( This is a very long prolog to an Rp character I play, Hope anyone reading this enjoys it )

Firelight beginning

It had been fucking stupid to come here. Oh in hind sight the promise of more than three weeks pay for a job that any hairless boy with a blunt stick could do looked shady but when you're starving in a shit hole of a town looking for work you can't be picky. Brennan took another swig of the wine bottle he carried with him , if he was going to die at least he'd be well watered the night before. The fat bastard who gave him the job said it was simple , do some guard work on a small fort for a few days and get paid a fortune , of course he neglected to tell any of them that his boss another fat bastard was a merchant who owed debts to most of the other merchants in the Empire , and had holed himself up in said fort to avoid them. Unlucky for him he'd picked the fort right in the path of one of the largest raider bands in the country.

Brennan knew things where fucked when the orcs showed up, they strode in and basically said they'd be helping us kill the raiders whether we liked it or not, we tried not to complain. Hey we where just happy to have some help to keep us alive for a few more days. The merchant kept harping on about reinforcements coming, no one believed him not even the orcs. Earlier that day the raiders had surrounded the fort, by tomorrow they'd charge and break the doors down and kill them. Sohis fellow mercenaries had decided to spend their last night on earth in the most introspective and meaning full way possible.

Most of them where drunk by this point , the few that where quick had already managed to get their way with the sobbing maid looking for anyone with a semi hard shoulder and lose trousers to comfort them. Those who hadn't been so lucky where now in the one of the many verses of " I shagged the Sergeants daughter " and very very drunk.

Brennan himself wasn't in the mood for it, drink never made him bawdy or loud, it made him depressed and quiet. He wouldn't normally touch the stuff but he thought what the hell If I die tomorrow what does it matter. Part of him was regretting it , he slowly climbed the stairs of the fort to the small battlements it had to offer. He glanced over at the Orcs, they had segregated themselves to a corner of the fort, they where singing their strange grunting songs an drinking their own foul ale's. He'd gotten a sniff of one bottle,, his eye's hadn't stopped watering for the rest of the day.

He had no idea why in the gods names they had came here, they didn't talk much and when they did it was to each other in orcish. Their leader mention something about paying back a debt to the merchant. He'd let them stay if only to increase their chances. Brennan leaned slightly on the stone battlements staring into the dark , in the darkness, he could make out pin pricks of light that he knew where the fires of the enemy camp. Tomorrow they'd be running down that field and trying to tear them to shreds. This is how he died huh, with a hangover and killed by bandits for a fat merchant who picked the cheapest hiding place he could find, hardly noble , then again the life of a common garden mercenary was about as noble as a pile of shit. He was about to take another swig of his wine and hopefully pass out and await his death in sleepless drunkenness. " " Come for solitude too"

He turned around to see a strong figure sitting by the fire , he recognised her instantly as the flames reflected light onto her face. She was the orc leader. He had always thought Orcs where giant hulking things with huge tusks and who could only talk in one word sentences. He had also never even considered there would be female ones. She was tall, taller than he was by nearly a foot and a half. She was well muscled and carried the stance of a well travelled warrior. Her shoulder length black hair was braided and decorated with Orcish charm. He never catched her name, something awe full he suspected.

" My men are trying to get as much joy as they can from this terrible night, Unfortunately they are not able to die defending their homes and families, it's not an worthy death for them" Her common tongue was surprisingly fluent and clear

" My comrades don't have the problem, you don't get into my line of work with ties , it's not prudent" Brennan said sitting down beside her.

" I disagree, having something to fight for makes you fight all the more fiercer in order to protect that thing from harm " She responded keeping the fire going

" Your people think differently than us it seems" He said sipping the wine.

" I suppose , you came here for money. I came here to pay back a debt" She said gazing into the flames

" Oh to who"

" My late husband" She replied shifting slightly " One of those bandits killed his sister, he never got the chance to avenge her. I've decided to honour him by doing this"

" Ahh" Said Brennan suddenly feeling a lot colder , he moved closer to the fire. Maybe it was the drink talking but as he stared at her from across the fire, she look attractive, strong face well muscled, nothing like the cheap skinny dainty women he usually went for. He offered her the bottle and she accepted, " So I take it you have more to fight for than just to repay a dead man's debt."

" Yes, I'd like to go back home, I've got more responsibilities than I know what do with, there are people I've ...neglected, they need me. I intend to live through this"

" You are more optimistic than the rest of us are" Said Brannon " I think this might be our last night "

" Have faith, the gods will provide " She said returning the wine to him.

He chuckled " I really doubt it "

She smiled grimly " You know me too, I tell my men there's hope for us, that we can fight them, I don't believe it, We're severely outnumbered surrounded and in the worst built fort I've ever seen in my life " She let out a loud sigh " Is it me or is it getting colder " She said as she moved closer to the firelight, and closer to him.

They were silent for a moment , each of them staring into the night. " We're not living through this " She said finally " We're going to die here aren't we , in some godless shit hole fighting fucking bandits" He saw her fist tighten " And I die without completing my husbands debt."

She was shaking, was it the cold, no it was something else. It was fear, some chivalrous part of Brannon's brain told him he needed to comfort her , after all he was a man and she was a woman, it only seemed natural. This part of him ignored the fact whe was a foot taller than him abd could probably kill him with her bare hands in minutes but the point still stood.

His hand moved forward , touching her's. She didn't recoil. She slowly glanced around at him " Your husband would be proud of what your doing, you'd bring him a hell of a lot of honour"

She smiled slightly " For a human you aren't so bad, I now don't regret spending my last night up here"

She took another swig of the wine, he was certain she was becoming intoxicated, he certainly was and some how this made the situation all the more awakward. He gulped " So what to do next uh"

She turned around to face him " Well what are the rest of your men doing "

" Drinking singing Screwi... I mean seeking company " He said

" Well we're already doing one of those, how about we give the other one ago" She said moving forward. Brennan slowly came to realise what she meant. Oh. Was this really advisable , he was sure he heard somewhere that orcs ate their mates. But staring into her eyes across the fire, he didn't seem to care, it was his last night alive. He may aswell spent it with someone.

" I don't even know you're name" He said leaning closer

" Ariana , Ariana Tarmikos " She replied

Ariana , not awefull at all he thought as he kissed her.

And so that night the two lay toghether, not as a human and an Orc, but as simply a man and woman seeking comfort in their final hours. And they slept peacefull by the dying embers of the fire.