She lowered her voice when everyone in the Cantina turned to look. "What the fuck, Harold?!" And she shook the crumpled poems in his face.
Harold looked confused and taken aback. “‘What the fuck’ what?”
Kasia strangled her scream in her throat. How dare he pretend not to know what she was talking about! He was the first and only person to call her ‘Red’! This had to have been him!
She slammed the poem down and pushed it toward him.
Harold took a minute to read it over. His smile grew as he continued. “This is really clever. I would love to meet the author.”
He slowly slid it back.
Kasia snatched the parchment back up spluttering, “It’s you! You’re the author! No one else has called me Red! And this sounds like the exact sort of tripe that comes spewing out of your mouth all the time!”
Harold shrugged, looking unconvinced. “I hope that you’re ready for training today. I need my partner to be at her… best.”
“Go fuck a goat you horse shit eating pile of trash!” Kasia hissed at him. She hoped they were sparring today. She wanted to hit Harold again and again and again.
She stuffed the parchments in her pocket and went off to get her own food. She ate outside, needing to be in the fresh air and away from that piece of ass-chitin, Harold.
Janine and Andrew spotted her on their way in to get breakfast. After getting their own bowls of porridge, they came out and joined her.
“Whoo, I can literally see the steam rising off of you. What happened?” Janine asked as she and Andrew sat down.
Kasia fished in her pocket for the poem and handed it to her.
Andrew grimaced, “Yeah…I saw a few of those hung up in the latrine.”
Janine finished reading, “I mean, at least they called you pretty. And it rhymed rather nicely.”
Kasia made angry nonsensical noises.
“What? Just take the compliment and ignore the rest. Looks and a famous father don’t make a knight. But skill and hard work do– and you’ve got plenty of that.”
Fuck, I’m acting like Harold! Kasia mentally chastised herself. “I’m sorry, Janine. I’m being a bitch. I just really wanted to hit Harold.”
“How about we spar next to him, I duck, and you ‘accidentally’ hit him?” Janine suggested, waggling her eyebrows.
Kasia laughed, feeling much better.
“It is fairly clever. I didn’t think Harold knew this many words.” Andrew had to stop himself from chuckling as he read it again. If it had been about anyone else it would have been hilarious. “I’m sorry. You’ll prove them wrong. You have the blood of hunters.”
“I wonder if being treated like this is why Tomira is such a bitch.” Janine muttered softly.
Kasia grimaced. She really didn’t want to agree, but it was true. Tomira was a bitch. One wrong word and she went off on you…fuck, was that what she was like?
Kasia sighed and hugged both of her friends. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you two. And Saints I hope we spar today, I need to hit something!”
When they got to the training arena, they found an arsenal of weapons out. And the thicker leather armor as well.
“YEEESSS!!!” Kasia screamed, gearing up and arming herself.
"There are countless humanoid monsters and many of them can and will be deadly with weapons. As hunters, we have the largest variety of opponents." Ren spoke to the recruits as they prepared themselves.
"You'll find that the armor is more restrictive than I would like. But with it you can fight less restrained. Do NOT attempt to hurt your partners."
"Kasia with Janine."
"Harold and Jordan."
"Andrew, you spar with Dawid."
Ren continued to list partners until everyone was paired off.
"We're coming closer to some of you taking out your rites. It's time to prove that you're ready for them."
Kasia whined. She didn’t want to be paired with Janine. No offense to her friend, but Kasia out-skilled her by quite a bit and she genuinely was worried about hurting her.
She'd offered to help her Janine train in private before, ‘I mean, knowing how to fight is always useful.’ But Janine had refused, ‘I do know how to fight, Kasia. I’m just not the best at it. And that’s okay.’
Kasia didn’t know how to feel about that. She also didn’t know if Janine really meant what she said, or if she only said those kinds of things to take the sting out of losing. The latter, she could understand. The former? It was hard for Kasia to understand Janine not caring about something they had been training their whole lives to do.
Kasia knew Janine wanted to be a wife and mother…but didn’t she want to be a knight just a little bit?
To no one's surprise, Kasia defeated Janine, but she focused hard on helping Janine improve. They had fun, laughing and joking as they sparred. It helped Kasia forget, or at least be less angry, about the annoying poem. Unfortunately, copies had been spread all over the barracks and castle and by this point most everyone had read them. Other initiates kept throwing glances her way and hiding smiles behind their hands.
Harold also won his sparring match.
“Enough!” Ren bellowed, “Kasia with Andrew. Harold, pair with Birger.”
Ren continued to match those who had won two matches together, those that had won one together, and those that had lost two together. Slowly they were all being ranked against each other.
“I know that you want a shot at Harold.” Andrew put his hand on Kasia’s shoulder while they rested before their match, “But I still plan on winning.”
Kasia grinned as she leaned against Andrew’s shoulder, “As my best friend, I wish you luck and hope you win. As my opponent? I’m going to pound you so hard with my sword that Janine will climax!”
Andrew laughed loudly. “You? Make my girlfriend climax? That’s a good one.” He taunted her. There were only a few minutes of rest left.
Kasia blushed and laughed nervously. The thought of being with a woman, with her friend no less, made her feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. It was forbidden by the church for couples of the same sex to be together– for such a coupling could not lead to creation. The priests and priestesses said such things lay in the domain of the destroyer– the destroyer of families, of futures, of love.
Imka, in one of her letters, had said the debauchery in Italy knew no bounds– and that such couplings were common there. The horror!--Imka’s words. Kasia found it hard to imagine a place where such a thing wasn’t taboo. She didn’t know how she felt about it.
“Time’s up!” Ren called out loud. Everyone stood to find an arena to spar in.
“May the best man win.” Andrew jokingly teased Kasia.
Kasia responded by making an obscene gesture with her hand.
“I’ll defeat you, I’ll even beat Harold. And afterwards, Janine and I will celebrate over, and over, and over again.” He winked at Kasia knowing how uncomfortable sex talk made her.
“By the fucking Creators! If I win, you two can’t have sex tonight and instead have to spend the evening playing cards with your celibate friend!” Kasia spluttered, her face bright red.
The moment Ren said, ‘Go!’, Kasia darted in to strike Andrew’s gut. Andrew, stupidly, had been waving at Janine in a final taunt to Kasia as Ren started the fights. In a flurry of panic Andrew jumped backwards and attempted to parry Kasia’s blade.
Kasia scowled at him, looking hurt “Please take this seriously, Andrew. You are making me feel like you think fighting me is a joke.”
She waited a moment this time to make certain he was paying attention, then attacked again.
“Sorry.” Andrew said calmly as he easily parried her attack to the side. “I’ll take this seriously.”
While she was off balance he spun and aimed an attack at her back.
Kasia felt the blunt pain of the dulled sword radiate through her back, and grunted in pain. She twisted back around, smiling, “Thank you.”
Kasia danced around Andrew, trying to catch him off guard with her swing. Andrew grunted as the sword hit him in the side. He cursed, unable to believe that he had fallen for her feint. “You haven’t won yet!”
He jumped forward using his longer reach as an advantage, relying on his superior strength to break through her defense.
Kasia parried his attack, guiding the force of his strike toward the ground and away from her. She kicked at his legs to get him off balance. It worked.
Instead of trying to stay up, Andrew let his weight and momentum carry him further, and jumped forward, rolling out of her way.
“Nice try.” He smirked as he got to his feet. He set himself in a ready position and waited.
Kasia gave an amused smile and charged again, going for a direct thrust.
Andrew thrust as well. His reach was longer but Kasia was prepared for this– everyone had a longer reach than hers and she had long since learned to just accept it and adapt. She turned her thrust fluidly into a parry, swinging his blade out of the way. It left his core unguarded. Kasia attempted a second thrust at his now open middle.
Andrew shifted his footing and his weight. His body slid to the side as Kasia’s sword glided past him.
With her this close he used his free hand and shoved her. Kasia used her own arm to come beneath and inside of Andrew’s arm, deflecting his strike and, since he had been foolish enough to be leaning down to her level, she headbutt him. Unfortunately, she didn’t take the time to position herself properly and only ended up hurting her own head.
“Owww!”
She bounced back several steps, trying to get out of his reach, rubbing her throbbing forehead with her freehand.
Andrew laughed loudly, pleased. “Janine calls me hard headed,” he teased as he dropped to the ground and swung his leg around in an attempt to trip her.
Kasia jumped over his leg and brought her sword down on his shoulder. The blow would have been lethal had they been using real weapons.
“Fuck!” Andrew swore.
“I guess that you’re going to have to tell my wife that she has to raise the kids alone.” He joked.
“It will be my solemn duty.” Kasia vowed, winking. She put out a hand to help Andrew to his feet.
“Damn!” Andrew forced a smile. Kasia knew he wasn't angry with her, but he did not like losing. It had been a close match. Andrew might not have been as good as Harold, but he was no slouch. “Nicely done.” he conceded, inclining his head to Kasia.
Kasia clasped his free hand, "You made me work for it. You fought well."
Harold had won a clear victory against Birger. Now only Kasia and Harold had won all of their fights.
“Everyone, rest. Kasia… Harold… You’re both next.” Ren called out.
“Pitiful, those that lost to you.” Harold muttered under his breath as he gathered weapons next to Kasia. “Perhaps they shouldn’t be hunters either. Or they went easy on the Lord Commander’s daughter. But I won’t!”
"Are you so drunk on your own words that you cannot admit the truth, even when it's before your eyes?" Kasia snarled, taking a sip from the waterskin Janine had offered her.
“What truth? You managing to defeat your two best friends? I’m sure Andrew lost to you on purpose. And you’re the Lord Commander’s daughter. I doubt that anyone would have tried hard against you.”
“Take your places!” Ren called out loudly.
Harold spat on the ground and entered the combat circle. He wore a smug grin as he took his ready stance. “I’ll show you why I’m the best. And why you should quit. Stop fighting fate.”
"If you're the only one among us worthy enough to become a hunter, you must have the fate of all mankind on your shoulders. How do you bear it?" Kasia sneered, entering the circle across from him.
She took a defensive stance, waiting for Ren to start the match. All the sounds of life outside of the training yard faded into a full murmur as Kasia focused only on this moment.
All of the initiates were silent, the tension in the air was thick. A chill breeze was the only movement in the training yard.
“Begin!”
“Quit now. Women shouldn’t be huntresses.” Harold said quietly as he stalked menacingly towards her. “Especially not ones like you.”
Once he was close enough to strike he swung his sword from overhead.
"Ones like me? Do I have a third tit? What makes me so different?" Kasia circled out of the way easily, following the movement with a strike from her own sword at Harold's back.
Harold cried out as the blade caught him in the back. “Pizda! (Cunt)”
He turned around and swung the sword in a large arc at her waist.
Kasia dodged the blow by jumping back, then lunged forward once Harold’s blade had passed. She thrust at Harold's gut.
Harold easily sidestepped the blow, but he seemed surprised. “Your form is nice. But you lack strength. You always will.”
A compliment. That was nice. It was coupled with an insult, of course, but he never complimented her so Kasia was pleased none the less.
This time he brought his blade up from below.
Kasia stomped on the blade with her foot, pushing the tip into the ground as she went for an overhead attack.
Harold ducked as Kasia’s blade swung overhead. With a great heave Harold pulled hard on the sword to make Kasia fall over.
Kasia had anticipated Harold doing this and braced for it. Unfortunately, she underestimated how strong he really was and was knocked off balance. She toppled to the ground with a curse.
“I told you!” Harold brought his sword down in a great arc to strike her chest.
Kasia grunted in pain As the blow struck her shoulder, sending pain radiating through her entire arm. She bit down her cry, refusing to give Harold the satisfaction.
She attempted to thrust as she got to her feet, hoping the move would take him by surprise. It did–but he was able to block it just in time.
“Quit!” he roared at her.
"Never!" Kasia snarled, attacking with savage ferocity, swinging her blade in a diagonal upward slice.
The best that Harold could do was catch it with his leg to avoid getting hit in his crotch.
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Harold stepped away from her panting. “You’re just a glory hound. You don’t belong!”
He rushed forward at her and thrust the tip of his sword towards her chest.
Kasia just barely managed to parry the powerful blow. Her breath was coming hard and fast. This was a difficult fight, and she prayed to the creators it would end soon.
"And what the fuck does that make you? 'I'm the best hunter! I'm so strong! I don't wanna train with girls- waaaah!"
Kasia heard Janine cackling from somewhere on the sidelines.
She took a moment to catch her breath and then feinted at him.
Harold saw through her feint and struck at where he knew that she would go. He brought the sword down with all of his strength to hit her arm. “AHH!” he roared with fury.
Kasia spun, and the blade whispered past her arm by a hair's breadth. Her heart pounded in her chest. If that had landed, it would have broken her arm.
Kasia saw her Uncle move closer, as if to shield her from the blow.
"Don't!" She snarled at him. Did he not believe in her, either? He wouldn't have stepped forward for any of the other initiates.
Kasia tried to strike back at Harold with her elbow, but her heart wasn't in it. If her own uncle didn't believe in her…
Harold caught Kasia’s elbow with his free hand. She let out a strangled cry as Harold grabbed her roughly. Using his grip, Harold threw Kasia to the ground and then kicked her.
Kasia grabbed his foot and pinned it with her arm and pulled him down with her.
Harold yelled as he went down. “Pizda!”
Kasia climbed on top of him and pressed her sword against his neck, “Learn a new word, asshole!”
“But it fits you so well.” He grunted. Harold thrust his hips up hard between her legs and attempted to throw Kasia over him.
When he failed to throw her, Kasia’s face turned bright red. Their crotches were pressed together and it took her a moment to realize he had meant the title ‘cunt’ was what fit so well..not him between her legs. She was embarrassed and angry for even having had the thought and tried to bring down the hilt of her sword on his head.
Lieutenant General Ren grabbed the blade of her sword at the last moment and stopped her. “Katarzyna is the victor!”
“Fuck yeah!” Andrew yelled out.
Everyone cheered, mostly because the fight had been quite entertaining. How had Kasia beaten Harold?
Kasia looked up at her uncle, confused. Why had he stopped her blade? Was it because she might have given Harold a concussion? Had she gone too far?
Kasia was so stunned it took a moment for the sounds of cheering to reach her ears. When Kasia realized she was still straddling Harold, she let out a yelp and pushed herself off of him and away from that-that place between his legs that held so much power over women. Her cheeks were still flushed an angry red.
Kasia jogged over to be by Andrew and Janine a few feet away, wanting to think about anything but Harold’s dick.
“Shit! You did it!” Andrew exclaimed as he wrapped her in a hug. Kasia grinned as wide as the castle gates and hugged him back tightly. Andrew lifted Kasia into the air and swung her. When he put her down, Janine threw herself at Kasia, almost knocking her over.
“AHHH! You did it!! I’m so proud of you!” she squealed.
Harold grunted and swatted the hands of his friends away that had come to help him up. Anger poured off of him in waves. When Kasia dared to glance over, she saw him quickly adjusting his trousers and wished she hadn’t.
When her eyes met his, the look of pure hatred on his face made her skin go cold. He had seen her staring.
Kasia averted her gaze rapidly, needing to look anywhere but at Harold. She looked at her uncle; would there be more training or were they done for the day?
“Enjoy the rest of the day. And tomorrow’s rest day.” Ren said. “You’ve all earned it. And don’t think that these rankings are anything official. Just a tool to help you train. Think back on your fights.”
“Fuck yeah! We should celebrate! I’ll race you to Sondra’s Inn!” Andrew said enthusiastically.
Kasia smiled, “Absolutely- but first I want to talk to my Wujek for a minute.”
Her friends waited while she jogged back over to Ren. She waited until everyone else was out of earshot before speaking. “Wujek…can I ask why you stepped in?” Her green eyes studied Ren’s matching ones.
“So that he wouldn’t get hurt.” Lieutenant General Ren replied. “You all had orders not to hurt each other.”
Kasia thought back hard to her uncle’s instructions at the beginning. She did seem to remember him saying something of the sort, “I honestly didn’t think you meant it…” She frowned, thinking.
“It's not normally necessary, bratanica (niece). But because you and Harold were actually trying to maim each other, I had to enforce the rule.”
“Oh. I'm sorry, Wujek.”
“It’s to be expected. That’s why we train together. Come see me in the library tonight, Initiate.”
“Of course, Lieutenant General.” Kasia replied. She wondered if this was something serious, or if he simply wanted to enjoy an evening reading with his favorite niece. She enjoyed those nights, too.
There was still lots of excitement around them. Some of the initiates were ecstatic that Kasia had beaten Harold. They all wanted to congratulate her. Some were furious that Harold had been beaten. But all were excited at the quality of the fight.
“Come on! She’s faster than us! Let’s get a head start.” Andrew pulled on Janine’s hand. “If we get there with enough time, there’s a room with our name on it.”
“Cheaters!” Kasia hollered at them when she spotted them running. She excused herself from the small group of people congratulating her and sprinted after her friends.
“Hurry Janine!” Andrew laughed as they bolted through the open gates. They had managed to get quite the head start on Kasia. But it was still unlikely that they would win. Even with half a mile between them, it was still a good two miles to the inn.
Kasia was quite tired from her fight with Harold. She had pushed her body hard. It still didn’t feel real that she had won.
Snow white skin and the commander for kin
Does not a Knight Hunter make…
Hehheh, but beating Harold’s ass sure does! Then Kasia was picturing Harold naked and what his ass looked like.
What the fuck is wrong with me?! She screamed internally. She beat Andrew and Janine not because she was trying to outrun them– no, she was trying to outrun her disgusting thoughts!
She burst through the inn door, eyes searching for Sondra. “Quick- do you have anything that will purge unwanted thoughts?”
“Kasia! Dear!” Sondra cried out in welcome. Her gentle hands brushed the hair out of Kasia’s face. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
“Even with a head start, and fighting Harold. Dammit Kasia.” Andrew whined as he limped through the door.
“I might.” A confident voice came from the corner of the room. The same man that Kasia had spoken with last time sat there. His brilliant blue green eyes gleamed as he looked at her. They were the color of the sun shining on the sea. He sat back, relaxed. His arms rested open at his sides. She only knew him as ‘Sir’.
Kasia’s eyes flew to him, her mind reeling. He might what? Oh-right! Have something to purge her thoughts of all things Harold. Her body reacted instantly at the sight of him and suddenly she found it easy to forget all about her rival. Was that a good thing? Or was it even worse? No, no- definitely a good thing. She did not want to be thinking about a naked Harold—-GAHHH!
Kasia turned back to Sondra her face burning, “The Lieutenant General let us out early today and I won all my fights so we’re celebrating!” Kasia bounced on her heels, glancing back at Andrew, then frowned when she realized Janine still hadn't caught up. Oops. She and Andrew had been so busy trying to outrun the other that they'd left Janine in the dust.
“Janine?” Andrew looked around him. “Fuck! She will not be happy that I left her behind.”
Looking utterly exhausted he took a deep breath, then he bolted back out the door. Janine was a decent huntress, as long as the thing she was hunting wasn’t monsters. However when it came to running, a determined piglet could take her down.
Meanwhile, Kasia’s eyes went back to the handsome man who had been at the center of many thoughts and dreams over the last week… Hesitantly, feeling almost like an animal approaching a human, she walked over to him. “So…what is your solution to intrusive thoughts, Sir?”
The man’s smile broadened when she called him, Sir. “Well, what is it that you’re trying to forget?” His fingers trailed down the side of her arm, then gently wrapped around her hand. He pulled her towards the empty seat next to him.
Kasia coughed, fighting the blush, “Oh, you know. Gruesome images. Horrific scenes. They just keep popping up in my head and I can’t get them to stop.” Touching me again already? Bold of you sir, but damn if I don’t like it…
Kasia allowed him to pull her into the seat beside him. She suddenly felt very conscious of how sweaty and smelly she was from fighting all morning. She hoped he didn’t find her too repugnant. Did she care? Damn it. Yes. She cared very much if he found her repugnant. She shouldn’t…but she did.
“Go on?” His midnight voice continued. His eyes darted to her lips, then back to her eyes. “I can help better if I know what I’m dealing with.”
He laid his hand on the small table between their chairs, absently letting his pinky touch hers where it rested on the table. He waited for her to answer.
Kasia was keenly aware of his touch. It wasn’t the sort of thing she could ignore. Her body felt hot all over and she was genuinely worried she might start panting. So she crossed her arms over her chest to try and calm herself down.
“Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to trouble you with that. It would give you nightmares, I’m sure. Awful ones.” she coughed, “No reason for us both to suffer.”
“A creature as beautiful as yourself could never cause me suffering, my Lady.” His velvety voice replied.
She saw him notice her pull away, staring at where she had folded her arms for a beat. If he was offended, he made no show of it. He leaned in close to her, his eyes capturing hers, though his stole a quick look at her lips again.
“What is this? You had it last time as well.” His fingertips brushed her neck as he touched the rope around it.
Kasia bit her lip, eyes downcast. “A mark of shame.” she murmured softly. She debated how much to tell this stranger, “I… I was supposed to guard the flock at night and I fell asleep.”
“But why a red rope around your neck? It’s a little morbid.” The corners of his mouth twitched.
Kasia’s face grimaced, “I…” she flushed in embarrassment, “the hunter that killed the hart made the same mark on my neck with its blood. To let me know that they could have killed me too.” Kasia didn’t specify that the knights suspected a monster. Technically, it could have been a human that did this. They just didn’t know. “I have to wear the killer’s mark until they are caught and…dealt with.”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA” The beautiful stranger wheezed at the end of his laughing fit. “I’m so sorry!” He screamed and continued laughing as Kasia leapt to her feet and began to box his ears while he shielded himself with his arms. “It’s just really funny! No, really! Alright! I surrender! You are clearly a fearsome huntress!”
Kasia huffed and dropped back into her seat, crossing her arms to sulk. Fucking sheep. Fucking rope. Fucking poem.
“Relax, my lady. Learn to laugh at yourself.”
“You have no idea how much shit I’ve had to go through the last week you monster!” but she finally she let out a hoarse laugh too.
“I am a monster?!” He held his hand to his chest in mock hurt. “Huntress,” he said in a purr that sent shivers down Kasia’s spine, “You have no idea.”
Kasia had no idea how to respond to his flirtations, so instead she said, “Do you think less of me as a hunter?”
“Less of a hunter? To my understanding you’re not a hunter yet, little initiate, so you cannot be less of one.”
Kasia scowled and hit him again. “Rude.”
The stranger chuckled and held up his hands in surrender, “No, no, listen! All I’m saying is that now would be the time to make these mistakes.”
“What’s so funny?” Sondra asked as she approached with several cups. “And where did Andrew go?”
“Oh this man is just laughing at my humiliation.” Kasia rolled her eyes and made a face at the handsome stranger, then started- wait! Where was Andrew? And Janine? They should have gotten here by now!
Kasia searched the inn, “Andrew just went back to get Janine and then…” Kasia wondered if they had made good on their threat to go have some time to themselves. Which left her here with a handsome man who was laughing at her. Good for them. Good for her. “I guess they changed their minds, maybe…” Or, maybe Janine really was that slow. But probably not.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know that was completely inappropriate.” The handsome stranger reached over and gently caressed her cheek while he apologized. “Is there no forgiveness among the knights?”
Kasia's entire body froze at the contact. It was so forward! So inappropriate for near strangers–and yet how much Kasia wanted to lean her face into his hand and let him cup her cheek while he stroked it with his thumb. But no- that was out of the question.
“There can’t be forgiveness. The monsters of the world will not go easy on us, so we cannot go easy on ourselves.” Kasia answered.
Sondra handed a cup to Kasia and then took a drink herself. Her eyes scrunched and she let out a contented sigh.
“Drink, sweetheart.” Sondra took another sip of her mug then addressed the man, “You too, handsome.”
“Sondra! I need ingredients!” Sondra’s husband Gregosz called from the back. He was almost always busy in the kitchen, leaving Sondra to manage the rest of the inn.
The man took a long swig of his drink and let out a satisfied sigh. “That’s good.”
Kasia obediently sipped hers, wincing a bit at the burn. She didn’t drink a lot so the sting of alcohol still affected her a great deal. But with it came the hope of her tension easing, and so she sipped some more.
Sondra sighed, drinking her cup as quickly as she could. “Apparently I’m needed. Hopefully he won’t need much.”
Kasia smiled sympathetically and reached over to squeeze Sondra’s hand before the woman left. “Thank you, Sondra.”
After Sondra left she turned back to the stranger. She was alone with him. That thought sent her heart racing. “Will you tell me your name now?”
“Not yet, My Lady. And you are quite cute when you’re embarrassed. Those cheeks… so flush.” The man pushed the small table aside and brought his chair flush with hers. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek while placing a hand on her forearm.
Kasia’s eyes widened and her aforementioned cheeks grew even redder, “That-that is very forward of you, Sir. You shouldn’t kiss someone who doesn’t even know your name.” Still, she couldn’t help but reach up and touch the place where his lips had just been.
“Perhaps.” A cocky grin spread across his face as he looked at her lips. “But I like that you call me Sir, my Lady. It makes me sound far more well-intentioned than I am. Now tell me, what thoughts am I to help you escape today?” His velvet voice commanded her. He looked into her green eyes, and stroked her fingers. “Tell me. It would please me to help you.”
“You’ve already chased such thoughts away. But you were very thoughtful to remind me of my recent failures,” she kept her voice gentle and her lips curved in a teasing smile so he would know the chastisement was not serious
“Failure? The accessory suits you.” His fingertips brushed her neck again. He shifted in his seat so that his leg was touching hers. “What are you celebrating today?”
Kasia’s lips widened as her smile grew vicious, her heart surging with violent delight, “I defeated my rival in combat today. Oohh, it is a good day.” She let out a bark of a laugh, her heart still thudding with excitement when she thought of the hateful look on Harold’s face. Served him right, the arrogant bastard. She took another sip of her drink. “So drink to me-” she lifted her glass, “And drinks are on me today.”
“I will gladly drink you— TO! To you!” He corrected, feigning embarrassment. His leg still touched hers, and she had not pulled away. He took a deep drink.
“That is indeed something to celebrate, tell me more!”
Kasia smiled down into her glass, not missing his innuendo. “This initiate in my class has been riding my ass–Not-not literally,” she corrected quickly, “and telling me how women shouldn’t be allowed to be in the knights and that I get all this special treatment and I'm not worthy to be a knight Hunter.”
Kasia almost spilled her drink as she waved her hands energetically as she spoke, “And he has made it his personal mission to get me to leave the order. He even came up with this scheme for me to train with him so he can show me how much better he is than me. I agreed on the condition that he actually help me try to improve. Whether or not he’s holding up his end of the bargain is…debatable,” Kasia made a waffling motion with her hand.
“Because his real goal, I think, is to just insult me enough until I quit. Maybe? I’m not entirely certain. Anyway, today the Lieutenant General had us compete tournament style– and the final match was between me and Harold—that’s my rival, by the way. And I kicked. His. Ass.” Kasia rocked back in her chair, lifting her knees to her chest and kicked her legs back and forth gleefully.
The man grabbed her thigh and pulled her down so the chair did not tip over and dump her on the ground. He gingerly took the mostly empty mug of vodka from Kasia and set it on the table, “Maybe you should slow down, you are a tiny thing.”
Kasia waved his concern off, “OOh and the look of hatred he gave me! Oh, you should have seen it. Mmm. It was… I am going to treasure that look.” pleasure rocked through Kasia’s body as she replayed the scene in her mind again.
“And of course the next time I see him he’s going to claim he went easy on me or some other bullshit excuse. But now he knows. And I know. And it. Is. magnificent.” Kasia grabbed her mug from the table and drained her glass. She slammed it down on the table beside them, drunk on her triumph…and vodka.
Smiling, the stranger grabbed the cup and pulled it away from her. “No more for you. You’re too small.” he returned his hand to her thigh. “Sounds like you have had quite the day. I’m proud of you, My Lady.”
Kasia laughed warmly, slightly less inhibited with the alcohol kicking in. "I'm surprised you aren't trying to get me to drink more in the hopes of getting lucky."
The stranger gently caressed Kasia’s cheek and neck as he moved his face uncomfortably close to hers. His cocky smile was back in place. “I don’t need you to be inebriated to lure you to bed, beautiful girl. And I want you to remember each time I take your breath away.”
Kasia bit her lip, looking at the stranger shyly. She knew he wanted to kiss her again. She wasn't certain whether or not it was something she wanted. Well, that wasn't true. Of course she wanted to kiss him, she just didn't want to deal with the consequences that followed. People seeing and telling her father, the stranger taking it as a sign that she wanted more, and fear that he might push for it. Was a kiss ever just a kiss?
She started thinking too much and the desire turned to nausea as she debated all the possible ramifications. She scooted further back into her chair, causing his hand on her leg to fall away. She removed his hand from her neck too, instead, holding it in hers on top of her knee.
"Look… you are very charming, sir. Your attentions…are flattering." She began, certain that by the time she finished speaking he would have lost all interest in spending time with her, "but I don't believe in having relations with a man before marriage. And…I don't want you to get the wrong impression. I enjoy your company, and speaking with you…flirting…but it's not building up to something." The discomfort had sobered her a bit and she looked at the stranger seriously.
The stranger smirked. “My Lady, that is very forward of you to suppose what I am thinking. You’ve already left a lasting impression on me, a woman who is strong and beautiful. You have not given me a wrong impression. Mark my words, I will take your breath away before we part ways." He chuckled darkly, and Kasia melted a little at the sound.
“What are your days normally like? And by that, what I really want to know is: how often can I see you?”
“I get one free day off a week. It’s yours, if you want it.” she smiled, slightly shy despite the boldness of her statement.
“I will have it then, my pet.” The man responded with confidence. “When must you return?”
Kasia hummed, “I should probably head back by dark…” her eyes flickered with mischief, “You’re new to the area, right?”
The man nodded.
“I’ve lived here my whole life. Would you like a tour?”
“I would love one! I am particularly fascinated by the castle and its architecture. Most of my travels have brought me to castles if I could manage it."
Kasia smiled sadly, “Sadly, unless you are planning to enlist, the walls are as close as you’ll be able to get. No one outside of the Knight Hunter order is allowed to enter. Well, and their families.”
The man considered this, then nodded, “A storm is on its way in. The gray clouds over the water will be serene. Let's explore the coast.”
The sky had been clear all day. The bright sun shining through the window indicated that it still was.
Kasia quirked an eyebrow, "And just how do you know that? An old war wound of yours aching? You look like you could have been a soldier in another life." She eyed the stranger up and down. He looked younger than her father—-and considerably more handsome. More so than any man she'd ever seen before, despite him being older. Or maybe because of it. She liked that he looked… experienced.
The stranger chuckled at her remark, “You wouldn’t believe me.” Then he turned and shouted across the inn, “Gregosz! A picnic basket please.”
“Really?” came the irritated sound of Gregosz from the kitchen, “Do I look like your butler?”
“No, but you do look like the inn owner. And we require food.”
Muttering loudly, Gregosz could be heard putting loose food items into a basket. “I’m charging you double!” he called sourly.
“Hmm, I suppose we’ll have to eat quickly. I’ve never been much of a fan of soggy food.” Kasia teased. Her heart fluttered with excitement. He was going to take her on a picnic? How…romantic. She was more delighted than words could say.
A thought struck her. “One moment,” she touched his knee, then rose from her chair and went to find Sondra. “If Andrew and Janine do ever show up…will you let them know I’ll see them tomorrow?” Kasia blushed.
“Tomorrow? My, sweetheart…” Sondra lightly teased her with a warm smile. “Spending the night away from the castle? Do I need to interrogate this man about his intentions with my little girl?”
Kaisa’s eyes widened with horror, her face turning beet red as she quickly backpedaled, “NO-NO-NO! That’s not what I meant! I meant that I’d head back to the barracks at sunset so I probably won’t see them tonight– not-not THAT!”
Sondra burst out laughing. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Even if it was, I would keep that secret for you. Have fun.”
Kasia grimaced, grateful that Sondra would keep such a secret but also completely horrified that she thought Kasia would need her to! What kind of girl did Sondra think Kasia was?! Still, she hugged Sondra and went back to join the Stranger who now had the picnic basket crooked in one arm.
Kasia bit her lip, shyly. This was…she’d never done this kind of thing before. Courted or been courted. That’s what was happening, right? Feeling terrified and bold at the same time, she clasped the stranger’s free hand with her own. “Let’s go, Sir.”
The stranger smiled down at her. He was absolutely stunning. He led her out of the inn and out of town. They drew many stares as they walked. Most was simple curiosity from the villagers. But a few looks and whispers expressed astonishment from other initiates or knights who knew who Kasia was.
Kasia pointedly ignored those stares most of all. She wasn’t doing anything wrong– she was being courted. That was a completely normal thing, right? Well… maybe going off alone with a man was a little suspect…but they were outside in the open, not locked behind closed doors– so that made it okay, right?
How is the dialogue between Kasia and the Stranger?
