The Rouge Bride

Training

        "This lad has a good arm, man," Muller looked at Lawric eyeing him for approval, "I could see him as good tower defence on a raid." The older man was tall and slightly round in the middle, but could still hold his own in hand-to-hand. 

        Laric was thinking about Thorict, she hadn't woken up and gotten out of the chamber. Yet, she was a woman, and most never woke up at the time he had- right after sun broke.

        Thorict. Yes, that's whom he was thinking about. Thorict. The women that infuriates him.  "Lawric, are you up this 'morning?"

        Lawric mentally shook himself, "What you saying?"

        "I'm tellin' ye that the lad's name is Thorict. He seems like he's starting to build up. Yet the lad seems like- where ye going?" Lawric starting walking to where Throict was. She was setting an arrow. 

        "What are ye doing now?" Lawric bellowed. He was still quite a ways away. She put the arrow on the bow and pulled back, aiming at him. 

        "Having a grand time. Would ye care to join?" she smirked. 

        He continued walking, "For the love of God wench, can ye do something feminine?"

        She launched the arrow and it landed in front of his next step. "Aye, I can mend."  Lawric stilled, frustrated, he bent to pick up the arrow and yanked it out of the ground. He took it over his knee and broke it. "Aww, are ye upset a wee bit?" she teased. 

        Lawric could hear Muller laughing hearitly behind him. All the other guards and soldiers training stoped and watched the comedy playing out before them. "Why are ye not still in ye chamber?" He walked on faster still. 

        "Me chamber?" she launched another arrow while talking and laughed. "That is ye chamber. It is too big and I wanted to have fun."

        "Why are ye not in dress?"

        "I naught play in a dress. I would get the hem caught in it." He finally walked to her, and stoped in front of her. She was loading another arrow and had the target within her sights. She saw him walk in front of her bow, "You know ye shalln't walk in front of a loaded weapon."

        "You should know not to shoot a camanding officier," he grinned when he could see her thinking about it. 

        "Aye," she aimed higher and launched the arrow, "I should have." Attached to the arrow stuck in the target at the end of the field was Lawric's hat. 

        He was stunned for a moment, then launched into action. He walked over to her and latched onto her arm, dragging Throict away from the rest of the men. "Why do you insist on humiliating me?"

        "Me doing what I want" she pulled her arm from him with amazing strength. He looked at her surprised. 

        "I thought you would say 'ye make a job of that yourself'"

        "Ney, I do what I want," Thorict looked at him with defiance. 

        "Ye want to be treated like a man?" he asked, admitting outloud what he didn't want to.

        She thought a second, "Being a man has 'naught to do with it. I do what I want, no gender difference."

        "So ye want to be treated like a man,"  he said again.

        "If that the way, yes." she pondered. 

        "I can't accept that I have to treat ye like a man," he frowned hard and looked at the ground. Lawric looked back up at her again and took a step towards her. They were a mere inch apart, "I can let you act like a man, but ye are a woman to me," He closed the space between them and kissed her on the lips. A fleeting second, one that he thought whould change her mind.

        "So can I train some more?" was all she said. 

        Apparently it hadn't changed anything.