Sorry for the long wait but been busy with a job and holidays but don't
despair there are tow chapters for your delight or horror.....
Chapter 9
Mornings were beginning to be an endurance test for Miri, as the lack of sleep and being long-term friend to a wonderful, handsome ex-Player and newly appointed Commander was taking its toll. Propping her chin up on her hand so that it would not hit the table should she doze off, Miri half- heartedly spooned her porridge around the bowl, trying to think of anything else except that man.
To her delight, the mess hall was quite deserted at this time, which left Miri undisturbed in her reflections. In no way could she understand why Evin was looking forward to punishing her. As things stood, Miri believed that they were equal on pay back – he had abandoned her after their first kiss without so much as a goodbye, and she had pretended not hear the plea to stay by his side.
His parting words and the expression on his face as she left kept floating in her mind, which certainly wasn't a bad thing, as dreaming of Evin had become a highlight when she was mending from a wound, but nonetheless it worried her that Evin could use his powers as Commander at her expense. Miri shook her head: he would never be that much of an idiot.
Through the years of duty in the Riders, she had seen some of her promoted friends becoming leaders of groups, and subsequently turning into right prigs. It was a shame to see people that once would spend time joking with anyone turn into people who would totally ignore you due to the rank on your uniform. Thinking back over the two months since the Queen announced the position, Miri believed Evin hadn't changed at all. He still wrote horrid poetry, still read some of these dreadful writings to the rest of his group, he still snored loudly, still couldn't be bothered in fixing his hair (unless there was a pretty lady involved), and he definitely still found time to tease Miri by pulling her braids. Indeed, the Commander of the Queen's Rider could not be placed on the prig list. Shame, really. Miri snorted at the thought of Evin turning all posh and proper and behaving disrespectfully to his mother. That would be a sight to see.
Her left hand came in contact with another, in the form of a tight grasp. Without looking up she knew it was Evin, as her whole body tingled afterwards from his touch. Sitting next to her on the bench, he made sure that their shoulders brushed, as his touch warmed Miri.
Glancing at him, Miri took in his slight dishevelled appearance: a clean white shirt for combat practise half tucked in to his brown trousers, some hair on his head standing in the wrong direction, and at that moment he munched half his piece of toast, drinking juice and trying to say something in Miri's direction. Laugher bubbled from her mouth, which made Evin stop in the middle of a sentence and stare as if she had gone mad.
"Will you ever learn to get up on time, Commander?" Miri spoke through fits of giggles.
"And why would that be necessary, Fisher?" Evin shot back.
"Well for one, it would give you time to look in the mirror!"
She leaned forward, fixing his shirt collar, then moved on to correct his hair, which surprising felt like silk, and completed Evin's disarray by stealing his toast and eating it. Evin froze as Miri commenced on her duty of sorting him out, for at that time he could honestly admit that his thoughts weren't that clean and wished for a more private examination instead of in the mess hall.
Lifting one brow Evin inquired, "Am I fit enough to continue with my food?"
"Yes, you are."
"Then I would like my toast back, if I may."
"But I ate it, Evin."
Miri's confusion showed onto her face, which brought a lopsided grin to Evin's. Noticing the roguish look growing on Evin's face, Miri placed a hand on his chest as a warning against any funny business. Evin covered her hand with his and peeled it away, circling Miri's waist with his free arm and bending his head to regain his "toast".
Miri went on high alert as Evin softly kissed her at breakfast time in the mess hall. This was dangerous for both of them, as some Riders would not be happy at the pairing, and as Miri felt awkward at public affection. Thinking about the many women who were infatuated with her Commander, and would therefore mark her for their jealous, Miri stiffened. Her nervousness was noted by Evin, who slowly started to pull away, but at the last moment his lips were met by a returning kiss from Miri. To the Black Gates with the rest of them, mused Miri, I'm not stopping this incredible feeling for anyone.
Clearing his throat, Evin spoke, "Now that I have thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast," Miri raised her eyebrows, "there is still the situation of payback to discuss..."
"Wait one minute," interrupted Miri. "You left me in your room, after our first kiss, to figure this all out. I think we're quite even on the issue of payback," she told him, flapping her arms around as if to demonstrate her point.
"But if you remember, I did have a meeting with the King, and therefore could not have been late if I value my own life," countered Evin.
"You shouldn't have been drinking so much at the ball."
"I was not drunk."
"Then why couldn't you button up your own shirt?"
"Well Miri," Evin said, his voice husky, "that seemed the only possible way to get you to admit your deep feelings for such a romantic Commander like myself." He gently brushed Miri's cheek, causing her to blush in remembrance.
"Liar," whispered Miri.
"Then, my beautiful lady, I challenge you to a duel on the subject of our payback. If I win ...then you have to become my little helper for the day, and if you win..."
"Then we call all this revenge business quits?"
"If that's what you want, but I could think of a better use for me," he told her, lowering his voice even further.
"I bet you could," retorted Miri, "but I'm not that kind of person." She stood up from the table, brushed crumbs off her lap, then glared down at Evin for a second, quickly replacing it with smile.
"And I am?"
"You just proved it with your own words."
-------------------------------
Reaching the practise grounds Evin suggested that they fight their "duel" at the far end so that the others Riders coming in later would not disturb them.
"What weapon do you want to use, Evin?" Miri asked as she headed towards the storage shed.
"None," came the reply. "Lets do hand to hand combat."
Miri was puzzled at his suggestion, as out of the two of them, Miri was the better at hand to hand combat. It was only in swords that Evin had the advantage, and he would usually inform people that duels with swords allowed him to keep Miri's ego from growing too large. More like saving his pride, Miri thought to herself. She wouldn't complain, however, it was his choice, but it looked as if she would be free from these little games forever in under an hour.
Standing opposite one another in the marked area, they quickly started circling. Evin stepped forward, bending his body to the earth and trying to sweep his right leg under Miri, but she agilely jumped out of the way. Again Evin attacked with a left punch, which was quickly blocked, and then his arm was twisted, allowing Miri to easily flip his whole body over her hip and onto the ground. She secured him by placing a foot on his neck, and with more pressure cutting off his air supply. First round to Miri.
Evin picked himself up and rubbed his neck. "Don't be gentle," he muttered.
"Sorry." Miri shrugged, unrepentant.
"Alright, let's continue."
Feeling successful and confident in the match, Miri made the first move by striking out with her left leg in the direction of Evin's stomach. Winding him would give Miri the easy opportunity of wrestling him to the ground, however Evin side stepped, and instead grasped Miri's leg, twisting so that her body lost its balance and fell to the ground. Before she could react, Evin held her arms against her back, rendering her completely powerless.
"I think I win this round," said Evin politely, helping Miri up.
"We still have one more."
"Of course."
Evin smiled as Miri faced him for their last bout, making her a little watery at the knees. Not fair commented Miri silently to herself. Both standing in fighting position, Evin ventured a high punch which lead Miri to blocking once again, giving her the opportunity of hitting the back of Evin's legs, collapsing him to the ground. She sat on Evin's stomach, securing him with her body weight, while pulling his arms above his head.
Smiling smugly Miri announced, "I think I wo..."
But before she could finish, Evin somehow managed to pull Miri closer to him, and was able to flip the position so that it was now he that straddled her. She was pinned to the ground, complete with a sore head from hitting it on the floor, and now had the man she loved grinning like the cat got the cream above her. Evin dropped his head so there was barely an inch between their faces and gazed intently into Miri's eyes.
"I think I won."
It was unbelievable that Evin had managed to triumph over Miri. She was dumbfounded, and completely unprepared for losing. Now the rest of her day would be spent as Evin's helper, which meant spending the whole time with him and doing everything he might bid. Come to think of it, it didn't actually sound that bad.
However, Miri would never have been able to live this down had it been witnessed by other Riders, but she noted with satisfaction that the practice courts were still deserted. At least she would be able to spend the day without taunts of Evin's beating her and insinuating questions about the "help" Evin needed.
Evin dragged the dazed Miri to her feet and proceeded to lead her in the direction of his room, where they could privately discuss the terms of the deal. Silently he thanked Sarge, who had, throughout the last week, instructed him in improving his wrestling skills. The look on Miri's face was unforgettable as he overpowered her at the last moment. He could predict several months of constant teasing about the day when Miri lost to the almighty Commander, though he should be wary, for he had the sneaking suspicion this would be his last triumph over her.
You should all thank Lily Rose Depp ( my beta reader) for helping me in sorting out the grammar and hints! Don't worry about the chapter numbers they are all in order it is just my brain doesn't work that way!!
Chapter 9
Mornings were beginning to be an endurance test for Miri, as the lack of sleep and being long-term friend to a wonderful, handsome ex-Player and newly appointed Commander was taking its toll. Propping her chin up on her hand so that it would not hit the table should she doze off, Miri half- heartedly spooned her porridge around the bowl, trying to think of anything else except that man.
To her delight, the mess hall was quite deserted at this time, which left Miri undisturbed in her reflections. In no way could she understand why Evin was looking forward to punishing her. As things stood, Miri believed that they were equal on pay back – he had abandoned her after their first kiss without so much as a goodbye, and she had pretended not hear the plea to stay by his side.
His parting words and the expression on his face as she left kept floating in her mind, which certainly wasn't a bad thing, as dreaming of Evin had become a highlight when she was mending from a wound, but nonetheless it worried her that Evin could use his powers as Commander at her expense. Miri shook her head: he would never be that much of an idiot.
Through the years of duty in the Riders, she had seen some of her promoted friends becoming leaders of groups, and subsequently turning into right prigs. It was a shame to see people that once would spend time joking with anyone turn into people who would totally ignore you due to the rank on your uniform. Thinking back over the two months since the Queen announced the position, Miri believed Evin hadn't changed at all. He still wrote horrid poetry, still read some of these dreadful writings to the rest of his group, he still snored loudly, still couldn't be bothered in fixing his hair (unless there was a pretty lady involved), and he definitely still found time to tease Miri by pulling her braids. Indeed, the Commander of the Queen's Rider could not be placed on the prig list. Shame, really. Miri snorted at the thought of Evin turning all posh and proper and behaving disrespectfully to his mother. That would be a sight to see.
Her left hand came in contact with another, in the form of a tight grasp. Without looking up she knew it was Evin, as her whole body tingled afterwards from his touch. Sitting next to her on the bench, he made sure that their shoulders brushed, as his touch warmed Miri.
Glancing at him, Miri took in his slight dishevelled appearance: a clean white shirt for combat practise half tucked in to his brown trousers, some hair on his head standing in the wrong direction, and at that moment he munched half his piece of toast, drinking juice and trying to say something in Miri's direction. Laugher bubbled from her mouth, which made Evin stop in the middle of a sentence and stare as if she had gone mad.
"Will you ever learn to get up on time, Commander?" Miri spoke through fits of giggles.
"And why would that be necessary, Fisher?" Evin shot back.
"Well for one, it would give you time to look in the mirror!"
She leaned forward, fixing his shirt collar, then moved on to correct his hair, which surprising felt like silk, and completed Evin's disarray by stealing his toast and eating it. Evin froze as Miri commenced on her duty of sorting him out, for at that time he could honestly admit that his thoughts weren't that clean and wished for a more private examination instead of in the mess hall.
Lifting one brow Evin inquired, "Am I fit enough to continue with my food?"
"Yes, you are."
"Then I would like my toast back, if I may."
"But I ate it, Evin."
Miri's confusion showed onto her face, which brought a lopsided grin to Evin's. Noticing the roguish look growing on Evin's face, Miri placed a hand on his chest as a warning against any funny business. Evin covered her hand with his and peeled it away, circling Miri's waist with his free arm and bending his head to regain his "toast".
Miri went on high alert as Evin softly kissed her at breakfast time in the mess hall. This was dangerous for both of them, as some Riders would not be happy at the pairing, and as Miri felt awkward at public affection. Thinking about the many women who were infatuated with her Commander, and would therefore mark her for their jealous, Miri stiffened. Her nervousness was noted by Evin, who slowly started to pull away, but at the last moment his lips were met by a returning kiss from Miri. To the Black Gates with the rest of them, mused Miri, I'm not stopping this incredible feeling for anyone.
Clearing his throat, Evin spoke, "Now that I have thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast," Miri raised her eyebrows, "there is still the situation of payback to discuss..."
"Wait one minute," interrupted Miri. "You left me in your room, after our first kiss, to figure this all out. I think we're quite even on the issue of payback," she told him, flapping her arms around as if to demonstrate her point.
"But if you remember, I did have a meeting with the King, and therefore could not have been late if I value my own life," countered Evin.
"You shouldn't have been drinking so much at the ball."
"I was not drunk."
"Then why couldn't you button up your own shirt?"
"Well Miri," Evin said, his voice husky, "that seemed the only possible way to get you to admit your deep feelings for such a romantic Commander like myself." He gently brushed Miri's cheek, causing her to blush in remembrance.
"Liar," whispered Miri.
"Then, my beautiful lady, I challenge you to a duel on the subject of our payback. If I win ...then you have to become my little helper for the day, and if you win..."
"Then we call all this revenge business quits?"
"If that's what you want, but I could think of a better use for me," he told her, lowering his voice even further.
"I bet you could," retorted Miri, "but I'm not that kind of person." She stood up from the table, brushed crumbs off her lap, then glared down at Evin for a second, quickly replacing it with smile.
"And I am?"
"You just proved it with your own words."
-------------------------------
Reaching the practise grounds Evin suggested that they fight their "duel" at the far end so that the others Riders coming in later would not disturb them.
"What weapon do you want to use, Evin?" Miri asked as she headed towards the storage shed.
"None," came the reply. "Lets do hand to hand combat."
Miri was puzzled at his suggestion, as out of the two of them, Miri was the better at hand to hand combat. It was only in swords that Evin had the advantage, and he would usually inform people that duels with swords allowed him to keep Miri's ego from growing too large. More like saving his pride, Miri thought to herself. She wouldn't complain, however, it was his choice, but it looked as if she would be free from these little games forever in under an hour.
Standing opposite one another in the marked area, they quickly started circling. Evin stepped forward, bending his body to the earth and trying to sweep his right leg under Miri, but she agilely jumped out of the way. Again Evin attacked with a left punch, which was quickly blocked, and then his arm was twisted, allowing Miri to easily flip his whole body over her hip and onto the ground. She secured him by placing a foot on his neck, and with more pressure cutting off his air supply. First round to Miri.
Evin picked himself up and rubbed his neck. "Don't be gentle," he muttered.
"Sorry." Miri shrugged, unrepentant.
"Alright, let's continue."
Feeling successful and confident in the match, Miri made the first move by striking out with her left leg in the direction of Evin's stomach. Winding him would give Miri the easy opportunity of wrestling him to the ground, however Evin side stepped, and instead grasped Miri's leg, twisting so that her body lost its balance and fell to the ground. Before she could react, Evin held her arms against her back, rendering her completely powerless.
"I think I win this round," said Evin politely, helping Miri up.
"We still have one more."
"Of course."
Evin smiled as Miri faced him for their last bout, making her a little watery at the knees. Not fair commented Miri silently to herself. Both standing in fighting position, Evin ventured a high punch which lead Miri to blocking once again, giving her the opportunity of hitting the back of Evin's legs, collapsing him to the ground. She sat on Evin's stomach, securing him with her body weight, while pulling his arms above his head.
Smiling smugly Miri announced, "I think I wo..."
But before she could finish, Evin somehow managed to pull Miri closer to him, and was able to flip the position so that it was now he that straddled her. She was pinned to the ground, complete with a sore head from hitting it on the floor, and now had the man she loved grinning like the cat got the cream above her. Evin dropped his head so there was barely an inch between their faces and gazed intently into Miri's eyes.
"I think I won."
It was unbelievable that Evin had managed to triumph over Miri. She was dumbfounded, and completely unprepared for losing. Now the rest of her day would be spent as Evin's helper, which meant spending the whole time with him and doing everything he might bid. Come to think of it, it didn't actually sound that bad.
However, Miri would never have been able to live this down had it been witnessed by other Riders, but she noted with satisfaction that the practice courts were still deserted. At least she would be able to spend the day without taunts of Evin's beating her and insinuating questions about the "help" Evin needed.
Evin dragged the dazed Miri to her feet and proceeded to lead her in the direction of his room, where they could privately discuss the terms of the deal. Silently he thanked Sarge, who had, throughout the last week, instructed him in improving his wrestling skills. The look on Miri's face was unforgettable as he overpowered her at the last moment. He could predict several months of constant teasing about the day when Miri lost to the almighty Commander, though he should be wary, for he had the sneaking suspicion this would be his last triumph over her.
You should all thank Lily Rose Depp ( my beta reader) for helping me in sorting out the grammar and hints! Don't worry about the chapter numbers they are all in order it is just my brain doesn't work that way!!
