fantasy
Marika
10
The Karesh clan of orcs was in a bit of aβ¦ reproductive crisis. Four generations had passed without a single female born among them. The clanβs ladies were now either human imports, enchanted refugees, or the occasional bewildered fae visitor who had wandered in and decided, βWhy not?β It was chaotic, but somehow, life went onβmostly because Zarnell, the clanβs most charming and outgoing warrior, had taken matters into his own hands.
And by βmatters,β we mean he had single-handedly ensured the Karesh lineage survived through an impressively indiscriminate series of dalliances across nearby human townships. Sixty children later, Zarnell could boast that the clanβs greenish blood ran wild, far and wideβ¦ though none of it helped the female shortage.
Enter Marika. Not one of Zarnellβs many, many, manyβ¦ okay, sixty-something childrenβbut his daughter. The first in four generations. Raised as a boy by her clever human mother to avoid the awkward attention of orcish βheir hunters,β Marika grew up swinging swords, scaling walls, and ignoring unsolicited suitors with the same effortless grace only a Karesh could manage. Now, grown and battle-ready, sheβs ready to claim her birthright: the clan that didnβt know it needed her.
There is, however, one tiny, barely noticeable hiccup. Being the first femaleβorc, half-orc, or otherwiseβin decades makes her something of a legendβ¦ and an extremely popular one. Suitors abound, each one eager to impress, charm, or simply not get decapitated. Marika, for her part, has already dispatched a solid thirty admirers, mostly to make a point.
In short, the Karesh clan might finally have its female heirβbut if she survives the attention long enough to sit on her rightful throne, sheβll have earned it with blood, sweat, and an impressively sharp blade. And maybe, just maybe, sheβll teach them all that being a womanβorc or otherwiseβisnβt about sitting pretty. Itβs about being utterly unstoppable.
humor
