Heart of Aspira

Chapter 2 Pt. 2

“We will take some stew with bread and ale please.” The man ordered, knowing his companion would not be in the mood to deal with an angry-looking woman behind the counter.

“Of course, right away. Please have a seat and Arlen will bring it out to you.” The old man stated eyeing the woman in concern. He had heard the Trolls comment and knew how much words could hurt.

“Come on, let’s grab a table by the fire and just relax, OK?” The Dark Elf urged softly. Ever since their last run in with the Veiled Ones she had been quieter and edgy, almost hostile.

“Care to share?” Sirress asked while taking her cloak and hanging it on the chair before pushing it in for her.

“I’ve had the distinct feeling of being watched since we took out that last group. I feel like I should recognize what it is, but I just can’t put my finger on it. It has me a little on edge.” The woman mumbled. She hadn’t felt like this since one of her previous lives.

“I see, should I go and do a quick patrol?” The frost-haired man asked quietly.

“No, for now you should rest, if something does happen, we will handle it accordingly.” Heartfilia stated, looking into the flame, the feeling picking at her mind.

“Sorry for the wait, here’s your ale.” A man said, pulling her from her thoughts. Looking at the source, she was met with the sight of a nervous looking Elf. He kept looking at Sirress, who appeared to be getting annoyed.

“Can I help you with something?” The Dark Elf bit out. The other Elf flinched at his tone.

“Sorry it’s just that you’re a Dark Elf.” The young man muttered somewhat rudely.

“And you’re a Forest Elf, what’s your point?” The older male stated like he was bored. Even his distant cousins treated him like a demon.

“It’s just I’ve never seen one of your kind before, I was raised to believe you all lived underground in caves. I didn’t expect to see one of you out here.” The Elf stated, as though the other had no right to be above ground.

“Sirress is used to this, Dark Elves tend to get harassed a lot.” Heart explained, not noticing how the table of orcs seemed focused on them.

“Dark Elves have such horrible reputations, why would you want to travel with one?” Arlen asked, looking at her and clearly dismissing Sirress. The Dark Elf grit his teeth but said nothing.

“I don’t care about rumors created by small-minded fools. Sirress is a powerful ally and a loyal friend who can kill almost as well as I do. I travel with him because I enjoy his company and the fact that he isn’t afraid of me. So, why don’t you return to your other tasks and we will get our own food when it’s ready.” There was a dark look in her eyes that made the Elf take a step back.

“I don’t get it. You’re such a beautiful woman, why be with him?” Sirress snorted, drawing the Elf’s attention. It always came down to this.

“I don’t date Elves.” The woman stated calmly.

“Plus, I have other preferences as well. We are friends, there is nothing romantic about our relationship.” The Dark Elf explained, sweeping his hair over his shoulder.

“And just what is wrong with Elves?” Arlen demanded angrily, his face flushed red.

“Nothing, I’m just not sexually attracted to them. I like men with lots of muscle, you know, the kind of guy who will pick you up, throw you over their shoulder and walk away to have their wicked way with you. Elves are too lean and feminine for my liking. I’m more interested in Orcs and Dwarves, the strong and take-charge type.” The woman explained, not caring who was listening in at that point.

The Elf looked horrified while Sirress just nodded in agreement. Seeing their food get placed on the bar counter, the woman slowly got out of her chair to retrieve it, however before she could get any distance from her table, a large Orc rose from his seat and stopped her.

“Allow me.” His voice reminded her of her homeland; thunder and war. She had to crane her neck to look up at him, his height dwarfing her measly five foot one like it was nothing. He had deep green skin with bands of rich brown scattered over his form. His long hair was pulled into a thick braid, she wanted nothing more than to pull and his limbs were as thick as tree stumps.

“Thank you.” Heartfilia all but whispered, but she knew that he heard her from the slight twitch of his ear. Watching him nod once, she returned to her seat, knowing better than to reject a kind offer from an Orc, lest she insult him.

“He seems nice.” Sirress drawled before taking a sip of his drink. He had noticed the change in her posture immediately. The look she gave him only made him smirk and drink some more.

“That’s Xutag, leader of the Steelborn clan. He and his hunting party are regulars. The old man’s granddaughter, Judith, plans to wed him, so I wouldn’t even try if I were you.” Arlen stated smugly before another Elf came out of the kitchen.

“Arlen, would you stop talking and get back to the dishes, we have a full house.” The other male ordered before ducking back into the kitchen. Arlen didn’t look happy about being told what to do but slowly made his way to the kitchen complaining the whole time.

“Here you go.” Xutag stated while placing the food down for them. Just as she went to say thanks, Sirress interrupted.

“Strange I don’t see a courtship bead.” The Dark Elf chimed, causing the Orc to look confused and the hunter to consider smacking her head on the table.

“Sirress, not all courting couples have matching beads, or even one bead. It is rude to assume anything about someone’s culture.” The woman lectured softly.

“I’m sorry, but what are you two talking about? Why would I have a courtship bead?” Xutag asked, his rumbling tone making her smile softly. It reminded her of a lion or maybe a bear.

“That Elf, Arlen, mentioned that Judith planned to wed you, so I was looking for the bead she gave you. Oh, but maybe you don’t follow that tradition like Heart mentioned.” The Dark Elf mentioned with a smirk.

“I am not courting Judith nor she me. She has made no such claims whatsoever.” The large Orc looked almost insulted at the mere thought.

“You have our apologies, we didn’t mean to offend, did we Sirress?” The woman all but hissed, her partner simply nodded his head in agreement.

“You didn’t offend me, but I will have to talk to her about this. I wish you a good evening.” Xutag grumbled, his ears twitching slightly before he returned to his own table and began eating.

The woman was silent as her embarrassment settled in. It had been a long time since she had felt it and she prayed that her face was not as red as it felt. Turning her eyes to the tavern, she almost grimaced. While she knew that the closer to the mountains you lived the less money you had, she could not help but take note of how unkept everything was. Maisy would never let her tavern get dirty, she held too much pride in it. Yet the Trapp inn was old and worn, with broken furniture and holes in the walls from fights. There was even a musty smell that told her there may be a leak somewhere in the roof. Closing her eyes, she decided not to mention it aloud due to how kind the old man had been to them.

That night, as the duo got settled in to rest, their next leg of the journey planned and their gear ready to go the Dark Elf turned to look at the woman next to him. From the scars and black tattoos that littered her body telling a story he didn’t know yet to her jaded and somewhat bitter personality, everything about her screamed survivor and after their interesting dinner he couldn’t help but see her with a giant Orc. Of course, when he said that she threw her boot at him, making his laugh fill the night's air.

“What, I’m just saying you looked ready to climb him.” He tittered, enjoying the fierce blush that painted her cheeks.

“Oh, do shut up! I did not want to climb him; I was just admiring his build. In case you have not noticed, I happen to be quite small. Besides, I have more important things to worry about than some Orc I’ll probably never see again.” Heart muttered, looking over the faded map laid out on the floor.