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"Baldrich! You've always hated orcs without measure, and that can cloud your judgment. I will be alert, although I cannot doubt the purity of Lirieth, I have not seen any dark area," complained the prince.
"My mental sight is much sharper than yours, young man, and I have not spoken of any dark area, but of one that I have not been able to explore because your precious princess has not allowed me access and that can only be done by someone with an important mastery of magic and who wants to hide something. I warn you for your own good," Baldrich scolded him fondly.
"Sorry, Baldrich. I'll be careful…, I promise. Lirieth has already confessed to me that she is an excellent sorceress and has given me this amulet enchanted by her. She told me that she would protect me from the magic of the sombers and give me new strength when I needed it," said Syriel, trying to repress his enthusiasm to hide him from the elf, albeit without success.
"If I have been given/she has given (me) something like this, it can't be bad, can it?" said the prince in a reproachful tone.
"I'm telling you again, I didn't say she was bad, just be careful because she might hide something. However, I admit, I recognize that I gave you this gift, it shows at least that the orc princess doesn't wish you any harm," Baldrich conceded.
And among many hesitations and shyness, Syriel finally dared to ask:
"Have you seen if she… is… in love…as well?"
"Even if I had seen it, my dear prince," the elf interrupted his pupil amusedly, "I would never reveal such information about a lady. You'll have to find out for yourself, maybe it's in that hidden area."
Once kings and princes had been reunited with Baldrich, Baldrich communicated to them:
"Majesties, Highnesses, excuse my rude irruption on this day of celebration, but when I explain the reasons you will understand that the seriousness of the information, I carry justifies my boldness excessively". He looked at all the attendants, taking a fresh breath, to capture the full attention of his regal listeners. "By means of informants of my absolute confidence, it has come to my ears that the dark ones are preparing a very well-armed army. This army would still not represent much of a threat to the Alliance that has been agreed upon today. But I have also been informed that the sombers intend to undertake an expedition to the Badlands to recruit dragons or other creatures into their troops. If only they could recruit a few dragons, the dark ones would be a serious threat to all of Frienia. And while it is very difficult to control them, Nigriel and her daughter Elenir who has become a powerful sorceress and perhaps more perverse than her own father, might well be able to do so.
After a significant silence, Gulrath gestured:
"Well, we'll have to stop them and even take the lead in trying to recruit any ally that could help us."
And while it is very difficult to master them, Nigriel and her daughter Elenir, who has become a powerful sorceress and perhaps more perverse than her own father, might well be able to do so.
After a significant silence, Gulrath gestured:
“Well, we'll have to stop them and even take the lead in trying to recruit any ally that might be useful to us," proposed the Orc king with deep concern.
"A group of men should go along with a group of orcs to begin to show our alliance, I will command the group of humans," proposed Syriel with determination.
"And I will command the group of orcs," Lirieth said with enthusiasm and fierce assurance.
"You have no experience in battle, it will be very dangerous for you," denied Gulrath forcefully.
"I will rely on Syriel's experience. I may be necessary when it comes to mastering dragons, I think I know how to do it, but I hope to have Baldrich's teachings along the way, if he accepts me as a pupil…" proposed Lirieth.
"It would be an honor for me to exchange my humble knowledge with those of Her Highness regarding the domination of dragons," Baldrich pleased conceded. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to teach much, though I know a magician who could help us with that."
"Well, let's get going. If no one has a better plan, we will leave in three days, we will prepare an expedition of men and orcs and we will go to the Slanted Mountains of the dwarves to help us access the Badlands through the Peaks Pass," proposed Syriel. "Baldrich, where is this magician?"
"The White Magician calls himself, the last time I heard of him he was in Belvichu, almost halfway to the Slanted Mountains," replied the elf.
The plan to intercept the somber's expedition was outlined in a few minutes and accepted by all. In addition to recruiting creatures from the Badlands who might be useful for the upcoming battle against the dark ones more and more imminently, friendly relations between humans and orcs would also begin to develop.
Turgarok hated humans with an energy and a force he could hardly control. His father, King Gulrath's greatest general and best friend, with whom he had always encouraged the end of the war and the alliance with humans, had died at the hands of men. Some said that the arrow that killed him was thrown by the hand of Prince Syriel, and also in a treacherous and cowardly way: from behind and without any honor. Turgarok most wished to end the life of the human prince, in the event that he confessed to him that, in effect, he has been the one who ended the life of his father.
From a good height, he gazed at the tiny castle of Lorimar, which increased in size as the enormous hawk on which he was riding approached his destination, practically in a dive. The falcon, in spite of its colossal size, which would allow it to carry two enormous orcs on its back without any problems was capable of boarding a castle without anyone detecting it, since it could fly in absolute silence and avoid, with its extraordinary sense of smell, all the sentinels or any creature that could discover it.
Quick Beak, the lord of the hawks and mount of Turgarok, the lord of the birds came as close as possible to the castle to allow the rider to jump over a balcony while it followed the flight to hide until its master needed it again.
The orc wizard snuck into the balcony room unseen and advanced stealthily, his hand resting on the grip of his dagger, towards the bed.
But a voice behind him said:
"I've been smelling you for a while."
"For some reason you are the king of the orcs, my lord," answered the troubled Turgarok as he turned and melted in an effusive embrace with his sovereign.
Gulrath promised his best friend, Turgarok's father, that he would look after the boy as if he were his own son if he were ever missing, and so he did: he looked after and loved Turgarok as if it were his own blood.
Initially, Gulrath had desired his protégé to continue his father's military career by one day becoming his most valued general. But as a child he showed an innate ability for sorcery, especially when it came to the domination of beasts.
But now, turned Turgarok into the greatest orc sorcerer, as well as lord and dominator of all birds, he felt very proud and fortunate to have at his disposal his countless and fabulous powers, which made him commission extremely useful missions that no other orc would have been able to carry out even with the largest army.
"Turgarok, my son," Gulrath said to his adopted son, "we have crystallized an alliance with humans that will be sealed with the marriage of your sister Lirieth to Prince Syriel. I know you will not approve of this alliance; however, I hope that at my request and in memory of Gariath, your father, you will abide by it and defend it with the same honor that you have always shown. And believe me son, this alliance is convenient for us, since now the enemy is not the humans, but the dark ones, who threaten us all and what they want most would be to see us continue weakening in the useless war that we have just concluded with this agreement."
"My Lord, I will not deny my reluctance to this alliance, but if this is your will, you can be sure that I will give my life if necessary, to abide by and defend it," replied the wizard.
"I know that it will be so and that you will fulfill with honor the mission that I am going to entrust to you, making both me and the memory of your father proud of your actions," added the king.
"Your Majesty, before you entrust me with the mission, I wish to inform you that the sombers have sent a detachment commanded by Princess Elenir to recruit dragons from the Badlands to their cause," warned Turgarok.
"I know, my son, that's what it's all about. The new alliance has agreed to send an orc and human detachment commanded jointly by Prince Syriel and your sister for the same purpose. Your mission will be to follow them, protect them and help them in the sombers so that nothing happens to them and they achieve their purpose," requested Gulrath.
"Ungrateful and difficult mission you entrust to me, father, but if that is your will, as long as I have some life left, I will do everything necessary to enforce it," promised the orc wizard.
"Believe me, son, the day will come when you will understand the why of this covenant and of your sister's union with the human prince. I am convinced that he is a man of honor and is not worthy of being accused of ending your father's life behind his back and in a cowardly manner. Besides, everyone has been surprised by your sister and the prince showing an early and sincere affection for each other. And you know that your sister is as powerful a sorceress as you are and that she would have no affection for anyone mean and dishonorable. I am going to ask just one more thing of you: do not judge Syriel by the gossip, but by his actions, and if in the end the rumor is true that he murdered your father with dishonor, I will not be the one to oppose a deserved punishment for it," said the king.
"You know the affection that I profess to my sister and if she considers to Syriel worthy of her, so will I also consider until proven otherwise. If necessary, I will help and defend her with my own life if necessary, as you ask me," said the wizard.
"Son, I know you will. Go with my blessing and my best wishes that you may accomplish your task without setbacks and with complete success. Tomorrow we will return to Teberion. Send me messenger birds to keep me informed," concluded the monarch.
After dedicating a sincere bow to his adoptive father, Turgarok jumped off the balcony and fell on the back of his hawk's saddle. They walked away as quietly as they had come, cutting the wind at great speed.
Towards the Badlands
Frienia, year 1815 of the second era.
Three days after the signing of the alliance between men and orcs, a small army left Belquecia. The troop was formed by one hundred human warriors and as many orcs on foot, fifty human lancers and the same number of orcs on horseback, Baldrich and Bellamir, the orc generals Smolion and Gungaroth, Syriel and his first lieutenant Hans and Princess Lirieth as captain of the expedition.
During the first days of the march, although there were no serious altercations between men and orcs, both groups continued to look at each other with remarkable suspicion. To encourage a little harmony and companionship, on the third night of camping it occurred to Princess Lirieth that her two generals, Smolion and Gungaroth could play against Hans and Syriel in a dice game very popular among soldiers. Despite the fact that the two orc generals were not very good at living with humans, they obeyed their princess and were friendly with the two human leaders, even when they ended up losing.
Several initiatives of this nature, together with the continuous walks and shows of affection that the prince and the princess strived to constantly demonstrate, as well as the kindness that one and the other yielded, both to men and to orcs, caused the suspicions, and warriors or the two races began to interact with each other and establish frail links of friendship, or at least camaraderie.
The night before the arrival in Belvichu, men and orcs already interacted, played, drank, laughed and fought almost without distinction of race. Curiously, it was the orc generals who still showed the greatest hostility towards humans, although they were very careful not to transgress the princess's indications.
The next day they arrived safely in Belvichu, one of the oldest walled cities in Delfia and the most important in the kingdom after Belquecia.
In Belquecia the elves had always predominated, until the great elfic exodus that occurred several hundred years ago, after which it was the humans and some semielphied lineages that remained in the capital.
On the other hand, Belvichu had always been a fief of clear human predominance, but in continuous position of alliance and vassalage with Belquecia.
Lainos, the present Lord of Belvichu, received the princes and their entourage with respect and correctness, forcing himself to be friendly with the new allies and wishing the engaged couple happiness and long life. while entertaining everyone with a succulent feast.
During the two days that the princes stayed in Belvichu, they asked about the White Magician and the only thing they could make clear was that he had been gone to the Badlands for several months and who was never seen again.
The people of Belvichu shuddered and fled from the orcs when they saw them; on the contrary, the young couple of princes caused much expectation. In addition, in order to promote the coexistence with the new allies, they went out for a walk through the city, being followed with curiosity by the inhabitants and, especially by the children. The beauty of the orc princess and the happy relationship she manifested with the prince made the fearful citizens see them with eyes more favorable to the feared orcs.
As the princes passed through one of the poorest neighborhoods, they heard cries in a house accompanied by some heartbroken cries. Princess Lirieth became interested in what was going on and they told her that there was a very sick child, barely a year old, with high fevers and great coughs, who seemed about to die.
The princes entered the house of the wretched family and, faced with the fear and apprehension of the child's parents and relatives, saw how the princess approached to examine the baby. Then she placed her hand on the child's pale and almost meager face and uttered some strange words.
A few seconds later, it began to turn the child's face a healthy color while recovering an almost normal breathing rhythm. After the mother approached him and noticed that the fever had disappeared, that the child's slow and noisy breathing had become healthy and that, in addition, a shy smile was appearing on the child's countenance, she threw himself to the princess's knees crying with joy and thanking her for her miraculous intervention.
The princess lifted the mother and consoled her with a loving embrace, saying goodbye to the child with an affectionate kiss on the forehead.
Relatives and neighbors cheered the princess goodbye and the news of the miraculous healing spread through the city at enormous speed, getting humans to begin to feel sympathy and a sincere affection for the princess orc.
At the same time, several weeks' drive from Belvichu was Argoth Castle, the royal residence of the sombers, nestled in the walled city of Angorian, the main capital of the kingdom of Barvian. The city was located almost in the center of the kingdom, protected to the west by the Black Mountain Range, to the east by the wild Kabal Sea, to the south by the Arien Lake and to the north by the vast, almost desert Ardennes Valley.
Argoth Castle was built by the ancient Elves with white moleth rocks, considered the heaviest and most resistant material ever known. However, with the passage of time, it was not known whether by the mere age of the mineral or by the darkness of those who had already been working within its walls for many centuries, the rocks had blackened to such an extent that they had turned Argoth Castle into the most intense black construction known in all of Frienia.
Through one of the many long corridors of the castle, a haughty princess, drawing a malicious smile, moved forward with haste and determination.
Elenir came impetuously and triumphantly into the throne room presided over by her father and, after directing a theatrical bow to him informed with an air of sufficiency and satisfaction:
"Father, the fish has taken the bait. Just today, two hundred warriors, one hundred lancers, two orc generals, the prince, his lieutenant and our beloved princess, accompanied by the magician Baldrich, half of them are men and the other one half are orcs. They go to the Slanted Mountains to cross the Peaks Pass. Our reception committee is already on its way to give them the best of welcomes."
"Great, wonderful, now you can go and recruit dragons. And make sure the princes and Baldrich are captured alive. You are allowed to kill the rest of them," ordered Nigriel.
"As you command, father, so shall it be," accepted the dark princess, grinning pleased.
In the morning, a small army of about six hundred sombers, including warriors, settlers and necromancers, departed from Angorian for the massive Dragons' Mountain.
Leaving Belvichu, faced with the impossibility of finding the White Magician, Lirieth asked Baldrich to teach him everything he knew about dragons and how to dominate them. That's why every day they moved away from the expedition, prudently, to carry out the lessons.
Lirieth had reached an unusual level of sorcery in almost every facet, except in the domination of creatures, a path she had rarely explored, some of them out of mere curiosity with her brother Turgarok, who was a master of such an art.
When Baldrich noticed the princess's level of beast domination, he reproached her with propriety and respect:
"Excuse me, Your Highness, but I remember hearing you say that you thought you knew how to perform dragon domination and, from what I see, that's a long way from reality."
"You are right, Master Baldrich, it was a white lie to reassure my parents and not to oppose my accompanying my fiancé. I was hoping you could teach me all about it," the princess defended herself, smiling faintly.
"Unfortunately, my knowledge of creature domination reaches only médium species, at most, and of little intelligence. To subdue dragons, one must have an extraordinary knowledge and experience in this ability. I would not be a good teacher for such a task, yet I will begin your instruction with the little that I know, so that I will advance and make my way to the White Magician, if we ever come across him," replied the elf.
"I thank you. If it's all right with you, we'll start the classes right now," asked Lirieth.
In these classes Baldrich had the opportunity to get to know the impressive power of the princess as a sorceress and tried, unsuccessfully and repeatedly, to explore her mental area which he could not access, so insistently that one day the princess faced him.
"Master Baldrich, I thank you very much for the teachings that you offer me, although not to the point of allowing you to enter the area of my deepest secrets, which I do not allow to invade anyone," warned the princess correctly, but also firmly.
"Forgive my audacity, but I must carry out all the explorations I consider necessary to ensure the protection of my prince and an inaccessible area of his future wife does not guarantee me too much security," explained the elf, with a certain boldness.
"Would it be enough if, under a magic oath, I was to declare to you that my fiancé has nothing to fear from me?" the princess asked him.
"That would not allay all my concerns, for I have seen skillful sorcerers mock the truth with magical oaths, and as far as I have been able to observe Your Highness has attained a degree of mastery with magic capable of dealing with such arts," Baldrich declared.
"You don't approve of me, do you? You don't think me worthy of your prince? Because I'm from the orc race," said the princess in a reproachful tone.
"I admire and approve of you, and I consider you to be the worthiest of the suitors who have been shuffled to the present day. However, I also believe that you hide something, I don't know if good or bad, but you hide it and that worries me," replied the magician.
"Believe me or not, I give you my word that, in what is hidden, nothing bad awaits Syriel, my word will have to suffice for you," confessed Lirieth.
"Your words seem sincere, but I don't know whether because they are or because you make them look like," answered the magician.
"Then you will have to accept the shadow of that doubt as your companion," concluded the princess, aching and harshly.
Neither of the two said anything to Syriel about their differences, and despite them Lirieth and Baldrich continued with their lessons for the next few days, in which the princess succeeded in dominating several lizards and even a snake of respectable size, just on the day they began to glimpse the Slanted Mountains far away on the horizon.
A short distance away, but just at that very moment, Syriel scanned the surroundings with concern, as though he had a strange presence watching them from a distance, but he only saw a crow flying from a distant mound and, although he had no certainty, the prince sensed that the bird had something to do with the restlessness that gripped it. He watched the black bird until it was lost in the celestial immensity of the sky.
Looking towards the Slanted Mountains, he also felt a clear unease, as if he sensed that in Karbandur, the real city of dwarves in the Slanted Mountains, some unexpected surprise awaited them, and not exactly pleasant.
Turgarok glimpsed the sky, hoping to find a black spot that was growing little by little. His little friend would have to be back by now, it had left several hours ago and should not be long gone.
At last, he saw a tiny dot on the celestial horizon approaching at great speed.
Turgarok raised his arm, accepting into it a black raven from Karbandur. He received with clear signs of concern the information given to him by his feathery spy, which augured serious problems for princes in the dwarf kingdom.
A few minutes later, the raven moved away carrying a missive in the direction of Urkaroth.
During the following three days, the march of the alliance took place at a good pace and without major incidents. They left the White Mountains behind and began the last stretch of the journey to the dwarfs' main city: Karbandur.
Karbandur was the largest and most majestic of the numerous fortresses, carved under the rocks of the Slanted Mountains, which stretched for about two thousand kilometers. Dwarves carved the rock into the mountains and at various levels both up and down. Karbandur had more than twenty underground levels and as many above the surface, with thousands of ranches in each level that turned it into a real labyrinth for those who did not know it thoroughly. Torches were held by all the walls and from the very high ceilings hung large and numerous oil lamps that more than illuminated the ample stances gained from the rock. The walls were not only smooth, but also, along with the floor, the countless columns and even the ceilings were adorned with figures, statues, motifs of the dwarf culture and phrases and quotations in their complex, but at the same time beautiful writing, all sculpted on the rock of the mountain itself, although in the right measure, without being overloaded.
Karbandur was, undoubtedly, one of the wonders of all Frienia in terms of constructions. Anyone who contemplated it was amazed by the size, the labors and the architectural beauty that the singular city gave off on all sides.
Leaving the White Mountains behind, all that remained was to cross the Forge River Bridge, the end of which, on the other side would leave the small army almost at the very gates of the majestic dwarf city.
The dwarves’ hospitality
Frienia, year 1815 of the second era.
At dusk on the tenth day of the procession, when the squadron of men and orcs was approaching the gates of Karbandur, Ankar, the very king and lord of the dwarves, came out to meet them, with a substantial escort of armed warriors who tripled the number of new arrivals.
When Syriel and Lirieth stood right in front of Ankar, the King of the dwarves told them:
