Mark stood in the shadows of a large room. He was watching his wife, who was being taught basic wrestling moves and holds, after he had insisted on it the night before.
He was quite pleased at her progress, she had only started this morning, and she had perfected nearly all the assigned moves. ~ She's good, better than I thought ~ he said quietly to himself, before walking across the room, and sliding into the ring that Stephanie and the trainer were standing in. Stephanie watched him intently, and smiled when he walked over to her.
"I'm going to watch you and Belle have a little match, okay?" he stroked her cheek lightly with the back of his hand.
"Sure," she said, blushing slightly. Mark nudged her to the middle of the ring.
"Let the match begin," He said in a majestic voice, and stepped into the corner. It was a quick match, and Stephanie pinned her trainer quickly, after applying numerous chokes and holds. Mark helped her to her feet, and looked her in the eye.
"You did well, little princess, now you go on to better competition."
"What do you mean?" Stephanie asked, slightly worried.
"Now, you face me."
"She can't, you've annihilated lots of people in better shape than-" Belle was abruptly stopped when he master asked her for silence. "Sorry, m'lord, I'll ref the match." She apologized.
"I have to fight you now-," Stephanie started, her fear was showing, and Mark saw it in her clear blue eyes."
"Don't worry, princess, I'm not gonna hurt you - too badly," he said reassuringly, in a good natured tone, and pushed her back to the center of the ring.
Belle tapped the officials bell, and the match started. Mark threw a well aimed punch at Stephanie, which caught her in the jaw, and she stepped back into the ropes. He tried to clothesline her over the top rope, but she ducked, and pulled his legs out from under him, snapping his neck across the ropes. She quickly put him in an ankle lock, but he shook her off, and walked across the ring towards her. As she got up, she felt his arm smash across the base of her neck, driving the wind out of her in a vicious clothesline. ~ Resilient ~ Mark thought, as she quickly tried to get straight up from his attack. She caught him off guard, with a legsweep, and climbed to the top of the turnbuckle, before executing a perfect back flip , much like a moonsault, and landing directly on his stomach. She tried to pin him, but just before the 3 count, he flipped her over, and used his weight to pin her to the mat. The breath had been knocked out of her when he flipped her, and she couldn't breathe.
"Good one, little princess, you almost got me," he whispered into her ear softly after the three count, and rolled off her, sitting upright, and pulling her into his arms.
Stephanie sighed, she was hurt, but now Mark was being kind to her again, and tended to her injured wrist, which she didn't remember how she hurt.
"Come on up to dinner, you've been practicing down here all day. You need something to eat," Mark said once he had iced her wrist, and wrapped it with a bandage, then helping her to her feet, "It's been a long day, and from what I just saw you're doing well."