A/N: Femslash February Day 5 - Weapons
Marion: Please, just take care of yourself.
Griffin: Take care of me yourself, you coward.
Marion: ...Oh, yeah?
The padded vest constricted Griffin's chest like a band of metal around it. Each gulp of breath was an extra burn in her muscles in addition to lifting the weight in her hand she wasn't used to and blocking Marion's own sword.
Dodging was impossible. She wasn't fast enough and Marion didn't make it any easier – always aiming for her middle to eliminate the possibility of ducking under her sword. Jumping back was too much of a retreat as she'd learned the first dozen times she'd found herself cornered against a wall with a blade at her throat.
Marion had the advantage of experience where non-magical combat was concerned. Griffin needed a different approach to give her the edge she was so desperately missing.
Their swords clashed again and Marion used all the strength she'd acquired in practice to push, force Griffin to the ground.
It wasn't just her arms buckling. Her knees would give out any moment forcing surrender on her once again.
Unacceptable.
Griffin reached under her vest for the dagger strapped there.
Marion took advantage – shoved her back with both hands on the hilt of her sword.
Griffin refused to budge. Planted her soles firmly on the ground–digging into it painfully–to counter Marion's skillful footwork. Her balance reached a precarious point. One wrong move and she'd tip over, stumble face first into the floor.
Her whole strength was already focused forward. Sinking the tip of her dagger into Marion's vest would throw her off guard and give Griffin her opening.
She dived to the side to avoid both swords as she diverted her efforts onto the small blade in her other hand.
Conjured during a break, it was simply a lesson learned rather than a broken rule. In fact, she was planning on making it her new must-have accessory to eliminate any and all magic from the equation in the future, be prepared next time someone tried to leave her powerless.
Marion jumped in the opposite direction. Her sword fell away too.
Without a counter force, Griffin plunged forward.
Marion grabbed her forearm and used her inertia to spin her around instead. She slammed her into the wall and twisted her wrist until Griffin dropped the dagger.
Marion used her sword to knock Griffin's out of her hand before pointing it at Griffin's throat and stepping back.
Griffin sucked in a few erratic breaths before searching for her voice and the right words.
"I see that was never going to work," she conceded. "You'd expect all kinds of dirty tricks from me."
And then, just to return the hit her composure had taken, she added, "I would've surprised you more with a love confession."
Marion's lips parted but only a measured exhale came out. Not a muscle in her body twitched.
It was Griffin who had to struggle against the frown tugging at her mouth. She'd already suffered enough losses today, even more in the past couple of months, in order to add new ones to the list.
"Surprise attacks have been a not-insignificant part of my life from before I ascended the throne," Marion softened the blow, always offering diplomacy in response to Griffin's attempts at poking the dragon.
She'd been the heir to Domino before she'd been its queen. She'd been its weapon–magical and political–her whole life. Just like Griffin had been Cloud Tower's, headmistress Annora and the faculty's successful work resting on her monstrous power and her frightful maneuvers through a landscape rigged against them. At least they had.
Griffin lunged forward.
Marion's sword clattered harmlessly to the ground to drown out Griffin's steps but the sound only announced her victory louder throughout the room.
Marion stopped herself before backing a second step away. Her brows furrowed and her eyes were wide with something that was neither rage, nor surprise.
If Griffin let it go to her head, she could pronounce it admiration. The truth was that it looked much more like concern.
Marion confirmed her worst suspicions, "That wouldn't work in a battle."
Griffin smiled sardonically. "Of course, it will."
Most people only ever wanted one thing from her – her absence. It made vigilance crucial – to pick out those who could surprise her with an intention different from that to hurt her. Those were usually the ones that she had to be the most cautious about so she'd learned to read people like books, find every bit of self-interest in their gaze–or respect, maybe even care for her–and use it to her benefit.
"It has so far. Every time."
Marion's thoughts visibly raced behind her eyes, frozen on Griffin's form. "That explains everything."
Griffin didn't bother nodding. It was unnecessary to Marion and impossible for her.
All her magic draining into Cloud Tower's veins had been an alarm for certain but it had failed to prepare her for what had come after. Watching all of her equally powerless colleagues–the twins–Headmistress Annora–get massacred would have left a scar already. But being the lone survivor–spared by Valtor to be his ticket to Marion's home–was a curse.
She'd never cowered before, never hidden herself away behind walls and guards and such power–greater than her own–that barely even existed. The–metaphorical–minefield protecting Cloud Tower had been her doing but if she ever wanted to leave the Domino palace again, she'd have to choose between being a weapon and a victim. At some point one of those would become more bearable than her current-
A step forward and Marion reclaimed the positions she'd lost before, leaving her face to face with Griffin, their breath mingling. She took Griffin's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, uncaring of the explosion that could trigger.
The tension drained from Griffin's muscles instead, when she didn't have to hold a sword or her magic close to her chest to defend herself or scramble for words to explain away her actions to people that made it their goal to misunderstand her.
Marion cupped her cheek and leaned in to connect their lips. Her kiss was light as a feather on Griffin's flesh. It was easy to push away and somehow easier still to accept. Her lungs weren't straining against the confines of her own body or the room, against the hospitality she was supposed to betray and the helplessness forced on her.
Marion was tender but not so timid as to suggest hesitation. Her tongue slipped in Griffin's mouth without fear of getting cut on the edges of her teeth. Her arms wrapped Griffin and pulled her so close she could feel every little motion, every bit of life in Marion's body. She was allowed to touch it, too, Marion only encouraging the stroke of her fingertips on her collarbone with an enthusiastic moan.
Griffin allowed herself to relax in the kiss, sink into it. She let herself enjoy being treated not like a weapon, but like a woman.