Page 58 of Agnarr's Jarlin

“Then they have to leave,” Piper responded, much more seriously.

“But safely,” Billie added, “Just because they aren’t accepting of us doesn’t mean we want them dead. And it's clear they won’t make it to another tribe on their own.”

“Really?” Vott questioned, incredulous.

“Must you always be so bloodthirsty?” I responded, exasperated.

“Comes with the territory,” he said, giving me a grin that made him look almost boyish instead of a fearsome warrior.

I heard Piper and Billie giggling.

“Do not encourage him,” I rolled my eyes skyward.

Piper composed herself and sat up straight.

“Okay, let me summarize. Magna and his remaining followers will be allowed to return on a conditional basis. The conditions are as follows: no one can take a mate, human or orc, for one year. All of them must take a class on human customs and traditions. They must agree to all of the conditions right now. If in a year the elders and the jarl and jarlin do not feel they have met the conditions and shown that they are changed, they will safely be escorted to another tribe. Does this all sound agreeable?”

I looked around to see heads nodding again. “Shall we put it to an official vote?”

“Já, já,” numerous murmurs came from around the table.

“Okay, do we agree to let Magna and his supporters back into Fýrifírar if they agree to the conditions we provide them?”

All hands went up. Some were less enthusiastic than others, but all were up.

“What are your thoughts, Jarlin Astrid?” I asked.

“I think that Fýrifírar has a very bright future ahead of it with such a wise pair of leaders,” she responded, giving me and Piper an approving smile.

Piper’s face flushed, but she said nothing as she smiled back.

CHAPTER20

PIPER

It was moving day. Again. This time I was hoping the day would prove to be less eventful. It was only Agnarr and I. After the disaster of moving day for the human women, we had very carefully chosen the team who would assist with our own process. Moving had always been a stressful thing for me. Even transitioning back home from college each summer caused such an upset to my nervous system that I waited days to unpack. I would unpack in the middle of the night, with a soothing baking show on in the background, slowly working to settle from one home to another.

Agnarr and I realized we would ruin many surprises we had in store for each other if we oversaw the furniture being installed, so we delegated to Osif and Billie. I’d grown incredibly fond of the grumpy old carpenter. The smell of wood shavings and sawdust that filled my nose when I entered Osif’s workshop reminded me of my grandpa.

It had been a quiet week as the human women adjusted to their new space and the orkin males settled into their old rooms. Magna’s group gladly accepted our conditions, with some of the older ones trying to hide back tears as we said we would allow them to return to their homes. Agnarr and I had shifted our focus to our own home. We spent many days apart, planning for different parts of the house. Neither of us were very good at keeping secrets.

I saw the tree and stump he had felled on me become a dining table, a mantel, and a beautiful enormous bed under Osif’s skilled hands. Bram helped me pick out all our bedding and soft furnishings in the town center, guiding me to different merchants for everything needed to make a comfortable home. He even insisted on measuring me for a wardrobe. I’d had a few items made for me but I was basically living in the hand-me-downs that had been provided for all the women when we showed up. He insisted that as jarlin I should have a more expansive set of clothing options. I hoped that he’d listened to my request to keep it simple.

As I lay in bed, sifting through the events of the previous week, it took me longer than it should to realize Agnarr wasn’t in bed with me. The sun was still low in the sky; it was much too early for him to be awake, let alone up and about. I loved my orc, and I loved that neither of us were morning people—beings? Whatever.

“Agnarr?” I called out, thinking maybe he was in the washroom.

No response.

I sat up and looked around. There was only one room. It wasn’t like you could hide a giant lumbersnack. The fire crackled merrily, which meant Agnarr had added wood before he disappeared, and hadn’t been gone long.

I sighed my displeasure that he had left without waking me.

I had grown used to waking up to find us tangled in each other.

I pulled back the covers and headed to our small shared dresser, growing oddly nostalgic that this would be our last night in his room together. Sure, I hadn’t been here long, but it was technically the first place we lived together—unless a cave for the night counted.

I pulled on my borrowed leggings and a clean, but worn, tunic. I was glad I’d had boots made. It was so cold, having ones that fit correctly was important. I was just pulling my hair into a messy bun in the washroom when I heard the door open.

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