The Fight Circle
RYATT
The tall mountain of Cliffhelm looms in the distance as I soar through the sky on my timberwing. I pull up on the reins to direct my beast to start our descent and I can see the layout of tents and training stations of the army base camp as we approach the landing spot. Calpaz lands with a perfect precision right next to my brother Slade, the King of Fourth Kingdom. Slade and I dismount our Timberwings, ready to be back at camp after having just spent two weeks visiting the border town of Deadwell. The trip always has the dual purpose of checking on the townspeople that live there, and my brother also takes care of the magical rip. I can tell he looks more drained than usual after the ritual this time around, most likely due to the fact that we weren't able to visit as soon as we normally would have to take care of, uh, the situation.
"I need to go find Auren, she sent me a hawk messenger that she arrived here last week. Apparently she was missing her soldiers friends and wanted to show her new companion the army base, "Slade relays the message to me with humor making his lips smirk.
I roll my eyes and scoff in reply "Of course the little golden girl came running back to the army camp. Nothing says fun like training all day in the hot sun, doing chores, and eating Keg's awful mush for every meal."
"Don't be an ass."
"What? Maybe I meant it, those things all sound like fun to me," I quip.
Slade slants his eyes in a glare at me and then we both turn our heads towards the sound of his name being called by a high-pitched feminine voice-and we see Auren, glowing gold in the sun, leaning on the fence of one of the army training circles.
I fall back a step behind Slade as we stride towards her, I'm sure he would like a moment of privacy with his golden girl after being apart for a barely two weeks. While I might sound like I enjoy making fun of Auren to Slade's face, inwardly I am relieved that he has met someone that makes him happy. I don't think I had ever seen him as happy as that morning after their first…um…sleepover together. Even as obnoxious as it was to share a suite with the two rutting all damn night, I certainly won't ever begrudge him a sliver of happiness. And as his new official Commander of the Fourth Kingdom Army, I will do my damnedest to protect Auren.
After letting them embrace and, oh gods be damned, kiss for about two long minutes I clear my throat as I approach them and say to Auren, "Hello little golden girl. A birdie told me that you missed us all so much that you just had to come back." I smirk at her.
"I'm happy to see you too Ryatt, or should I say Commander Ryatt? Congratulations on your promotion, I'm sure you earned it after you carried me like a sack of potatoes to the harp that one time." Auren makes me laugh with her words, although the last line brings up the ugly memory of our horrible dinner back at Fifth Kingdom.
"Using humor to cope I see, I think you're recovering quite well from the…hmmm…well you know the shit storm that happened back in Fifth Kingdom-"Slade knocks me in the ribs with his elbow to shut me up. Meanwhile Auren has the grace to just smirk at my smartass remark.
She turns back to Slade and says, "Speaking of coping, I want to show you all the combat training I have been working on with Alanna while you've been busy." I look past Auren to the other side of the fight circle and see another woman with flowing red hair, her back to us as she surveys the rest of the camp.
"Combat training?" Slade asks her with a furrow in his brow. "I thought you said she was teaching you how to play the violin."
"Well, it turns out Alanna knows how to do a lot of things and one of them is fight. She trained with the Fae army back in Annwyn before she came here. She thought I could use help learning defensive maneuvers and some other basic techniques…" Auren's voice trails off as she tries to read Slade's thoughts in his eyes.
Meanwhile my mind has latched on to the word Fae. If Auren's companion trained with the Fae army back in Annwyn…that must mean that she is a full-blooded Fae woman. I don't think I've ever met one outside of Deadwell before. I feel immediately paranoid of what she might want with Auren.
After some unspoken conversation has passed between Slade and Auren, he lets out a sigh and says to her, "By all means, please show me the progress of your training. Perhaps afterwards I can step into the ring to test you." Ugh. I see the sensual promise held in his words towards her and I want to get away from their pheromone drenched auras. However, I have got to stay and watch our little golden girl show off her new fighting skills as it could potentially be a hilarious disaster.
Auren beams at Slade and passes a smirk on to me before she turns to stride away and step over the fence and into the fight circle. The other woman, I believe Alanna was her name, stalks towards her with a surprisingly fierce gleam in her eyes. Yet, there is also humor there, as if she is ready to enjoy their combat.
"Hey, don't forget the most important rule about fight circle- no shirts allowed!" I hear a voice shout from behind and I turn around to see Judd, Lu and some other soldiers walk up towards us. Slade gives Judd a menacing glare but that just makes him shrug and laugh, "What? Gildy Locks and her friend must abide just like the rest of us plebian soldiers." I grin at Judd's smart-ass remark and my eyes go back to the women in the circle.
With a smirk and a mock bow, the red headed woman says "I would hate to disobey the rules of conduct of the mighty Fourth Kingdom Army. If shirts off is the rule, then I am only happy to oblige." Her voice is mellow pitched and seems to resonate without much strain. With a wicked gleam in her eye Alanna cocks her head to Auren and pulls her shirt up over her head to reveal her bare pale skin and a silver bralette that leaves very little to the imagination. The sight of her bare torso and undergarments, along with her reckless attitude, sends a wave of attraction through me and, damnit, straight to my groin as well.
I try to keep a passive look on my face and I clench my jaw a little bit, which it seems Slade is inclined to do the same as he watches Auren mimic Alanna's movements in taking off her shirt and discarding it to the side. Where Alanna is all pale creamy skin bared to the sun, Auren glows bright with her gold touch. I can't help but notice that she is wearing a halter type of top that situates her ample…assets quite attractively as well. Auren also has her hair pulled back with a long golden pin which shows off her torso. I will leave Slade to do the drooling over Auren and I decide to turn my attention back to Alanna.
The two women converse for a moment, and I catch the words, "No markings on the face, agreed?" coming from Alanna in a casual tone. Auren nods her head and I watch her square up her feet, bend in the knees and raise her hands in fists in front of her face. Already this stance looks light years better than the first time I saw Auren in the Fight Circle. Alanna takes a similar posture and with her hands up at her face she waves them in a "come hither" motion to Auren.
Auren punches out with her left fist, then right, then left again which Alanna blocks in succession. These moves look like part of a warmup routine and Alanna lets Auren continue the pattern for another minute before she punches out at Auren, forcing her to take a step back and block the blow.
Alanna takes a more dominant position as she begins to pounce on Auren, her blows getting faster until she lands an elbow to Auren's ribs. I feel Slade tense beside me, and I can sense a protective anger flare in his energy. However, to my discerning eye it doesn't look like Alanna is aiming to harm to Auren, she is only increasing her attack enough to push Auren's own capabilities.
Auren only takes a brief pause before she surges forward again to continue striking at Alanna, a gleam of determination in her golden eyes. We watch the two continue to spar until Auren can land a punch to Alanna's abdomen, which brings a small smile of pride to Slade's lips. In the next moment Alanna uses a low kick to knock Auren's legs out from under her sending her flat on her golden back. The fiery red head uses the opportunity to kneel and pin Auren to the ground with her forearm pushed on her golden throat.
"What are you going to do about it, beautiful?" I hear Alanna purr to Auren. I find it mesmerizing to watch the two together and I can already see how comfortable they are with one another. I wonder just how much time they spent training together, or practicing the violin, whichever thing. I think the training demonstration might be concluded until I see a flash of gold and suddenly Alanna is spinning through the air.
Auren was able to use her fucking gold ribbons to wrap around Alanna and catapult her off her chest like she weighed nothing. It is such a quick moment and if I had blinked, I might have missed it, but then I watch Alanna slam into the stone wall of the fight circle and fall to the ground with a sickening thud. Holy fuck. Auren is strong enough to take someone out like that? I could never have imagined our little golden girl would possess the strength and the will to attack so savagely with her ribbons. And damn, I feel a rush of pride surge in my chest and I can see the same feeling in the expressions of Judd and Lu when I glance back at them.
Yet, Alanna does not stay down. She stands back up in an instant, brushing her thighs off and squaring up straight to Auren, who has also gotten back up. Alanna is closer to me now so I can get a better look at her. She has fiery red hair which falls in a wild array to almost her lower back. I can see two dainty pointed ears poking through her hair. However, the most striking thing that I catch sight of, as her hair blows in the breeze, is the intricate silver tattoo on her spine. The outline of a rose in full bloom starts at the base of her neck and then two leaves protrude on the left and right side of the flower before a tangle of vines with thorns swirls down into a point, ending about two inches shorter than the length of her hair. The design almost resembles the shape of a sword- the leaves and rose making up the hilt and the thorns and vines are the blade.
With a chuckle, Alanna says "So, you want to make it interesting now Auren? We can let our claws come out." She begins to stride away from me while she reaches her right hand over her shoulder to grasp at her tattoo which begins to glow and pull away from her skin and transform into a real sword. My mouth drops open involuntarily as I can't comprehend what type of magic she must possess to make this happen.
"What the fuck type of tattoo artist does she go to? And can I get one just like hers," Lu is the first to speak as it appears the four of us are stunned at what we just witnessed. Alanna is holding the magical blade by her side, its silver gleaming in the sunlight. The handle still has the rose carving shape, and the blade is engraved with the twining vine and thorns.
"I've never seen anything like that in all my years with the army and on the battlefield," Slade says to us as he strokes his lips in contemplation. "I wonder if it is magic unique to only her?" We all turn to watch how Auren will react to Alanna's incredible display of magic, and the new threat of her weapon.
Her response catches me off guard as, Auren reaches into her hair and pulls her golden pin out and lets her hair fall down. I'm not certain that is the best tactic in the middle of a fight and I shake my head, willing Auren to prepare her ribbons to attack instead. Her ribbons are clearly her only weapon and by what I just saw she has gained quite a bit of mastery at using them at combat. I think of how I would like to see Auren take down Judd with those ribbons and knock him on his ass. Then I am blindsided again when I see the golden pin glow and lengthen in her hand until Auren is holding a fucking fighting staff with a gleaming knife point at the end. I have not witnessed Auren exhibit this type of gold touched power before.
"Fuck yes Gildy Locks! Get her in the arse with that golden spear," Keg shouts as he sidles up next to me in my spot against the wall of the fight circle. I hadn't noticed before but quite the crowd of soldiers has gathered around to spectate the fight between the two women. I think I overhear a couple of the left flank soldiers murmur to each other about taking bets on who will win the fight.
Auren is the first to attack as she strikes out with her new golden staff, aiming for Alanna's head, which the woman easily blocks with her sword. The two metal weapons ring out with a clang as they collide. The noise continues as the two spar with attacks and blocks, the circle becoming a whirl of dust as they move around and against each other. One of Auren's next blows lands on Alanna's chest and she hisses out, "You bitch, we said no face shots!"
"It's not your face, I hit you in the breast, that's fair," Auren retorts with another overhead strike of her golden staff. Alanna meets her weapon with her sword in the air, bearing the brunt of Auren's swing and stopping it from coming down on her again. As the two brace against each other, Alanna kicks Auren square in the chest sending her flying backwards. Instead of surging forward to take advantage of Auren's fall, the woman simply looks down at her breast and wipes a finger against the cut made there, then sticking that finger in her mouth.
"You better come kiss it to make it better," she says.
I think the entire group stops breathing for a moment, disbelief in what we think we just heard. We all watch as Auren gets up and crosses over to Alanna and with a devilish glint in her eyes, she does just that. I watch Auren dip her lips to the mark on Alanna's breast, which in turn makes the Fae woman shiver. A look at Slade makes me inclined to believe he is going to burst with either anger or provoked sexual arousal- probably a mix of both. I am entirely unsure what to make of the situation, although my judgement is once again clouded as I take in the sensual moment between the two women. A lot of my blood is currently trying to circulate in other parts of my body.
"Alright, alright, pick your jaws off the floor and get back to your own training or chores you pathetic lot," Lu says mulishly to the group and she begins to shoo people away with her hands. "It looks like you are going to have your hands full King Ravinger with these two," Lu chuckles to us before she grabs Judd by the arm and literally drags him off with her.
I'm left with the furiously ruminating King Rot and I have no clue what to say to my brother in this moment. But it seems I don't have to ask the question on both our minds as we watch the girls stride over to us, walking in tandem-Alanna with an arm around Auren's shoulders and the other with an arm around her waist. I have a hard time trying to figure out exactly what type of relationship the two have-I can see that Auren has gained a lot more confidence since I last saw her over a month ago.
"So, how did I do? What do you make of my fighting skills King Ravinger?" Auren asks my brother coyly with an arch to her eyebrow. Slade seems to need a moment to compose himself before he answers, with an attempt at humor I think,
"I can see that you two have been training, a lot. And your hard work has certainly paid off Goldfinch by the way you maneuvered in the fight circle, "Slade reaches towards Auren to offer his hand to hold and continues, "I am truly in awe at your new powers, did Alanna help coax that magic out of you?" Auren accepts his hand and slips out of Alanna's arm before saying,
"She certainly had me up early every damn day for two weeks straight to work on my fighting and magical skills. I think you will find that Alanna is a commanding and patient, albeit playful, teacher." Auren flicks a grin to Alanna as she says this and the woman smirks back at her before she turns to look at me for the first time.
"Lady Alanna," Slade interposes, "this is my brother Commander Ryatt, he has served with the Fourth Kingdom Army for five years and as of late he will be leading the legion."
I am greeted by Alanna's wide gaze, her eyes are the color of an amethyst gem and my eyes travel down to take in her round lush lips. Her red hair is parted in the middle and frames her face wildly. I get another glimpse of her pointed ears peaking through her hair. Inexplicably, I watch as a small white flower blooms in her hair by her ear-the petals unfurl into a delicate piece of wonder. I suck in a breath at this tiny miracle and I forget how to breathe for a moment. I have never seen a woman like Alanna in my entire life.
She quickly breaks our silent moment by flicking her eyes to Auren and saying in a fake loud whisper, "Why didn't you tell me that your King had a sexy brother?"
Sexy. That word gets trapped in my head and I can feel my cheeks want to instantly blush at hearing Alanna call me that. It takes all my self-control to keep myself from flushing and I attempt to keep my face indifferent.
"Ummm, Alanna you have a flower blooming," Auren says much quieter to her than Alanna's first greeting to me. Alanna reaches to her hair to pluck the delicate bloom from her red hair, and she holds it in the palm of her hand while quickly saying,
"Oh how embarrassing for me. I'm so sorry, this only happens when I'm attracted to someone-ow, Auren!"
Alanna has a playful gleam in her eye as she looks at the spot on her arm that Auren must have just pinched. She casts that same expression up at me as she extends the flower in her palm towards me.
"Let me try again, it is a pleasure to meet you, Commander. I have enjoyed visiting your camp for the past week and getting to know your soldiers. Here, this is for you, literally and figuratively," Alanna finishes saying with a wink, and I take the bloom from her hand. It is featherlight in my palm as I close my fingers gently around it before saying to Auren,
"I take it your new Fae companion does not have much of a filter?"
"Oh Commander," Alanna replies first, "you have no idea. Perhaps you would like to test for yourself in the fight circle? I promise not to filter my words or my fighting style."
My brother tries to intervene by saying, "I'm sure you and Auren most both be tired and ready for some lunch after your fighting display. Why don't we take a break for the day and go see what Keg has cooked up?" He turns as if to lead us away from the ring when Auren digs her heels into the ground and pulls on his arm,
"Not so fast King Ravinger, I remember you saying that you were going to test me in the ring next," Auren says impishly. She is a demanding golden creature, and she has my brother completely wrapped around her finger. I see him give in to her tease, "Is that so Goldfinch, I hope you're ready to put your money where that smart mouth is," he says as he scoops her up in his arms to carry her over the wall and back into the fight ring.
Their departure means that Alanna and I are standing alone together, I take a peak down at the flower in my hand. This time I notice that the delicate petals have the thinnest lines of purple on them, similar to the color of Alanna's eyes. When I look back to her, I see the same color staring up at me. I note that her head reaches up to about my collarbone. I break the silence first,
"I suppose we should head to the other fight circle so I can put your challenge to the test. Unless you are feeling too indisposed from that terrible wound you sustained from Auren in your fight." I smirk and look down to the spot on her breast where Auren's blade had scraped her, but instead all I see is an imprint of golden lips. Almost like an inked tattoo exactly in the shape of Auren's kiss. Arousal flares through me as I take in that intimate detail, imagining what her skin must have felt like under Auren's lips. I'm surprised when I feel a flare of jealousy at my wayward observation, because I realize that I would salivate over the chance to put my lips right there and taste Alanna too.
Alanna tracks where my gaze goes and as if she can sense my wanton thoughts, a sinful smile graces her lips. "Try not to get too distracted by my breasts, Commander, they're not my only secret weapon in combat." She starts to walk away, and I stride next to her until we reach the next open fight circle. "Also, if I remember correctly your army has a strict "no shirt policy". So, ditch the tunic, Sir" she says teasingly to me.
I don't hesitate in unbuckling my breast plate armor, dropping it to the ground and then pulling my shirt off over my head. My muscled chest has a smattering of dark hair and I appreciate that her gaze seems to take its time looking over it and trailing down my abdomen to the button of my pants. It truly seems that Alanna is an open book to read because her eyes have widened, and her mouth has parted slightly. I am beyond pleased to see the affect I have on her, especially considering the literal bloom from earlier. That and the way she called me 'sexy' may have boosted my ego. Just a little bit.
We both step over the wall and into the ring, walking to separate sides so that we leave some empty space in the middle between us. I call to her, "Ladies first" to which Alanna gives a mock curtsy, like the one earlier.
"If you insist Commander, are we doing fists or weapons first?"
"Fists I think, I want to truly see what you're capable of without that magic sword of yours." I have a lot of questions for her about her weapon, but I think those will have to wait for another time. A flush of adrenaline spikes through me as I watch Alanna charge towards me, and she aims for my legs with a kick. I block her first strike and then we begin to fight.
We start by testing each other with a back and forth of punches and kicks. Alanna surprises me by landing the first blow with a knee to the side of my stomach making me twist to the side. She reaches with a kick to my back, but I block the attack and spin her abruptly exposing her back instead. I land a powerful kick to her back, and it pushes her away from me towards the ground which she meets with a roll that turns into a defensive crouch.
I'm starting to breathe heavy at this point from the exertion. So far, I am enthralled with her fighting style and watching her lithe figure attack me with such ferocity. I am a competitive bastard, and I am not trying to relinquish my skills to match her level- if anything it seems she is closely matched to my own skills. I feel even more like a bastard when I realize that I have hardened somewhat from the thrill of fighting Alanna. I try to cut myself a break, after all she looks stunning in her skimpy top. I know she was joking earlier about the secret weapon thing, but damn Alanna does have exquisite breasts. I try to get a handle on my shameless thoughts but I'm not quick enough and Alanna blindsides me with her next attack.
Using momentum and my own body she flips around me until her back is against mine, her arms are pulling my neck and head as she flips me over her, and I land solidly on my back. A gasp of air leaves my throat from the impact and then I feel the hard heel of her boot against my neck. My eyes travel up the shoe and her long leg, and I initially feel pissed that she was able to pin me. Yet, I also drink in the sight of this otherworldly Fae woman with her damn sexy boot on my throat. She removes her leg quickly and before I know it Alanna has stretched out her hand to me,
"I quite enjoyed that challenge, perhaps we'll have to do that again with swords sometime," She says, again in that playful tone.
I take her hand and allow her to help me up, noticing the heat that rises between our touch. Once I am up, we are standing so close to one another, my hand still held in hers. Her purple eyes lock onto mine and I see them widen again and some of the playfulness leaves them and instead I see desire pool in their depths. I feel my own breath hitch as I dare to reach out a finger to touch the golden imprint of Auren's kiss on her breast.
"Did this hurt at all, when she gold touched you?" I murmur curiously to her. I gently trace the edges of the shape with my finger and I see a shiver run through her body.
Alanna shakes her head, her red hair swings with the motion, and says, "It hurts only like a prick for a moment, but I enjoy the sweet pain of Auren's gold touch. However, I think this is going to possibly hurt more." I look back into her eyes,
"What's going to hurt, Alanna?" I worry that she can read my thoughts because right now all I want to do is taste her lips with mine. Our close proximity has made desire surge through my body and I can feel that every part of me wants to reach out and touch every part of her.
"I'm not going to deny that I feel a pull towards you. However, I am a High Fae and there are certain codes that I abide by. That and I'm not entirely sure that you could handle me." Damn, her words sting and the ego boost I had felt earlier almost entirely deflates. Alanna pulls her hand out of mine and abruptly turns from me to strut away.
I wish I could think quicker on my feet, but I've been too ensnared in her gaze and heat. I'm also distracted when I see that a full riot of blooms have opened in her red hair. The petals fall off from the flowers as she strides away. All I can think to myself is that this pull towards her, even though she has pushed me away.