Still frozen in shock and fear, a brutish Orc placed his large rough hands on my hips. He lifted me with ease from atop his Warg and threw me over his shoulder. "I can not accept this." I thought to myself. "How could he?" I could feel tears filling my eyes as we approached the great entryway into the mountains where the Northern Orruk Horde resides. "What had I done to displease him, to send me away to the Orcs."

My father, King of Blackwater Hold, just traded my life away as if I were just livestock. I didn't understand why. The Orcs large frame swayed as he trudged down the large corridor. Finally, he halted at a large wooden door identical to the others in the halls. He went inside and gently laid me atop a large bed lined with furs. It was not unheard of for young women from the human race to become part of the Orruk hordes.

There are no female Orcs, so Orcs need to breed with females of the human race to continue their line. However, it was taboo and unheard of for a King to trade off his daughter to them. Orcs care little about the status of females.

"If he yearned so badly to trade me off, would it not have been better to match me with nobleman to create an alliance." I felt anger with a mix of confusion begin to burn inside me.

He was enormous, yet his movements were swift and almost graceful. He had to be nearly seven-foot tall.

His voice rumbled from within him as if the earth itself quaked. "That'll be your bed-chamber, woman. Be quick and remove your garments." He demanded, his eyes never breaking contact with mine.

I continued to lock eyes with him, stunned by his request. His eyes were dark brown with hints of raw honey around his pupils as if they were caramel pools. He was much different than the illustrations in the history books fed to me by my Governess at home.

I quickly jerked back to reality, remembering I was staring at an absolute giant with a dazed expression. I could feel my body begin to tremble. Fear welled up from inside me as the color drained from my face. I choked as I opened my mouth to protest.

"Why does this beast ask me to remove my clothing? Only my lady's maids had ever looked upon my body." He studied me carefully as I struggled to breathe. I could feel my cheeks wanting to flush, but it was as if my blood refused to flow through my veins at the thought of him, this creature seeing me so bare.

Finally, he interjected and said, "Right, I forget. You dainty humans are... what do you call it; sensitive about showing your bits then, eh?" He smirked. "A servant girl will be in soon to draw your bath then."

He turned to walk out of the room. I could feel the solid, stone floor vibrating with each step under his massive figure. His muscles rippled in his back as he turned to look at me before exiting.

"Oh, one last thing, you're supper will be served soon."

I was still frozen in shock, perplexed by today's events. I felt like I was on the verge of cracking."I am going to lose it. I have to get out of here!"

I began to panic. I forced my eyes to move to scan the room, looking for anything that could be of use to me. Directly across from the bed stood an enormous unlit fireplace. There were no windows in the room. The only lights in the room glowed from two candlesticks mounted onto mortar and stone walls. My eyes dart back to the fireplace, still scanning desperately.

There's a rack of tools to tend to the fireplace. I force myself to spring up from the bed. My legs were wobbly and working against me from fear. I scramble to the fireplace and grab hold of the poker. I was instantly taken aback by its enormous size.

"Dear Gods," I muttered. "What do they use this thing for, Spearing Bears?"

I don't know much about breeding. I'll admit, I know nothing about intimacy other than it creates life. I continued to try and psych myself up. I try to gather the courage to do what needs to be done. I use all my force to yank the poker out of its contraption. I barely had enough strength to free it, causing my feet to stagger backward clumsily. The end of the heavy tool hit the ground. The loud metallic clank echoed off the stone walls.

My heart was pounding in my ears as my blood began to circulate again. I attempt to wield the poker, almost dragging it on the floor, even with all my effort.

"Am I really doing this? I'm really about to try and take on an Orc horde."

I shake my head, trying to clear my fearful thoughts. I turn toward the door and charge. As I am about to crash through the door, my foot catches on my dress, causing me to trip. My body flails through the door only to smack into something rock hard.

All I can hear at this point is the whooshing of my blood in my ears and the poker I was wielding clattering to the floor. In all the chaos, I barely noticed the two burly arms enveloping me, keeping me upright. For a moment, I freeze again to take in my current situation.

His arms hug me against the largest, bare chest I have ever seen. My blood ran cold. I slowly lift my eyes to meet his. The orc who foiled my plans of escape. My lips part in an attempt to breathe. His eyes lack feeling or remorse. They were an odd array of dark brown, green, and burnt umber. The heat of his body burrowing through me like a furnace, melting my bones.

What would he do to me?