As they walked back to the castle from the forest clearing they had been training in, Masrur glanced over at his companion, quietly walking next to him. She was a Fanalis, like him, but she was unlike anyone else he had ever met. Her hair was long, cut with sharp side bangs, and her red eyes were warm and angled. She was much shorter than him, as most were, and she was built lightly, curved in the right places. She wore a simple white dress, a sash securing the fabric around her waist, the hemline ending at mid-thigh. Her feet were bare, she wore simple silver cuffs on her ankles and wrists, and a simple leather cord hung from her neck.
But he knew, despite her delicate looking frame, she could pack a kick hard enough to send him flying back, and that was saying something, as she hadn't the chance to train her strength for most of her life. As he studied her, he noticed her stride was lagging and she was exhausted. Given how hard they had just sparred, he wasn't surprised, but he knew that she wouldn't admit it, as she still thought that admitting a weakness was embarrassing and something worthy of punishment. Masrur's eyebrows furrowed as he thought about how they had rescued her, fists clenching on reflex.
When he, Sinbad, Ja'far, and Morgiana had been in a small unnamed town, just passing through on business, the main street had gone unnaturally quiet, except for the rattles of chains. Masrur knew that sound, and went to go see, eyes blazing in cold anger. Sinbad had held him back, and the sight that had come around the corner sickened him.
Five slavers had come around the corner, each pulling tightly to chains that were binding an exhausted fanalis, now too exhausted and wounded to struggle much. Sinbad was staring in horror, and Ja'far's expression was carefully neutral, though he knew he was itching to put an end to this. He pushed Sinbad aside and went to stand in the middle of the street, knowing that he had to save her.
The slavers had looked up, smirking cockily when they saw the anger in Masrur's red eyes, and they had charged him, unsheathing swords to cut him down. He had easily killed them all off, much to the townsfolk's joy, as they had sighed in relief when they were gone. Masrur, however, didn't care about that at all, as he went to the dying young fanalis, and caught her just as she swayed and fell, unconscious.
Sinbad and Ja'far came running, Morgiana close behind, and they broke the chains binding her, enlisting Morgiana's help to carefully break the metal collar around her neck. Masrur had scooped her up into his arms, carrying her back to their hotel to let her rest. Sinbad went to talk to the townsfolk, asking why they never did anything about the illegal act of slavery.
"We couldn't, sir. They would kill us all if we tried, and we aren't armed. We were nearly slaves ourselves." The only woman who would speak willingly replied quietly, swiftly packing up the wares in her small shop. Sinbad had then promptly purchased enough food for 5 people, and another leather pack for her to carry, throwing in a tip as a thanks for speaking to him.
When they returned to the hotel, Masrur stayed with her day and night, and when she woke, he was the first person she saw, and the last person she had seen before fading in unconsciousness. She told him her name, and he had told her his, and had told her that she was safe. From then on, they were inseparable. Masrur nursed her back to health, and she had grown healthy and strong, but suffered from reoccurring nightmares. When Masrur woke in the morning, it wasn't unusual for her to be tucked up next to him, faint tear tracks on her cheeks.
Masrur sighed, shaking himself out of the memories. It had taken nearly three months to get her back to health, and she still had many scars, nightmares, and a perpetual hate for all slavers. He glanced over at her again, and felt something like the ghost of a smile touch the corner of his mouth.
She had just as much pride as a male sometimes, and that was the reason she pushed herself so hard, even when exhausted, like now.
"Marina." His deep baritone rumbled as he stopped, waiting for her to reach him. She looked up, curious to see what he wanted. He didn't say anything more, just scooped her up into his arms, carrying her close to his chest.
"If you are so tired you hardly have any energy to move, you should tell me." He told her, eyes serious, but soft and caring at the same time.
"Masrur…" she sighed, blushing in embarrassment, but making no effort to move. "Thanks."
She sighed softly, but allowed him to carry her, held close to his golden armor clad chest. She leaned into him, head cushioned on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. He smelled good, a scent that was something like forest, dirt, fresh air, sunshine, and his natural male musk. His shaggy red hair brushed the end of her nose, but she didn't bother moving away. She was too tired.
Masrur continued walking to the palace, surprised at how heavy the girl was for her size. He wasn't saying she was heavy, not at all, but she did weigh slightly more than he thought she did. As he reached the palace, he looked down at her face, intending to say that they had arrived, but stopped suddenly. A frown of shock came to his lips, and a small blush rose on his cheeks. Marina was sound asleep and she looked so… cute. Her eyes were closed, face relaxed in an expression of rare peace.
He looked up at the castle, toward his window where his room was. He groaned slightly, wondering how he was going to get them to their room without being stared at. Oh well. He started forward and soon ran into Sinbad and Ja'far in one of the many hallways.
"Mas…" Sinbad started, but trailed off in shock, gold eyes widening. Ja'Far was openly staring, jaw slightly dropping. Masrur had to resist a serious urge to grin at the looks on their faces. Sure, he was carrying a sound asleep Marina, but that wasn't so weird, was it? He had carried her before similarly to this.
"She was exhausted, so I carried her." He said, as if it explained everything. Sinbad started to reply, still frozen to the spot, but Marina then woke up.
"Masrur? Are we back?" She asked, then looked over at Sinbad and Ja'far, eyes widening when she saw their faces. She had to resist laughing, until she realized why they were looking at them like that. 'Uh-Oh. Oh, how embarrassing.'
"Uhh…You can put me down now." She said, her whole face threatening to turn red if she didn't leave within a few seconds. Masrur stooped slightly, setting her down gently on her feet, his large hands neatly encompassing her waist and holding her steady.
"Thanks." She whispered, and she heard him make a noise of assent. "Well, I'll be off now. I am going to go get something to eat. Coming?" she said, already walking away, back stiff with embarrassment. He realized she was making an excuse for him to avoid potentially embarrassing questions from Sinbad, and he moved swiftly after her, making sure his back was turned before he winced in pain at the twinge in his back. He would definitely have to bathe and stretch later.
After eating something small, they both returned to his room, as she normally just stayed with him. Masrur stood by the window, looking out at the sunset over the sea, and Marina collapsed on her bed, arm flung over her eyes. He glanced over at her once, and raised an eyebrow, his equivalent of a smile. The girl was making a pretty funny picture, completely sprawled across her bed. He resumed looking out the window, wincing when he turned his head. He was sore. She had come at him harder than usual today, and had actually managed to knock him airborne. He knew he should remove his armor and relax, but that was probably going to be impossible without help, or lots of pain. He chose the obvious, and turned slightly toward Marina. He had set his sword on the rack he had near the window, and turned his gaze to her.
"Marina." His deep voice sounded almost embarrassed. She looked up at him, lifting her arm off of her face.
"Yes?" She looked slightly confused, as if she were wondering if she did something wrong. Turned out it was nothing of the sort.
"Will you help remove my armor? I'm too sore to do it alone." He asked, slightly turning away in embarrassment. She, on the other hand, smiled softly. So her extra strength training she had been doing, really had paid off.
"Of course." She said softly, and got up off her bed to help him. He had turned away slightly, so all he heard was a soft rustle of fabric and then she was there in front of him. Masrur didn't move, he just watched as her eyes were calm and concentrated, her hair flowing around her lightly in the wind. Marina's gentle hands hovered around his hips, undoing the clasps there. She loosened them with ease, and then reached up, her hands brushing his neck and hair, undoing the clasps around his neck and then around his chest. She pulled off the armor, and carried it to the rack where his sword was.
She was growing stronger, seeing as each piece of his breast and back armor had to weigh at least 50 pounds, and she carried it like it was nothing.
She turned around to face him again, and gasped at what she saw. His back was covered in red marks and bruises. Marina covered her mouth with her hands, not quite daring to believe it. She had actually hurt him. She hadn't meant to, but it seemed she had. Masrur turned around, and saw her face, then made the equation. He obviously had marks on his back, and she thought she had actually hurt him. Poor girl. She probably felt really bad and guilty, and he knew that she idolized him, as he had saved her from certain death.
He moved quickly over to her, and took her wrists in his hands. "It's not your fault. We were training, and when you train, injuries happen. You didn't break anything, it's only some bruises. I'll be okay." He assured her, not quite sure when he had ever spoken like that before, and she did something entirely unexpected. She looked up at him, relieved, and then kissed his cheek.
"Thanks Masrur…." She trailed off, blushing, evidently realizing what she had just done. He stood up slowly, hand resting on his cheek, blushing slightly. Marina had kissed him. She was too cute.
He moved over to his bed and lay down, his muscles shrieking in protest. He decided right then and there that a bath would have to wait, as his bed was a slice of heaven. Marina watched him silently, and then she went over to his bed, and sat down next to him. She pulled out a book from underneath his spare pillow, where she kept it, and arranged herself to a comfortable sitting position. But she didn't start reading, like she normally did.
"Thanks for everything that you have done for me, Masrur. I don't know where I would be without you." She looked sincerely into his shocked eyes, and he stared back, unsure of what to do. After a second of hesitation, he did the only thing he knew how to do. He sat up, and gathered her to him in a tight hug. Marina stiffened slightly, taken by surprise, but then she relaxed, her arms going around his neck and chest. She buried her face into his throat, and he rested his chin on top of her soft red hair. The ends rested on the bed sheets, and covered his arms, which were around her waist. She sighed, resting into him, snuggling close to his body heat. He breathed in deeply, inhaling her scent. It was a leafy smell, lavender, trees, and female.
He was leaning against the headboard of the bed, knees tucked up around her slender form. He closed his eyes, relaxing with her, and they stayed resting on each other for a long while. Eventually, he pulled back, and she sat up straight again. Masrur laid his head down in her lap, as he always did while she studied the words on the page she was reading. She held the book up with one hand, and with the other, played the uneven strands of his red hair. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he fell asleep.
When he woke up in the middle of the night, he looked around slightly confused. Marina was nowhere to be seen, as she wasn't in her bed. His eyes widened in shock as he felt a gentle puff of breath on his throat. He glanced down, and his eyes immediately softened. She was nestled into his chest, laying comfortably on her side. Her arms were tucked up over her breasts, legs curled tucked up, knees touching his thigh.
She was using his arm as a pillow, her nose even with his throat. She was absolutely asleep, her face peaceful and book on the small table next to his bed. He was laying on his side as well, and his arms formed a cage around her; one holding the back of her shoulders and head, the other encompassing her waist. He closed his eyes, too tired to think much. He was very comfortable and she appeared so as well, so he just went back to sleep. Right before he drifted into slumber though, Marina moved. She raised her head, snuggling into the side of his neck, his hair tickling her nose. She sighed, and fell back asleep at the same time he did.