Steel Heart

Borgakh was furiously hacking at her enemy using all of her strength, her face contorted with anger. The dummy unsurprisingly made no attempt to fight back and simply took the hits in silence.

Borgakh was tall and muscular for a woman, but just above average for an orc woman. The short mohawk she had made her look less feminine and the big Orcish armor hid all her curves but she still was an unconventional beauty. Borgakh didn't care about her looks at all, she cared about strength and power like Malouch taught her people. That is why she did everything in her power to be the perfect warrior, although her family often said she was taking it too far.

The she-orc then severed the "arm" of the dummy making the plank fall to the ground. Borgakh turned away from the dummy to catch her breath, and wiped the sweat away from her face. She was glad she could get some of the anger and frustration that had been plaguing her for several days out of her system. Still, she would not be happy until good news arrived. She would ask her grandmother, who was the wise woman of the tribe, daily about any news arriving in the stronghold. Satisfied with her training she grabbed her pack next to the dummy and started walking towards her grandmother Sharamp in the longhouse.

'Hello grandmother' Borgakh said softly as she sat down next to the old woman in the longhouse. Sharamp smiled sadly at her, knowing what her granddaughter was going to ask her. 'Still no chief has replied to us, even with no set dowry. There is still time, you are still young'

Borgakh took a whetstone from her pack and started sharpening her blade with more force then needed before saying 'I should not have punched the last chief, I know, but…'

At this the old lady started laughing 'You broke his nose and he just run off! He was a coward like a city orc, and would have been a terrible husband for you. I don't even know he managed to stay chief anyway…'

Borgakh stopped sharpening her blade and looked up. 'Even so, the rumors he spread through the strongholds about me being a violent nutcase that would rather be chief herself then answer to a man ruined any chances I had! They call me the Steel Heart! I will never find a chief to marry, and certainly not a marriage with love in it like mother has!' Borgakh had to take a deep breath after this outburst.

Sharamp wiggled her finger at her accusingly like one would do when correcting a small child: 'Your mother had to flee after her stronghold was torched to the ground and her family killed. Just because I took her in and she married my son ten years later does not mean she has had it easy in life. Do not be disrespectful! Also, your dedication to Malouch's teachings is fantastic, but there is more to being an orc then just raw power and fighting. You can't keep a stronghold going with just warriors! Also, shaving part of your hair could have waited until after you were married. Even orc men want a bit of feminine charm in their wives. And you could maybe work on your temper, but I doubt you will do that.' Borgakh opened her mouth to say something but closed it again after a few moments knowing her grandmother was right. Suddenly the sound of loud yelling could be heard from outside, and in a flash the young warrior was by the door, closely followed by the older woman.

When Borgakh came running out with her Orcish sword drawn the first thing she saw was chief Larak, her father, fighting with an outsider. With her weapon held above her head she stormed at the Nord ready to strike, until she saw her father's second wife watching the fight with interest, but not interfering in any way. The young she-orc stopped running and slowly came to a hold, lowering her sword while doing so. In her rush she hadn't realized her father and the Nord were only using their fists. Chief Larak was fond of brawling and betting because he always won, collecting some extra gold for the stronghold.

The Steel Heart was still puzzled, because his opponent wasn't an orc. Only bloodkin could enter a stronghold, even trade with outsiders was done outside of the stronghold, so how come he was allowed inside the stronghold? Borgakh's thoughts were interrupted when her father fell to the ground with a thud. The Nord removed his helmet and helped the chief of the ground with his free hand.

'You earned that gold, plus the gold for the trade' said Larak, clearly trying to contain his anger after losing. 'Please take a seat while and rest a bit after your journey. I'll have the gold ready when you leave'

The Nord nodded enthusiastically with a big smile on his face, and sat on the bench next to the longhouse. Borgakh waited until her father stomped inside the longhouse to collect the gold before quickly walking up to the mysterious Nord. 'Why are you inside our walls?' Borgakh asked lightly irritated with the trespassing Nord.

The Nord looked up at her and scratched his short black beard before slowly answering 'I was trading some dragon bones when the chief wanted to make a little bet' He smiled at the last part until he made eye contact with an even more irritated Borgakh, only then realizing his mistake. 'I was made bloodkin because I helped the Largashbur stronghold with a curse. Their chief was weak and so Malacath punished them by cursing them'

The Nord was then interrupted by Borgakh, who had suddenly gone from very irritated to very excited. 'Was it chief Yamarz? Was it him?' she asked him while sitting down on the bench next to him.

The Nord looked a bit uncomfortable with how close she was sitting next to him and backed up slowly further down the bench away from her. 'Yes, he was killed when he tried to force someone else to do his task for Malacath' the Nord answered carefully.

Borgakh was relieved! The weak chief that had rejected the marriage proposal and sullied her reputation was dead. And cursed by the patron of orcs for being weak! Borgakh then realized how weird she must have looked to the Nord, who was looking at her like she mad. 'I am sorry for the weird outburst, but Yamarz has made my life very hard recently' she explained. 'His death and the revelation of his weakness will make things better for me and the stronghold. Thank you, thank you very much'

The Nord nodded at her, before taking out a canteen out of his pack and drinking from it. Borgakh felt uncomfortable when he didn't say anything but kept silent herself, instead studying the strange man she knew almost nothing about. His dark brown hair wasn't long, but clearly hadn't been cut in a while. The same was true for his beard, although it was longer then the hair on his head. His armor was made from ebony, an expensive and sturdy material Borgakh knew. Still he had managed to collect a lot of dents and scratches on his journey, which made her wonder what kind of fights he had been in to ruin it that badly. A strange glowing black mace was tied to his waist, while his ebony shield was tucked away under the bench. Just as Borgakh was done seizing him up the Nord spoke again extending his hand 'I am Darren the Lucky, a thane from Whiterun'

Borgakh shook his hand, but instead of introducing herself like a normal person would she just blurted out 'Why do they call you lucky?'

The Nord looked at her with a raised eyebrow before calmly replying. 'People say I am lucky for having the weirdest and most dangerous adventures, but somehow surviving it all. I have to slay dragons daily, deal with Eadra and Deadra alike and find things. Especially finding things for some reason...'

Borgakh looked irritated again and was clearly not convinced. 'You slay dragons on a daily basis… Am I to believe that? I know you beat my father in a fistfight, but slaying dragons. I mean you can't be serious!'

Darren took his backpack again and started looking for something in it. Borgakh kept glaring at him while he did so. Suddenly he took out a big bloody tooth and showed it to her. 'This is from the dragon I slew on the way over here. I sold some of the scales to your father just moments ago'

Borgakh's mouth fell open in shock. She couldn't believe how strong Darren was in order to slay such a beast.

And who are you, and do you have a nickname? I told you mine' he said confident after showing his trophy off. 'Borgakh the Steel Heart. I am Larak's daughter. I just became of age and will be sent to marry an Orc chief in some distant stronghold. Until then, I train. My new home will need strength, and my new sisters will know I'm not weak when I arrive' A blush appeared on her face as she continued 'And how I got the nickname… I might have broken the nose of Yamarz when he came to negotiate the terms for marriage'

Darren started laughing uncontrollably and almost fell off the bench. 'You... You... punched… a suitor in the face!?' he said while gasping for air. 'And I thought I had poor people skills!' Darren now got a grip on himself and stopped laughing, but kept giggling while he wiped away some tears. 'By the gods woman, you are amazing! So did you find a husband yet that can handle your temper?'

'No. I can't just leave the stronghold to find a good husband that will appreciate my attitude. A chief's daughter marries who her chief wishes. It ensures the stronghold receives a fair trade in goods for my absence. They need the dowry. I used to look forward to the day when I was of age, to see new places and people, but now it feels like a cage' she answered. Borgakh froze at her own confession. Even though she was never good at keeping her mouth shut, she really shouldn't be telling an outsider all this. Darren was bloodkin, but this would still mean trouble for her. She couldn't help but think of all the speeches and beatings her father had given her in the hope that she would learn not to be reckless.

Borgakh had been lost in her own thoughts, until something small hit her armor by her stomach. She looked around wondering who had thrown something at her, before her gaze fell on Darren. He now was digging once again in his backpack while mumbling to himself. Borgakh couldn't help but smile at his earlier remark about his own people skills. She then remembered the item that had hit her, and tried to find it. A shining object was now at her feet, and had not been there before. As she picked it up she realized it was an amulet. Borgakh was shocked to find that it was an amulet of Mara, used to propose to someone. Her heart felt like it was ready to burst out of her chest. This strong Nord, that could slay dragons, was proposing to her? She was surprised because they didn't know each other that long, but she was thrilled. Sure he wasn't an orc chief, but he was an adventurer. And she could be there to protect him and explore the world while doing so!

Borgakh looked at Darren again, her mind still racing with thoughts of marriage. Darren apparently had just found what he was looking for in his backpack. 'Aha!' he exclaimed as he took out a big pouch, handing it to her. 'Now you don't have to worry about being shipped off to a stronghold just because they paid your dowry. It just isn't right for a woman with your attitude to be stuck in one place'

The Steel Heart met his eyes before turning her attention to the pouch she had been handed. The moment she opened it the bright glow of golden septims met her eyes. Her eyes kept going back and forth between the gold in the bag and Darren, who now had a confident smile on his face. 'You are not just strong but also wealthy? You have enough gold for the dowry, an amount that would normally take an entire stronghold to collect... I mean, this is way more than needed for the dowry.'

Darren shrugged his shoulders, before leaning forward to place his pack under the bench again. Just as he was coming up he was tackled to the ground by a near hysterical Borgakh. She was now screaming of joy and hugging him tightly while she kept kissing him on the cheek. Darren had gone completely rigid under her assault, as he tried to understand what was going on. He was about to push of the surprisingly strong orc woman when she jumped off him. 'I have to tell my family the news, and pack my stuff!' she yelled before kissing him on the forehead and barging into the longhouse with the amulet and pouch gold in her hands.

Darren just sat on the bench looking puzzled for several moments after the weird she-orc had left him alone. Then a big grin appeared on his face as he stood up. 'Just one normal day would be great. No crazy orcs needing help, no dragons coming back to life and certainly no gods playing games with me' he mumbled to himself. Darren grabbed his belongings and put on his ebony helmet as he began walking fast. He had wasted enough time here, and needed to get going quickly. The full moon was only several nights away and he wanted to change with the rest of the Circle. Darren did not like changing in the wild, because he feared he would hurt others when the animal side of him was in charge. He hated it to not be in control of himself. No, he thought, he needed to get to Whiterun as fast as possible. The idea never crossed his mind that maybe Borgakh the Steel Heart had misunderstood him. And certainly not the possibility that she and her family were under the impression she was now married to him. Darren did not even think of the gold payment the chief had promised him for the scales and the bet. He just untied his horse outside the stronghold, got on it and went to Whiterun to meet the companions.