Aster walked on, entirely ignoring the glances from the orcs nearby, but finally starting to feel conscious of their stares. The human made it a ways more before he came across a familiar building, one that seemed to still have some life left in it. Aster stared at the wooden door in a daze, never really knowing why, but choosing to step inside the tavern anyway. He was met with silence and even more assaulting eyes. The human simply lowered his head a bit and walked forward with his gaze mostly to the floor.

The only tables that weren't already full of orcs were the bigger ones, so Aster found himself taking a seat at an empty, large, and circular one near a wall. He kept his back to the other patrons and stared down at the table, never giving another orc a passing glance, unreactive to their gazes. He understood... He would have to get used to that feeling... Anyone that didn't see him as a threat before certainly would now that he had awakened the heartbeat... Aster was going to live his life as the human that was hated and feared, despite all his efforts otherwise... That was simply another thing that stole his hope away from him then.

"CLINK."

Aster looked up with a start, seeing the lady orc from his last tavern visit set a clay mug on the table in front of him. She looked into the boy's eyes and gave him a small smile. Aster looked away and simply spoke what seemed the obvious thing to him.

"Sorry... I don't have any money with me..."

The barmaid spoke once before turning and walking away, leaving Aster to his mug of stout smelling mead.

"You've already more than paid enough." Something moved to his left, and Aster turned to see Oust taking a seat next to him, a mug of his own drink in his grasp. Before the human could say anything, he heard the screech of a chair to his right and saw the orc chief Crag himself take that seat next. The surprise and worry on the Aster's face was evident, as one by one, more orcs came to have a seat at his table until there wasn't a single chair left empty. Aster was suddenly a bit afraid that he was about to be taken care of for good. He was speechless, but the chief was not

"That was quite the first battle, human king."

Aster's eyes went wide, but not nearly as much as Oust's own did. Aster looked back down to the table as he answered with a bit of bitterness to his tone.

"I am no king... Who my birth father used to be doesn't change that at all."

The orc replied swiftly.

"You are the last heir to the human king. This is true... But that isn't what makes you a king... Tell me, boy, do you think we would still be here? Were it not for you and that shield?"

Aster scoffed, feeling himself getting irritated for receiving praise when he had so clearly failed.

"Mollis is the reason we are still here... If I had only realized her plan... I never would've used it."

The chief took a short pause, sipping from his mug before answering.

"I am more thankful for the mage's sacrifice than you will ever know... I am not too proud to admit that we would have stood no chance without her... But were it not for that shield, she never could've pulled it off. If you wouldn't have held it still, the Earthwyrm would've evaded us and picked us apart until we had all fallen. You stood upon that pillar, broken and bloodied, yet still, you beat your shield to stand against the fiends for the sake of this village, for people not your own. You cast that light upon us, and it saved us all. You wield the power to subjugate everyone here if you so desire, and yet, you use that power only to defend, to bring relief and aid to those that fight on alongside you. That is what makes you worthy of being a king. That is why I call you by your rightful title, for you have earned such respect... You have earned more than we could ever repay. You have earned the right to be revered as a king worthy of following."

Aster kept his eyes low as the orc went off on his spill. When the great warrior had finished, he polished off the last of the drink in his mug and sat it down sharply on the wooden table. He turned to Aster then and spoke just a bit more, losing his patience with the defeatist attitude.

"If you doubt my words, ask anyone here. Ask why you have a table of our greatest warriors sitting among you, eager to hear more about that shield. Ask them how that light felt as it washed over us, sparing many mere seconds from their approaching deaths. Ask them what it felt like, to have hope restored when all seemed lost, and our struggle futile in the throes of battle. Ask them if they think you are worthy of your birthright, of both that legendary shield, and of the blood of a king you have coursing through your veins. Ask them, as a true king is one that listens to those that would follow him into the darkest of battles."

The barmaid dropped another mug off to the chief as he finished, taking his empty one.

Aster didn't realize he was staring at the chief with a stunned expression until he finally pulled his eyes off the orc and turned his gaze to meet those around him at last. He looked from orc to orc, studying the emotions held behind their eyes when he finally came to rest upon Oust, staring back with those fierce, scarlet eyes. Without even knowing Aster was a royal by birth, the tiger had felt the same as the orcs. He held the gaze for a moment before he gave the human the slightest nod.

Aster let his eyes fall back to the table in front of him, feeling a strange emotion welling up inside of him. He couldn't name it, but it threatened to send him back into a fit of tears. Instead, he gripped his mug gently with both hands, lifted it up before him, and tasted his first taste of alcohol that day. For the first real time in his life, Aster found himself finally feeling like he had found a place at the table. Seemingly even more impossible was that the table had built itself around him, filled with those that would follow such a king into any battle.

___

About two hours and three stout drinks later, Aster learned something about himself that day... He was very friendly when he was drunk. Oust watched the human shed his depression and his usual reservation at astounding speed, chatting the orcs up lightly on all manner of subjects. They talked about the shield a lot at first, Barraging the boy with questions he didn't really have answers for. In the end, Aster sated their curiosity by raising a shield over the center of the table and letting the orcs prod at it to satisfy their curiosity.

As Aster finished his current drink, they moved on to more trivial topics, telling personal stories and recounts of past victories, pointing to the marks on their skins as they bragged on their most outlandish skirmishes with pride. Aster couldn't help but think of Stahl in that moment with a chuckle, being quite the braggart herself. As the boy started on his next mug, another question came up from a younger orc.

"So what mark did you choose before battle, human?"

Aster finished his gulp and placed the mug down gently, turning to the orc for a moment. A frown crossed his face, his mind returning to Mollis. Aster stood up, influenced by a bit by the liquid courage he had been drinking, and actually removed his shirt in a room full of people, joining the rest of the orcs in the bared torso dress code after battle. He sat down after and pointed to the triangular mark on the left side of his chest, just over his heart. It had three arrowheads spouting off in different directions along the flat sides, making what appeared to be a star of sorts. The boy forced a half smile and answered the orc.

"Protector... That's all I've ever wanted to be. I just want this shield to mean that those I stand beside can always find shelter and safety behind it. Though, I am learning I may not be strong enough for that after all..."

Oust finally spoke for the first time, choosing to mostly listen up to that point.

"We all feel too weak sometimes... But we have to remember the strength we do have. The strength we've proven to have by surviving... Sometimes, it's just enough to make a difference. Sometimes, that's all we could hope for... Or at least, that's what I was told recently..."

The tiger ended by finishing off his second mug, pacing himself responsibly. Aster weighed those words carefully, actually finding the slightest bit of comfort in them. He passed the tiger a glance from the corner of his eye, finding it strange to be sitting beside him of all creatures now, but thankful none the less. Aster cracked a half smile, returning to his better spirits as the conversation moved on, and the drink count rose as the sun started to fall.

***

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