“There, all clean.”

Aleia opened her eyes to a young orc woman named Bunshida, the village healer. Bunshida had been summoned to aid in the reviving of Aleia after she had face planted into her own vomit. Bunshida had just finished cleaning up her face with a soft rag full of warm herbal water.

“How are you feeling now, dear?” Bunshida asked, patting Aleia’s face with a cooling cream.

“Better now, thank you.” Aleia said.

“Might have to get that robe from you, you’ve got a bile stain right across the left side here” Bunshida said, tugging on Aleia’s hood.

“It’s alright” Aleia shook her head, pulling the damp hood closer around her face, trying to mask her disgust of the vile smell permeating from it.

Bunshida nooded as she wrung the rag into a bucket of water, “You can change here. I’ll grab you a set of robes for you to wear in the meantime.” she smiled, having seemed to ignore Aleia’s refusal of help.

Before she could deny the help once again, Bunshida stood from the chair and disappeared from the mud hut before returning several minutes later with an armful of robes.

“I’ve got three colors; White, blue and yellow. Please choose what you like. I hope these will fit.”

She plopped the clothes onto the chair and turned to leave.

“Just leave yours on the chair there, will you?” Bunshida asked, and, without waiting for a reply, exited the hut.

Aleia stared at the robes that dangled from the chair in front of her, wondering if she could just fix her hair in a way that would cover... no, it’s too risky. If they saw, they’d surely question her, wouldn’t they?

Aleia groaned at her own lack of self preservation in the last several hours; She had been careless about it all. She should know better.

She sighed, and, after getting another whiff of the vomit on her hood, leaned over and grabbed a robe from the chair, spreading it out before her. It was a beautiful blue with a black trim. A lovely swirling pattern was sewn within the fabric, deep blue in color and just barely visible against the slightly lighter colored fabric.

Turning the robe over, she saw a hood sagging in the back.

‘It will be loose’ she thought to herself, ‘easier for wind to push it away.’

Aleia reached into her satchel, and, after a few moments of digging around its contents, retrieved four long, black hairpins along with the flask. Quickly, she twisted the cap off and peered inside.

“Ghillie, are you alright?”

A spark of green light filled the darkness of the flask for a second before fading away.

“Won’t be too much longer, I promise.” Aleia said, replacing the cap and placing the flask back into her satchel.

She then stood, placing the pins into her mouth and unbuttoned her robe, tossing it on the chair behind her. Then, she pulled her long, silky jet-black hair forward, pinning it against the sides of her face with two of the hairpins.

‘This should help. Just temporarily, until my robes are washed.’

She quickly buttoned up the new robe closed around her, and quickly found herself enjoying its silky softness against her skin. It fit loose, but would make do. She pulled the large hood over her head, and, using the last of the pins, secured the hood to her hair.

She shook her head at how ridiculous it must look, but decided that looking ridiculous was better than the alternative. She could no longer take the risk. After taking a moment to make sure she was presentable, she inhaled deeply and swung the door open. It was now dusk, and the orcs were lighting torches near the pathways and huts. Bunshida’s residence was merely 10 feet away from the village center facing the opposite direction, where Aleia could hear lively chatter and music. A feast was beginning.

“Honored guest...”

Aleia looked over and saw Kog’lik standing on the dimly lit path, most likely heading to the feast himself. His voice was much softer, careful not to startle her.

“Kog’lik” Aleia began, bowing before him “I want to apologize for my earlier behavior.”

Kog’lik shook his head. “No need. Sometimes I get a little carried away.”

“You were still unwell, I should have been more considerate. It’s just that-” He paused, thinking of what he should say next.

“Well, Aleia, would you like to accompany me to the feast?” he said.

Aleia stared at him, wondering what it was he really wanted to say. Now wasn’t the time, though, so she gave him a small smile.

“Actually, I would love to have the chance to speak to Chief Valhiki. Is he at the feast?”

Kog’lik shook his head, looking around uneasily

“Father is currently enjoying his time on the beach, I don’t think he’d want to be interrupted...”

“But, I’m sure since you are our honored guest, he wouldn’t mind.” Kog’lik smiled and stepped off of the path, pointing in the direction he had just come from.

“Take this path all the way down to our southern gate. Mogshi is there and will open it for you. Turn right and follow the wall down to the shore. Father should be there.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Aleia smiled.

“Thank you, Kog’lik.”

He nodded happily.

“When you’re finished, please come join us at the grand feast. I’ll be saving you a plate.”

“I’d be delighted” Aleia replied, stepping onto the path “See you soon, Kog’lik.”

As she approached the gate, she noticed an orc that had fallen asleep against it, with a lit torch tipping in his hand.

“Excuse me.” Aleia said, but the orc did not react. Crouching beside him, she noticed three large, empty mugs, one of which had fallen over, spilling a strongly scented liquid onto the orcs’ beige pants.

“Excuse me, Mogshi?” Aleia said louder. The orc suddenly awakened, eyes wide as he frantically adjusted his torch and struggled to stand.

“Mog hiccup Mog hiccup Shiii” he said, “that’s me.”

“May I exit the gate, please?” Aleia asked, “I’d like to speak with Chief Valhiki.”

Silently, Mogshi stared blankly at Aleia, occasionally shaking with small, drunken hiccups. His left eye slowly began to close, while the right one stayed as it was; wide like a frightened deer.

“I, um...” Aleia hesitated, wondering if he had heard her at all, “I.. I would like to leave, so I can speak to Chief-“

“Chief will not hiccup be seeing hiccup anyone!” Mogshi said, “I won’t hiccup let you hiccup through!”

Still feeling weak from earlier, and not wanting another fight, she began to turn away, though the empty mugs once again caught her attention, giving her an idea.

“What is that?” She asked, pointing to them.

Mogshi looked down and a panic washed over him.

“It’s not hiccup gluknuk hiccup if that’s hiccup what you’re accusing!”

Aleia nodded as she listened, crossing her hands behind her back. “Gluknuk?”

Mogshi began to look uncomfortable as he tried desperately to swallow back his relentless hiccuping to hide the fact that he had been drinking on guard duty, something Aleia knew was not a smart thing to do.

“It’s not hiccup by any means hiccup beer.”

He smiled, thinking he had just saved himself from being caught red handed.

Aleia walked closer to Mogshi, wiping the smile from his face as he looked around nervously.

“Mogshi, let’s make a deal. You let me through, and I won’t mention to Chief Valhiki that you’ve been drinking on duty. What do you say?”

It was short and sweet, and, hopefully, not too threatening.

“I am the honored guest, anyway.”

Mogshi thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“Ah, fine. hiccup. Just go. hiccup.”

He pushed the gate open and signaled her to leave.

“Thank you very much.” Aleia said stepping out, “Enjoy your night, Mogshi.”

“You too hiccup Ms. Honored hiccup Guest.”

As the gate shut tight behind her, she noticed a wide path leading straight ahead that ended at a giant round hut. On either side of the path were stations Aleia assumed were those Chief Valhiki had mentioned before; workspaces that would not fit within the walls. He had not mentioned, however, the large hut that stood quite far beyond the walls. Aleia found herself wanting to investigate further, but knew it wasn’t the time. The sun was quickly setting, and she wanted to speak to Chief Valhiki before the light faded.

Following Kog’lik’s directions, It didn’t take long for her to spot a solitary figure sitting in the sand near the waters edge.

As she made her way over to him, she couldn’t help but observe the beauty around her; The sand glimmered like thousands of miniscule crystals beneath her feet. Seagulls peacefully glided above her, riding each breeze like ocean waves. The marram grass that sat scattered atop the sand dunes swayed rhythmically, and finally, the ocean swell that brought with it gentle sounds that could lull the greatest insomniac to sleep.

It was beautiful. So beautiful, she hadn’t noticed that she had made it to Chief Valhiki at all, and in fact had been standing beside him for several minutes, taking in the scenery and all of its glory.

“Chief Valhiki, I apologize, I-“

Aleia looked down at the Chief, who, too, seemed mesmerized by the ocean. An ocean she would later learn was more dear to him than almost anything else in his world.

She sighed, wishing she hadn’t allowed herself to be so distracted. It seemed too often now since finding Eli’s journal several months ago, that she lost herself in her thoughts.

“Why don’t you sit with me?” His voice was gentle and welcoming, not at all angry or disturbed.

Without another word, she took a seat next to him in the sand.

“I came to you to ask forgiveness. I’ve stirred up your village quite a bit since my arrival.” Aleia’s voice was almost a whisper, as if, had her voice been louder, she would disrupt the calmness and peace of the beach.

Chief Valhiki smiled.

“You aren’t a problem, Aleia.”

His voice was almost as quiet as hers, but seemed...different. Unlike the Chief she had talked with earlier, who had a boisterous, kind voice. It was now so tired, so sad.

She had regretted coming to find him, as her real intention - to ask him if he knows about the blue flower in Eli’s journal - seemed so impolite.

“My son and I used to watch these sunsets every evening when he was young. I was ‘Papa’ back then...” His voice drifted off as if the waves that pulled from the shore took his voice with them.

A smile sat upon his face, as it usually had, but it was a smile that Chief Valhiki had pulled from events that occurred years prior, memories relived through his eyes that Aleia could not see.

“My son, Kog’lik...such a brave boy. Always wanted to protect us. His mother and I. The village.”

Something weighed heavy on Chief Valhiki’s heart, but Aleia sat silently, listening attentively.

“Then, Peilei died, and it broke his heart. A disease took her, and almost took me, too...”

He was speaking, but not to Aleia. His voice was meant for the ocean.

“Kog’lik doesn’t realize that the disease is always with me, weakening me...”

Aleia watched Chief Valhiki as his eyes scanned the horizon, as if he was looking for something.

“We let her go on a cold morning.” his voice was soft and somber. “When the ones you love die, the closest relatives will watch them find their way into the horizon, to eternal life.”

He paused, his eyes still scanning the horizon,

“I watched until I no longer could that day, and still, all these years later, I watch... Every day.”

Chief Valhiki lifts his hand and tosses a white and pink flower into the water, right before it rolls back out, taking the flower with it.

“Just in case, one day, I see her again.”

As the warm breeze turned cold and the stars twinkled in the sky, Aleia turned her attention to the loud, cheerful music coming from within the village. She smiled as she heard Kog’liks voice above all others.

“Gluknuk is the finest beer,

much better than the rest,

No better drink to drink, get drunk,

cause Gluknuk is the best!”

As Aleia chuckled softly at the song that Kog’lik refused to stop singing in his aggressively kind way, Valhiki carefully stood and shook the sand from his bottom.

“Aleia, how about we go and get us a plate of food? I’d also love to see you try our specialty beer. It’s not for the faint of heart, you know.”

Chief Valhiki’s eyes were full and bright. He seemed less distant now than he had been an hour earlier, though she could sense a sadness about him. Even still, when he reached his arm out for her, she gladly held onto it.

“Of course, thank you.”

As they walked toward the village wall, Valhiki leaned into Aleia, a warmness in his voice.

“Thank you for your company. I’d appreciate it again tomorrow, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Aleia smiled, and for the first time she understood why Master Eli had spent so much time writing about the beautiful Ora Tribe. Why specifically their pages in his writings were so worn and loved. These orcs were not the stereotypical bloodthirsty beasts people wanted them to be. They were kind, compassionate, and loving. Aleia knew at that moment that she was safe, and that for the first time, at least for awhile, she could allow herself a moment to enjoy where she was at.

“Why, of course not, Chief.” Aleia replied, listening to Kog’lik scream out his thirtieth round of song,

“I wouldn’t mind at all.”