly. I groan. His father is one of the biggest obstacles I have ever had to encounter aside from my mother.
“Assassins?”
“Costly.”
“Poison?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s immune to everything.”
“Well, I bet he can’t find a reason to get me expelled.”
Eric grins at me. “No. He can’t.” He winks and laughs. “It makes him so mad.” But then our teacher, the meanest man in the who faculty, enters the room. “Later.” I nod in agreement.
The Dr. Isn’t so bad. In the sense that he’s hardest on me because he wants me to succeed. Or at least, that’s what he’s said when he pulled me aside at the beginning of our first class.
“Miss Velcroft. I’m going to be brutally honest and say no one wants you in here. At all. They are going to want to beat you senseless and destroy every hope you’ve ever had. Especially because you’re majoring in business. Business isn’t for women. Or so most men would think. And yet, more than half the women who ‘co-own’ busnisses are the ones in charge of everything. The men are just the faces.
“But they won’t care. So I’m telling you this because I am going to push you harder than any of my other students because you will succeed if I have to break my and your back doing it. Understand?”
I’d nodded a very sincere and grateful yes sir. Because it really is hard trying to find allies in a university that hates you.
Eric takes me and Chris to lunch at a fancy-ish restaurant. He tells his father his lunch dates are so expensive because we stay so long we order more food just to hang out. Because you know, he’s supposed to be “wooing me”. But he knows I’m not interested right now if ever. I’m glad he respects my boundaries.
When that is over with I take the last two classes for the day before heading to the library. I find a quite nook away from everyone with a window facing nothing but an empty, of people, garden. It’s probably the horticulturists garden. Or the kitchens garden. Since there is a cafeteria here as well. You can either cook your own meals or be served one.
When I notice the waning light, I leave for my rooms. It is empty. But beneath my note is a reply. Giddy with excitement, I go to the bathroom for my nightly cleaning, change and head back to the room to go to bed. Yesss… Today was a great day. I can’t wait for tomorrow. Because tomorrow, I get to meet my roommate.
AMBER
Hello roommate, we haven’t met yet and I was hoping to rectify this. Would you like to meet in the library tomorrow? It is the weekend and there are no classes so I was hoping you’d have time to be a study buddy with me.
That would be grand. I sit in view of the librarian. She seems skittish of me. After I care for my horse, I will like be in there all day.
I chuckle. Shaking my head and holding my note close to me. I doubt it. She’s probably just wondering how a woman can be so big. But really, does it matter what the librarian thinks?
I enter the library, giddy with so much excitement. I can’t wait to add more friends to the little cluster I call my own. Especially a woman. It seems the women going after their education are a bit more tunnel visioned about friendships. They are so focused on their educations that they don’t make time for anything else. I understand it I just think they’re going about it wrong.
Inside it smells like home. A musky, inky, bookish smelling home. And I breath it in deeply enough that I hope it is ingrained in my very soul. I wave to the librarian and look around her view. There are four people in the room besides the two of us. One guy is dozing, reading. One guy is surrounded by material. A third is…is glaring.
I frown and follow his glowering gaze. Only to stifle a gasp of surprise. There sitting in view of the librarian, nearest a window overlooking a tree with a swing, is an orc.
He’s a veritable beast of a man. Large, broad build, with tusks bigger than my pinky, a nose that looks like it may have been broken a time or two, thick black hair braided to lay over his shoulder, a mossy green skin tone and eyes sharp but warm, looking at a book in front of him with a notebook open next to it. Where I realize with surprise he’s taking notes.
OH! He must be the student everyone was gabbing about the first few days. How an orc, they emphasized, had been accepted to college. I heard a few women giggle and blush. I saw some men looking murderous.
I’ve heard the stories. But truly, none of them know what the orcs are like unless they learn. And the laws wouldn’t have been changed to allow them citizenship. Let alone allow them to go to university and gain a higher education. It implies that they, like everyone else, get an education before that.
He looks fierce but that’s just because he’s so large and his presence is almost a proclamation. A harking. Shrugging I continue to look around. But I don’t see my roommate.
Sighing, I pick up some books that I need to use for study material, as per Dr. Hoffery’s instructions, and sit in view of the door. I will see her coming into the library when she arrives and call her over. I doubt there are many largely built women with black hair.
An image of the orc pops in my mind. But I shake it away. I have a female roommate. Not a male.
Hours. I wait hours. And she never arrives. I feel a biting sting in my eyes as I stand up and put my books away. I’ve never been stood up by a person before today and this bitter acid in my chest pinches my lips.
I just… why would they agree and never meet me?
Sighing, I begin trudging to the entrance. I wave goodbye to the librarian. She gives me a broad smile back before it falls and she squeaks, her gaze zeroed in behind me.