His New Orc Stepsisters (Prologue Excerpt - How I Met Your (Orc) Stepfather)

Maribel felt as though she had hit rock bottom as the rain pelted down on her. She knelt down in the mud, trying in vain to get her wagon wheel fixed after it had come loose. At the front of her wagon, her two mares whinnied and stamped their hooves, clearly just as frustrated as she was to be stuck in the middle of this deluge of rain.

After about the tenth time trying, she was about ready to give up on the wheel. The wagon was simply too entrenched in the mud, and she did not have the strength or leverage to get the wheel on herself. Her only recourse at this point would be to cut the wagon loose and return home with her horses. She would make it home, but she would lose her wares and her enterprise would suffer as a result.

What would William think if he could see her now?

“Do you need a hand?”

Maribel spun around, grabbing her lantern. “Who’s there?!” The blond-haired woman could not see who had approached her in the darkness and the rain. Her hand instinctively went to her belt for her dagger that she kept for her own protection.

A burly hooded figure that towered over her stepped forward, putting his hands up non-threateningly. “I mean you no harm, human.”

Human?

Her question was answered a moment later as the hooded figure stepped closer to her, his face now illuminated by her lantern. A very green face.

An orc.

Maribel felt a brief tinge of fear, taking a step back. Did this orc intend to rob her or worse? Even though the last war with the orcs had ended decades ago and many orcs had now integrated into human society, she had still rarely dealt with them. She had been told by many of her peers in the village that orcs were an untrustworthy people prone to violence.

Still, she tried to keep an open mind. That had been William’s disposition, and tried to abide by it herself. It would not be fair to prejudge a moment of any race nor to put any stock in mere hearsay. And if this particular orc had intended to cause her harm, he would have done it while her back was turned rather than announcing his presence, surely.

“Do you need help with your wagon?” he repeated again.

Looking at the orc now that she could get a better glimpse of him, he looked older than her by at least a decade if not more, if she had to guess. He had a grizzled, weathered face and small tusks that poked out from his lips.

Seeing little choice but to accept his help, she nodded. “I…yes…I could use the help. Thank you, sir.”

To her surprise he smiled and nodded, setting down the pack that he had been shouldering, not even seeming to care that his belongings were partially settled into the mud. She moved aside for him and lumbered to the back of the wagon.

“I will lift, and you will push, yes?” he asked.

She looked at him with confusion. “Lift? Surely you cannot lift the whole w-

Before she could finish, he was lifting the wagon half a foot off the muddy ground, his green muscles straining. “Push!” He urgently groaned, his voice straining from the labor of lifting her wagon.

Snapping to attention, she quickly returned to the wheel, using her whole meager body weight to push the wheel back into place. After three pushes, the wooden wheel was securely back in place once again, and the orc set the wagon back down again.

Wiping his hands, the orc returned to the side of the wagon and experimentally banged on the wheel to make sure it was secure. Satisfied, he nodded, turning to her.

She smiled and bowed graciously. “That was very kind of you, sir. You have no idea how long I’ve been trying to fix that. I must look quite the pitiable sight to someone as strong as you, no?” She said with a sad laugh.

He shook his head. “You don’t look pitiable. We all need help sometimes. Even orcs.”

She was surprised by such simple but earnest wisdom from an orc. This was the second surprise he had given her. She smiled from his bolstering of her.

“But…there is danger in these woods, human. And even most orcs out here are a threat. Why are you out here alone?”

Her shoulders sagged and felt herself drawn into the familiar well of despair once more. “I…used to travel with my husband. But he. He…”

She could not stop a single tear from sliding down her cheek. The wound of losing her William was still relatively fresh, and she was still quite prone to shedding tears for him. She knew it was ridiculous, letting her succumb to waterworks in front of a stranger, and an orc no less.

The orc removed his hood, and for the first time she could get a good look at his face. He had dark hair and a beard that was surprisingly well-groomed. Despite his gruff features, there was a sincerity and a sadness in his sea blue eyes.

He slowly reached out a calloused green hand, his finger catching her tear and dabbing it away. Her heart pounded in her chest and her eyes met his, as something sparked between them.

“I know your pain all too well, and share it,” he said softly.

She was taken aback by his display of vulnerability, and she began to question what he meant. Had he lost someone close to him and grieved as she did?

Thankfully, just as her nerves were getting the better of her, the orc male made a motion with his head, directing her attention to her restless horses. Sure enough, they were getting agitated from the clapping of thunder from the storm looming over them. “We should take shelter.”

Maribel quickly nodded vigorously, climbing back up into her wagon. “Yes…you’re right. Do you…?”

He had already donned his hood and climbed up onto the wagon alongside her, taking hold of the reins. “I know of a place nearby. I will guide your horses.”

A part of her wondered why she had so readily allowed him to join her and take control of her wagon. Was she so lonely now after losing William that she would accept the companionship of any man, even an orc? Still, he had proven himself friendly by helping her. Perhaps she was naively putting too much trust in him and he still planned to lead her into some sort of trap, but for now she just wanted out of this storm too badly to care.

With a flick of the reins, her wagon was on the move again down the waterlogged road, no longer broken down in the mud thanks to the assistance of the most unlikely passerby. After some time, he pulled off the main dirt road and into the woods. Going off the path unnerved her a bit, but somehow she felt safe with a burly orc male with her. Most brigands hiding in the woods would surely think twice before accosting her with him accompanying her.

Her eyes lit up when she saw a cave up ahead, with signs of an abandoned camp just past the entrance of it. As they drew closer, she could see various markings at the cave entrance that signified the hideout as being orcish. She turned to him, her green eyes looking up at him questioningly.

“An old orcish smugglers’ den,” he answered for her, setting aside the reins. He had pulled the wagon partially inside the cave so that Maribel’s horses had shelter and would not continue to get pelted with rain. “I’ve made use of it in the past.”