Chapter Three

The weekend came bright and sunny. With no classes and no assignments that needed Adam's attention, he decided that it was a good day for a walk. So that was how he and Jen spent their morning. A nice, quiet stroll through Trevelyan’s Tall Oak Park.

Tall Oak was a five-acre spot of greenery set smack in the middle of the Trevelyan campus. Somewhat elven in its design, its white brick footpaths winded around ancient trees and marble statues like pale serpents set into the soft, green grass. The park’s elven nature made it distinct from the rest of the college's human architecture. Distinct, but still beautiful. Just like Jennaka.

Though there were some people who only noticed the “distinct” half, judging from the occasional looks he and Jen received as they walked along the park's footpath. It was to be expected. There were few orcs enrolled as students at Trevelyan. And even fewer, apparently, who dated humans. Why else would the sight of Adam and Jen walking hand-in-hand draw so many odd looks?

Adam bristled under their looks and at the thought that he and his girlfriend were being silently judged. But he forced those negative thoughts to the back of his mind. Today was for him and Jennaka. Life was looking up for him and no scandalous looks could take that away.

“Did you tell your parents yet?” Jen asked him out of the blue. For a moment, her question didn't even register and Adam looked at her like she had spoken in the orcish tongue. Jen looked at him expectantly with her bright blue eyes, grinning. It was astonishing how gorgeous she was, with her cute little tusks, her vibrant green skin, and her fiery red hair. Her beauty almost kept Adam tongue-tied, but the human scholar eventually found his wits again.

“Well... These things are never simple, Jen.” Adam gave a small wince as the words left his lips. It felt like a lame excuse, especially after the similar issue he raised with Jen last night. He couldn't begrudge her for it. Especially after her exhausting “celebrations”. Adam slowed their pace so that they came to a stop in the shade of a great pale oak.

“Even if I'm not the firstborn, I'm still a noble.” Adam explained, squeezing Jen's hand in his. The she-orc squeezed back, still smiling. That made Adam feel a little better, even if his excuse was weak. “Being a noble comes with... expectations. My brother Royce was the rebellious one of the family and the craziest thing he ever did was bring home an elf girl.”

He looked deep into Jen's lovely eyes, hoping he'd made his point... And she broke into a fit of giggles. While he stood there feeling like a donkey, Jen punched him softly in the arm. Still laughing, she grabbed his hand in both of hers and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Adam,” She whispered, snickering. “I meant: did you tell your parents about your class exemption?”

“Oh.” The human lad pressed his lips into a thin line, feeling the heat of embarrassment spread across his cheeks. His ears felt like they were burning as well. “No, not yet.”

Jen snorted, pressing herself so close to him. She buried her face into his neck and Adam soon felt her lips on his skin. Gentle, flower petal kisses that soothed the awkwardness away... At least until Adam spotted a passerby giving the couple an odd look. Adam shot the guy a glare in turn and the stranger sped up his pace.

Jen capped off her affection with a quick kiss on Adam’s lips. Then she pulled back, humming softly. Her lips spread into a dazzling smile and her eyes glittered with good humor. And to Adam, it was more enchanting than any elven beauty.

“You're a goof sometimes, you know that?” She squeezed his hand, resting her chin on his shoulder. With her hot breath on his neck and her breasts pressing into his arm, Adam found that he had no will to deny her account. Her other hand rose up then and caught his chin. She made him meet her gaze. “I'm not worried about your parents, Adam.”

“You're not?” Adam sounded perhaps a bit too entranced.

“Do you love me?” It felt as if Jen was staring right into his soul.

Adam wasn't quite sure what point his girlfriend was making but the passion in her voice stirred something within him, deep in his belly. He could do nothing but answer truthfully.

“Yes.” He told her firmly, proudly. “Absolutely.”

That earned him a smile so sweet it sent his heart soaring. There was a spark of adoration in the she-orc’s eyes, a spark that Adam decided right then that he would do anything to keep alive. Jen gave a pleased sound... And another kiss to her boyfriend's neck.

“Then I'm not worried.” She said, her voice low and smoky. “I don't care if you're the fourth son or the fortieth, Adam. I took one look at you and I knew you were the one. I knew you were strong. Strong of mind, strong of spirit, strong of body. Mmm. Very strong of body.”

Jen had slipped her hand under his shirt then, shamelessly groping his abdomen. A brazen, bold move from the she-orc. But Adam had learned to love Jen's more daring shows of affection. Adam grabbed her arm and pushed her out from under his shirt, his eyes darting about to see if there were any witnesses.

"Stop." He told her, though he couldn't keep the smile from his face.

There was a mischievous glint in Jen's eyes then, one that promised more affectionate activities later. Smirking, she took Adam by the hand and led them out from under the pale oak, back towards the white brick pathway. When they were back on the footpath, she coiled her arm around his and pressed herself into his side like human and elven girlfriend's were like to do. Then her lips were near his ear again, her voice low and sweet like honey.

“When a strong man makes a decision, he doesn't need his parents' permission. That's the orc way.” Her words brought back the stirring deep in his body, in his blood and bones. She slowed them down on the path again, making them come to a stop before a tall, marble statue. It was one that Adam recognized.

It was Artos Trevelyan, one of the ancestors of the Stakari royal house as well as the college’s namesake. A beloved warrior king he had been, and there were monuments to his greatness all across Stakaria. Every Stakari schoolboy grew up learning about his greatness. Was Jen comparing Adam to him? And in a favorable light? Adam didn’t know how to feel about that.

“The orc way…” Jen mused, staring up at the marble giant. It towered over them at fifteen feet, and there were still those who said it captured only a fraction of Artos’ majesty. Jen squeezed Adam’s hand. “Sometimes it’s even been the human way. With your excellent grades in history class, I trust you know who this man was?”

“King Artos.” Adam answered with calm surety. “He ruled Stakaria five centuries ago.”

“Very good. And what is he famous for?” Jen had her eyes fixed firmly on Adam. Her gaze nearly had him blushing like a schoolboy with how focused it was. Adam had rarely been the object of so clear affection.

“He’s the king who was never defeated in battle. He turned back invasions from the dark elves, the exiled dwarves, and the orcish Black Clans. He’s the reason Stakaria exists as it does today.”

Jen gave a very pleased hum. She slipped away from his side then, slowly circling around to Adam’s back. She snaked her arms underneath his, embracing him from behind. Her breasts pressed into his back and he could feel her hot breath on the back of his neck. Adam’s heart began to race, but he did nothing to break her hold. The truth was, he was as addicted to Jen’s brazen affections as she was.

“Top marks.” She purred into his ear, her voice and her warm touch sending his manhood thrumming with hot blood. “But I’ve done some research of my own. King Artos didn’t always answer foreigners with sword and shield. He may have crushed the Black Clans, but he offered the orcs of the Green Clans safety within his borders. He allowed hundreds of weary orc refugees to start settlements in the northern wilds. My ancestors. King Artos even took an orc woman as a lover. Did you know that?”

Adam took a slow breath, feeling Jen’s hands roaming across his chest and stomach.

“I may have read a thing or two.” Adam admitted, his voice clipped.

Jen giggled then, so rich and musical it was that Adam felt a stirring in his groin. The handsy she-orc pressed her lips to his neck and it was a testament to the lad’s willpower that he didn’t drag her to the ground right then and there.

“The human king who had an elven queen and an orcish mistress.” Jen mused with teasing awe, a clear attempt at provoking her human plaything. And he was her plaything, absolutely. Adam has accepted that months back -  and happily so! But today, Adam was resolved to maintain his dignity as a man. Jen would need to try harder than stoking the fires of a kinky historical account.

“He was a lucky man, truly.” Adam remarked, his voice nice and even.

“He was a great man.” Jen urged, once more grasping Adam’s chest and belly. Her fingers traveled dangerously close to the waistline of his jeans. “A strong man who did what he wanted. Do you think he needed to ask anyone permission when he took an orc concubine?”

Adam frowned.

“I can’t imagine his queen wife was too pleased about it.”

“The queen’s displeasure would have mattered little.” Jen dismissed the long-dead elf woman with a wave of her hand.  She drew her arms away from Adam’s body, stepping between him and the Artos statue so that she could look into his eyes. Her playful, flirty expression was gone, replaced with focus and sincerity. “He was the king, Adam. Chieftain of all Stakaria. He was a strong man. The strongest.”

Adam blinked. He regarded Jen for a moment. Her steely expression remained. She was serious, he realized.

“You really believe that?” He asked her.

“You don’t?” She shot back.

Adam kept an even look. On the inside, however, he felt conflicted. From the very beginning of their relationship, Adam had possessed some fears that eventually her orcish views would clash with his human sensibilities. He knew that orcish clans often followed a “might makes right” approach to life. Adam himself never entirely agreed with that. Nor did he agree with the idea that one man should have absolute authority. But he did love Jenakka. And he certainly didn’t want to lose her over something like this.

Thankfully, Adam had gotten top marks as a mediator back in grade school.

“Well… Being powerful usually allows a man to do as he pleases.” Adam started, sparing a glance up at the stone visage of King Artos. Then he turned his eyes back on Jen. “But just because he can, doesn’t mean he should. A strong man chooses his own path, that’s true. But a strong man should also know when to show restraint. In war. In love. The strongest men are the ones who make wise decisions. They tend to last longer. That’s what my father taught me, at least.”

Jen gave Adam a long, quiet look. For a moment, he feared that he had offended her orcish sensibilities. But a biting retort never came. Instead, Jen’s face lit up, her lips spreading into a wide, radiant smile.

“Your father sounds like a wise man himself.” Jen told him, wrapping her arm around his once more. She led them away from King Artos, putting them back on the brick footpath. Now, Adam noticed, there was a spring in Jen’s step. She pressed herself close to his side as they walked, her touch gentle and warm. “No wonder you turned out like this.”

“Like what?” Adam inquired, smiling.

“Perfect.” Jenakka declared. She kissed him on the cheek again. Then planted another at the corner of his mouth. Then finally on his lips. Soft and sweet her embrace was, enough to make Adam’s head spin. Thankfully, when she pulled away, Adam still had enough wits about himself to speak.

“That’s… high praise.” He silently thanked the Allfather that he didn’t stutter then. It had taken all of grade school to kick that particular habit. He would be damned if it came back now.

“I speak of what I see. And I see that the House of Casterman breeds strong blood. Strong men.” Jen hummed, her hand once more slithering up under Adam’s shirt. Adam gave an anxious laugh, catching her by the wrist.

“I think I have to take you to meet my parents now.” Adam snorted, giving his handsy girlfriend a look of playful warning just as a jogger passed them by. “My father would just love to hear this.”

Jen looked upon Adam then with smoky, wanting eyes. It was the kind of look that melted hearts and hardened… another piece of anatomy.

The she-orc pursed her dark, full lips in a tiny, devious smirk.

“You have a dueling tournament coming up next week, yes?” She asked him after a brief pause.

“Yeah. Swordsmen coming in from Harkon Academy and some other schools. Why?”

Jen’s eyes glittered then. Suddenly, Adam so desperately wanted to be back in the privacy of his dorm room. Or her dorm room. Either bed would suit them just fine.

“If you win your bouts, we should take it as a sign. A good omen.” Jen stepped up close, near enough that her nose brushed against his. Her hot breath tingled on his lips. And suddenly Adam found that his girlfriend’s proposition was very, very compelling. Her next words poured from her lips, sweet like hot syrup. “If you emerge victorious, then you’ll take me to meet your family. Return home with two prizes in hand, and none will doubt that you’re strong enough to have me.”

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AN: A quick note to readers that Orc Harem will always be two chapters ahead on my Patreon.