Haley Thistle
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Rube the Orc
🕑 Added 2023-01-28 20:00:00 +0000 UTCFemale Reader (chronically ill) x Male Monster
Originally Posted: December 6th, 2017
You’ve been alone for a long time now. Your husband left for the war not long after you were married. He would appear every now and then and then disappear again. It was like getting a visit from a distant relative as the years went by. Eventually, the visits stopped and you were delivered the tale tell letter wrapped in black silk. You were saddened of course. Who wouldn’t be? Your husband was dead. But at the same time, guilt crept into your heart. You had stopped missing him a long time ago. With his death, you didn’t miss him at all and you felt horrible for feeling this way.
You were grateful though, your husband never left you for wanting. You didn’t have to lift a finger if you needed. Ever since you were young, you’ve always had health issues. Some days were good and some days were bad. You had learned to cope. You had friends who came and took care of you. You had even hired someone to help take care of the house. She said her name was Liddy. She always seemed to know when she was needed too. You suspected she was a fairy, but you had no basis for it aside from her odd habits.
You were having one of your good spells, which always happened during spring and lasted until the start of fall. You were tending to your garden when you heard a racket from the front of the house. You saw a man ride up on a horse. Both man and horse were massive beasts. As you watched, hidden by your rose bush, you saw the man was actually an Orc. Your eyes widened in terror as he dismounted his horse. He came towards your front door and you saw the trail of blood behind him on the cobblestone path.
He pounds on the door and you’re not sure what to do. Should you answer? Should you ignore? You knew you couldn’t hide in the garden forever waiting for him to go. He would see you or smell you eventually. The blood begins to pool under his feet at the front door so you decide you have to let him in.
He towers above you and for a moment you feel as if you’ve let your death inside. “Please,” you whisper, extending a tiny hand towards him. “If you’re injured, come in. Rest.”
He looks surprised by your words and tiny voice. He grunts and takes a step inside. He’s breathing heavy. Each breath is shallow and labored.
You lead him inside and he collapses, grasping onto you as he falls. You hold back your scream as you fall to your knees with him. “Fetch your father, child,” he growls.
“My father is no longer alive,” you reply. “And I am not a child.”
He laughs and coughs. His massive hands could wrap around your little arms twice. “Lady of the house then,” he breathes and looks into your eyes. “If I die here, you’re next.” He succumbs to his wounds and falls to the floor.
You sit there, terrified and worried. You don’t know what to do. That’s when Liddy appears. “What have you done, my lady?” She sighs as she steps over the orc.
“He’s injured,” you gasp.
“I saw,” Liddy grumbles as she kneels down beside the orc. “Go to your garden,” she replies. “Go fetch me things from the herb garden I planted you.”
“Like what?” You shudder.
She touches your face and smiles. “Don’t get excited too much,” she coaxes. “You’re doing so well. Fetch a sprig of each. I have a feeling I’ll need it all.”
You nod and dash to the garden. You do as told, plucking one of each from the herb garden she planted for you when she first arrived. When you go back into the house Liddy has the Orc flipped over and has removed his armor. She’s cleaning him, wiping away the blood. She’s located the wound and is studying it with a keen eye.
“Go and make some tea,” she tells you. “I’ll only be a moment.”
“Are you sure, Liddy?” You gasp.
“Positive, my lady,” she smiles up serenely at you. “Orcs aren’t as complicated as they try to make themselves seem.”
You nod and go to the kitchen. You start the kettle and sit down. You watch the steam rise and imagine what your husband would say. You don’t often think of him, but when you do it’s usually in situations like this. Well, you’ve never had a situation quite like this before. Considering your husband fought Orcs in the war, he wouldn’t be too happy.
After the kettle whistles, you fix the tea and go back out into the front room. Liddy is still patching the Orc up. The Orc looks better already. Color has returned to his face and he looks somewhat peaceful.
“What was it?” You ask as you kneel down beside her.
Liddy sighed and glared at you. “Why on earth did you let him in?”
You look down at the Orc’s face. Both his tusks are capped in gold. There’s a massive gold ring through his nose that looks like a door knocker. He has thick brows but is bald. You shake your head. “I saw the blood so I just thought-”
Liddy scoffs. “You’re far too soft, my lady.” She pets your hair and she takes a cup of tea. “We’ll see what happens when he wakes up.”
“You don’t have to stay,” you reply. “I can take care of him.”
Liddy laughs loudly. “Of course I don’t have to stay! You paid me to clean and tend to things. Not be a nursemaid to an Orc.” She then sighs. “But I will stay because I care for your safety.”
“If he wants to impede on my safety, then I don’t know if there is much you could do to assure it.” You turn and look up at. “So you don’t have to stay. I’d rather if someone got hurt it was just me.”
Liddy scowls. “Must you be this way?”
You smile and pat Liddy’s hand.
The Orc continues to slumber for a long time. You’ve covered him and kept a check on him. Liddy stays in the kitchen, her ear peeled for any noise that comes from the front room. As nightfalls Liddy makes you go to bed. But during the night you wake up. You slip from your room and downstairs. As you descend the stairs you see the Orc is sitting up. He’s looking for the repair job Liddy did. His head then turns and he locks eyes with you.
“The little lady,” he smirks.
You fidget, not sure what to do. Liddy is asleep upstairs, you wonder if she can hear.
“I’m surprised I even woke up,” the orc growls. “Not exactly in friendly territory.”
“Do you need anything?” The words slipped out. Years of polished poise and manners that your mother hammered into you came out. You were taught to be the perfect wife, the perfect hostess. Even when a man-eating Orc was in your home you couldn’t stop the instinct.
The orc laughs and shakes his head. “What the fuck are you?”
“What?” You ask. “Not who?” You walk closer to him. “I’m just a widow,” you answer him.
He looks you over and turns his head away. “Tell me, little lady,” he growls. “What made you a widow?”
“The war did,” you reply. “Was it the war that brought you bleeding to my doorstep?”
He scoffs. “It had a hand in it.” He looks at you again. Sitting he’s nearly at eye level with you. “Do you have any beer?”
You shake your head. “I can offer water, which is probably what you need right now anyway.”
He rolls his eyes and looks away. You go off to the kitchen and take the pitcher off the sink and deliver it to him. It should be enough for him, you think. He takes it and downs it, an unsatisfied look crossing his face.
“Nope, I’d much prefer the beer.” He sets down the empty pitcher and looks over you again. There’s something about his gaze. It’s as if he can see everything. Not just your body, but beyond it. As if he can read your posture and stance and tell exactly what you’re thinking. You feel like he could guess what you had for breakfast, how you brushed your hair, and how you sleep at night. His eyes are piercing and deep and you’re not sure if you like it or despise it. “Doesn’t look like your husband did his duty before he abandoned you.”
You put your hands on your belly and frown. “It wasn’t abandoning,” your argument is weak though. You had often called what your husband did before he died ‘abandoning’. “And it’s none of your business what duties my husband did or didn’t do. What do you know of a husband’s duties anyway?” You clutch your nightgown at your chest, pulling the fabric tight.
He laughs. “How about I show you what I know of duties to pay you back for saving my life?” He asks. “I’ll leave a pup in your belly and you won’t have to be a sad lonely widow.”
You frown at him. “Do you repay everyone that way?” You scoff and cross your arms tight over your chest.
His eyes do that thing again. He’s reading you, piercing through your shell and seeing something. Perhaps he sees something you don’t even know. “Only the pretty ones,” he replies with a grin.
Your cheeks begin to burn and you scoff. “I doubt you could do it anyways,” you try to fight back against his gaze and words. “In your condition, I doubt you could piss by yourself, let alone get it up.”
He laughs loudly and you fear Liddy will wake up. “You aren’t first appearances, little lady. I like that. I bet for you, I could get it up nice and high.”
“Careful!” You snap at him. You fidget in place again, unsure how to handle this. “You should have gone to the village over the border. They’re kind to Orcs.” You’ve heard stories about that village. The orcs take human mates in a strange ritual. You’ve never been, but you’ve heard that, for a place overrun by orcs and their half-breed children, it’s a beautiful and prosperous place.
“I would have died,” he grunts and holds onto his side. The color on his face pales a little.
“Does it hurt?” You ask.
“I was stabbed, of course, it fucking hurts,” he snaps. You take a few steps back and he sighs. “I’m fine,” he mutters quietly. “Go on back to bed,” he says. “I’ll stay here.”
You frown, wanting to just leave but you know it isn’t right. “There’s a room down the hall,” you reply as you walk back towards him. “You can rest there. It’s better than the floor.”
“I’ve mainly only known floors,” he growls as he tries to rise.
“If not for the bed then for the privacy,” you reply. “But the bed is big. It’s made for multiple guests.”
You reach out, touching him as he gets to his feet. You place your palm on his arm and you feel him tense up. He pulls away from you, looking down as he towers over you. A strange look crosses his eyes then he laughs.
“Your hands are way too small to provide any assistance to me,” he laughs. He’s hunched over, but if he stood his full height his head would nearly touch the ceiling. You take him to the spare room at the end of the hall. The bed is big, but you’re unsure if it will hold all of him.
He collapses onto the mattress and sighs. He rolls over and looks at you standing in the doorway. “Are you sure about this?”
“No,” you answer honestly. “I may regret it. I may not. We’ll see.” You close the door behind you and you see Liddy standing there. She holds a grim look on her face. “Don’t worry,” you whisper as you walk back towards the stairs.
“I know you’re kind,” Liddy starts, “but you shouldn’t be this naive.”
You stop at the stairs and turn back towards her. “I’m not concerned,” you answer. “I know what I’ve let inside me home and I don’t care.” You frown as you look away from her.
“What about your husband?” Liddy snaps.
You glare at her, clutching the front of your nightgown. “What about him?” You bark back.
The look that comes over Liddy’s face is one of shock and regret. You frown and her shoulders droop. “Forgive me,” she mutters.
“He’s dead. What’s gone is gone and what’s done is done,” you mutter. “This is what is done now.” You ascend the stairs and crawl back into bed. You don’t sleep. You lie there and stare out the window watching night turn into morning.
Liddy is making breakfast when you come down. She’s quiet, silent actually. You leave her to finish and you knock on the door to the orc’s room.
“What?” A low growl answers.
You open the door. “How do you feel?” You ask. “Were you able to rest?”
He sits up, looking you in the eye. “No good morning kiss?”
You roll your eyes. “I asked you how you felt,” you snip. “If you feel well enough to jest then perhaps you should go the way you came.”
“Ouch,” he growls. “I feel like shit,” he answers. “I just thought a kiss would be nice.”
“Kisses aren’t magic,” you grumble bitterly.
He tilts his head. “Too bad. I assumed yours would be.” His arm tightens around his side and you realize he must be in pain. Him talking and teasing is what he uses to distract himself.
“What’s your name?” You ask. “What should I call you?”
“Rube,” he answers. “You?”
“Little lady will suffice for now,” you sigh. “Why Rube?” You ask.
He smirks. “Old nickname. I earned it a long time ago. They thought they were being clever and cruel. I took it and made an armor for myself.”
“Shitty armor if you ask me,” you retort. “Didn’t stop whatever it was that nearly gutted you.”
He laughs. “Oh no, the armor did its job. You have a similar armor, can’t see it but I know it’s there.”
You frown and look at your feet then back at Rube. “I’ll bring you something to eat when it’s ready. You can stay put.”
Rube smirks at you. “You’re a peach, little lady. A true wonder.”
You go back to the kitchen, taking a plate Liddy has prepared.
“That’s for you,” she scolds. “Not for him.”
“I’ll never eat this much,” you answer. “He needs it more than I do.”
Liddy grips your hand. “He has a wound. You’re genuinely sick.”
You pull away from her. “I’m fine, Liddy. You don’t need to be so worried all the time. Let me do this.”
She frowns. “You’re lucky I made a lot,” she huffs. “Fine. Go feed the beast.” She shoos you out of the kitchen.
You go back to the bedroom and open the blinds. He grunts as the light hits his eyes. “What the fuck is that necessary?”
“The sunlight can be very healing,” you reply as you turn back to him. “Besides, you can’t just sulk in the dark all day like a bear in a cave.”
“Bears don’t sulk,” he laughs. “Trust me.” He looks at the tray and smirks. “For me?”
“Yes,” you sigh as you deliver it to his side. “I’m sure it isn’t enough for someone of your size. But it will have to suffice.”
He takes the tray of food you offer and captures your hand before you can pull it away.
“Please let go,” you huff but you don’t fight. His hand is so big. It swallows yours whole. His palm is rough and callused and there are more scars than you can count. It is also warm and you don’t mind his touch.
“Let me thank your kindness, little lady.” He dips down, pressing a kiss to your lip.
You slap him but he doesn’t stop. Instead, you find yourself leaning into it. His other hand touches your face and strokes your hair. You stand on tiptoe, pressing closer. You then rip away suddenly. You stare at him with wide frightened eyes and you dash from the room. You evade Liddy, not wanting her to see your face, and you run to the garden. You stand there, barefoot on the cool stones and dirt. You hold your face, still tasting Rube on your lips. It felt so good. Your body had grown warm and your knees had gone weak. You had lost your breath and apparently your mind!
You stand there, staring off into the horizon. It had been so long since you had been seen as a woman. You had never been kissed like that either. Your husband certainly never did. His kisses only served one purpose to him. You stare down at your hands and feet. Before now, your husband had been the only one to kiss you. You had never known another kiss. You weren’t sure if the kiss Rube gave was good or not. It certainly made you feel good. That doesn’t stop the guilt. No matter what you do you can’t assuage it. This doesn’t help either.
“My lady,” Liddy scolds from the door. “It’s chilly this morning! Get inside this instant.”
You wipe your face, hoping she mistook your rosy cheeks for being chilled rather than flustered. “In a second Liddy! I was just going to pick some more from your herbs just in case.”
“I’ll deal with that mess,” she huffs. “Come inside. You don’t even have shoes!”
You nod and look one last time to the horizon before you walk back inside.
