Getting closer to the Past

“I think we should make camp here for today. Tomorrow we can cross the… border.”, suggested Violet.

Everybody else agreed and they stopped at a small lake near the road.

“I’ll go and look around for something fresh to eat. I saw a few ducks on the way here, maybe I’ll get lucky.”, said Cera and jumped from the cart.

She took her bow and vanished into the high grass. There weren’t many trees around, but luckily, they had enough firewood with them from yesterday, when they camped on the outskirts of a forest. Caleb and Alex gathered some stones and made a small campfire.

“Hey Alex… can we do some practice today too… we have some daylight left, and we have nothing else to do until Cera is back.”, said Violet after they finished making their camp.

She had asked him to practice every day the past week they had been on the road. Violet had even bought a short sword in one of the villages they traveled through. Alex looked at her. Something about her seemed off to him. With every day they got closer to the border Violet seemed to grow more anxious and serious. She fiddled more frequently with a strand of her hair and sometimes she seemed lost in thought.

“Of course, let’s do it.”, agreed Alex.

They went a bit away from the camp. Alex did some warmup exercises with Violet and then had her do some practice swings. She was a very fast learner.

“Well, I think it’s time we try something new.”, said Alex after watching her swing.

He went a few meters in front of her.

“Now attack me.”, said Alex with a smile.

“What?”, asked Violet perplexed.

“You heard me… attack me!”

“But… you have no weapon… and this thing is sharp.”

“So what?”

“Well… when I hit you with it… you’ll bleed…”

“Well for that to happen you’ll first have to land a hit on me.”

“You think I can’t?”

“That’s exactly what I think.”

“What? You…”

“Let’s make a deal… If you manage to land a hit on me and make me bleed, I’ll… do anything you want for a day.”

“Oh? That confident, are we? Make it two.”

“Deal.”

“Well then, prepare yourself to be my slave for a week!”

“Bring it.”

Violet lunged forward. Alex grabbed her sword arm by the wrist. With his other hand he took hold of Violet’s belt. Alex just turned his body and using the momentum he threw her over his shoulder but slowing her down before hitting the ground. Alex released the gasping Violet, jumped back and smiled.

“You’re enjoying this.”, groaned Violet, while getting up again.

“Very much so... I like the spirit, but you leave yourself open way too much. Such a lunge can work against a distracted or off-balance enemy, but not against someone who sees it coming. Continue.”, commented Alex.

Violet closed in again, slower this time. She swung back. Alex stepped forward into the slash and grabbed her again, following the same steps as before.

“Don’t swing back like that. It gives the opponent way too much time to react. Instead of throwing you I could have just knocked you out with a straight punch. Or if I had a weapon, you would get skewered. If you go for a slash, do it with elbow and wrist and not with the shoulder.”

Violet got up again, wiped a hair strand out of her face and her eyes burned with determination.

“That’s the look I want to see. Continue.”

Violet breathed deeply and closed in again. She swung as instructed. Alex dodged. Violet swung again. Alex stepped forward again but turned his body quickly to the side, going past and giving her a little push in the back. Violet had to take a long step or she would have lost her balance.

“Not bad, continue.”

Violet went in again. She swung and swung but Alex kept evading all of them and danced around her. Violet went for a frustrated stab. Alex side-stepped it and swept her legs out from under her with a kick. Violet went down hard.

“You waste way too much movement and telegraph your attacks. Don’t try and use the weight of your weapon, use your whole-body structure instead to make those slashes snappier and more impactful.”, suggested Alex and helped Violet up.

“But you always use the weight of your weapon and swing widely.”, said Violet annoyed.

“I use an axe which has its weight focused on the top, so it’s meant to be used like that, especially a two-handed one. A sword is much more centered, so the power does not come from its weight but from the body behind it.”

“I want an axe too…”

“A sorceress with an axe… well that would be something…”

“Right? I would look so cool!”

“Well… let’s focus on the now… or have you forgotten our deal?”

“No… but… It’s just so unfair. You are way faster, stronger and more experienced in fighting than me. I just can’t hit you.”

“A lot of the beasts I fought were stronger and faster than me and I bet I am way less experienced than most of the men I fought. Sometimes you have to be creative. Exploit everything that you can see around you and every weakness in your opponent. There is no fair or clean fight when it comes down to it… Use everything you got to make sure you are the one standing at the end. Continue.”

Violet hesitated a bit but then closed in again. She swung her sword wide and overhead. Alex shook his head slightly, stepped forward and caught her arm again.

“What did I te-“, he wanted to berate her but got interrupted.

Violet had leaned into him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Alex felt her soft lips on his beard and skin beneath.

“What…are…you…doing.”, he stammered.

Violet pulled her head back. Alex stepped back and touched his cheek in a daze.

“Exploiting every weakness in my opponent.”, said Violet with a smug grin.

Alex hadn’t even noticed that he released her sword arm. He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his other cheek. Alex slowly touched it and looked at his hand. A droplet of blood was on his fingertip.

“Well done… you have won…”, he said with a disbelieving tone.

Violet grinned triumphantly.

“But please don’t use that… in a real fight.”, added Alex.

“Don’t worry… I’ll use that only on you… It will be my ultimate finishing move against you!... Now, what will I have you do? Ah, I know! Come with me!”

Violet went to a willow tree near the small lake. Alex followed her.

“Sit down.”, she ordered.

He sat down beneath the willow tree. She placed herself in his lap facing away from him.

"What?”, said Alex surprised.

“Give me a shoulder rub.”, she ordered.

“Huh?”

“You heard me. Your hands on my shoulders, now!”

Violet wiggled her shoulders, and Alex placed his hands on them.

“Good… now massage.”

Alex began massaging them.

“Good boy… now harder… Aah… yeah, like that… Ooh!”

“Could you stop… doing those noises?”, asked Alex flustered.

“Nope…. Uuh! Yeah, right there! Ahh… That’s the spot! Really get in there! Ooh, yeah! Don’t stop! Don’t you fucking dare to stop!”

Alex did not stop, and so did Violet.

“Ooh… Okay, that’s enough… I don’t think you can endure much more.”, she said after continuing to torture him with her noises for a while.

“What do you mean? This is nothing for me… I can take more…”, tried Alex to deny his flusteredness.

Violet turned her upper body and looked him directly into the eyes. His face was bright red.

“Dude… Don’t think that I can’t feel it.”, she said with a smirk.

“Feel what?”, asked Alex confused.

“You… poking me.”

“Oh, shit… fuck… sorry…”

Alex turned even redder than he already was. Violet started laughing and slid from his lap to the side. Alex immediately pulled his legs to him. Violet laughed even more.

“Glad you’re back to normal…”, said Alex after she had calmed down a bit.

“Oh… was that your plan? Trying to cheer me up?”

Alex nodded slowly.

“Oh, that’s nice of you… But don’t worry… I’m fine… It’s just a bit strange to come back here… really.”, said Violet and gave him a smile.

Then she began slipping her boots off.

“What are you doing now?”, asked Alex confused.

“Doing you a favor. You can continue with those.”

She smiled and put her feet in his lap, carefully. Alex gave her a look of disapproval but did not say anything. He grabbed Violet’s right foot and began massaging it.

“Damn… who would have thought that those fingers of yours can do more than just hold an axe… I’m impressed…”, commented Violet.

“Thanks, I guess…”, said Alex and continued.

Violet closed her eyes and relaxed.

“Show me something nice from your past.”, she said after a while.

“What do you mean?”, asked Alex.

“With the bracelet… you still can’t control it well, so you should practice a bit… Just think of something and then picture yourself showing it to me…”

“Oh… okay…”

Alex thought of a time when he went on a long trip with friends back home. He then pictured it showing it to Violet, like playing a video for her. The gems on their bracelets began to glow a bit.

“Oh, that looks nice…”, said Violet.

Violet continued to watch the scenes she was shown in silence. She noticed a certain someone being present in those scene but did not mention it.

“That was really nice, you seemed really happy… thank you for showing me that.”, she said after the memory was finished.

“Yeah… one of my happiest memories of back then…”, said Alex reminiscing.

“You can do the other one now.”

Alex switched and began to massage Violet’s left foot.

“What’s your type, by the way?”, she suddenly asked.

“Huh? Type?”

“I mean what type of girls do you like… from what I have seen now, you were interested in Hina and Yuka. Those two are completely different… So, I was just wondering what strikes your fancy.”

“Hm… I don’t really know…”

“Huh… well, since you liked Hina… should we add other races into the mix of potential candidates as well?”

Alex thought for a bit.

“Do dwarven women have beards here?”, he asked curiously.

“What? Uhm… I don’t know… I don’t think so… guess we will find out in a while… So, dwarves, huh?”

“I guess.”

Alex shrugged. Then he looked at her.

“What about you?”, he asked.

“My type? Hm… let’s see…”

Violet started to think, while looking at Alex from top to bottom.

“Well… He must be taller than me… have short and black hair… a clean-shaven face, a well-trained body, but more on the lean side. He should dress well… Oh and be a prince or at least a duke or something… I’m a daughter of nobility, after all… I can’t just have some random dude, after all.”, she said perfectly holding a straight face.

“Ah, so the complete opposite of me then?”

“Pretty much I guess…”

Alex did not say anything back. Violet looked at him a bit unsure. Suddenly they heard someone whistling a happy tune.

“Oh, I think Cera is back.”, said Alex.

“And by the sound of it, not with empty hands.”, added Violet.

They both got up and went to Cera and Caleb at the campfire.

“Wait a minute… those are not ducks, those are rats!”, said Violet pointing at the elf’s haul.

“Oh, somebody knows their ornithology… But I’m afraid you are not entirely correct, my sweet little bird… those are no mere rats… those are fucking giant field rats! And other than their city dwelling and disease-ridden cousin, those are clean and one hundred percent grassfed. And if you cook them the right way, their succulent meat is fricking delicious! But enough talking… It’s time to grill some meat!”, explained Cera.

She then proceeded to cook those rats to absolute perfection, and they had a shared experience of opulent succulence under the night sky. Afterwards they fell asleep, satisfied and stuffed full of meat.