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 Northern Orruk Horde's mountains. 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 Orc's large frame swayed as he trudged down the large corridor.

Finally, he halted at a large wooden door identical to the others in the hall. 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 a 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, I thought to myself.

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 muscular back rippled as he turned to look at me before exiting.

"Oh, one last thing, your 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 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 light glowed from two candlesticks mounted onto mortar and stone walls. My eyes darted back to the fireplace, still scanning desperately.

There sat a rack of tools to tend to the fireplace. I forced myself to spring up from the bed. My legs were wobbly and working against me from fear. I scramble to the fireplace to 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 psych myself up to gather the courage to do what needed to be done. I used all my force to yank the poker out of the holder it was stored in.

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 clunk echoed off the stone walls.

My heart was pounding in my ears as my blood began to circulate again. I attempted to wield the poker, almost dragging it on the floor, even with all my effort. Am I really doing this? Am I really about to try and take on an Orc horde?

I shook my head, trying to clear my fearful thoughts. I turned toward the door and charged. As I was about to crash through the door, my foot caught on my dress, causing me to trip. My body flailed 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 of the chaos, I barely noticed the two burly arms enveloping me, keeping me upright. For a moment, I froze to take in my current situation.

His arms hugged me against the largest, bare chest I had ever seen. My blood ran cold. I slowly lifted my eyes to meet him; his eyes lacked feeling or remorse. They were an odd array of dark brown, green, and burnt umber. The heat of his body burrowed through me like a furnace, melting my bones. My lips parted in an attempt to breathe.

What would he do to me?