"Crossing the Line"

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 28th July 2014

Characters: Zathris, Barenziah
Description: The two spar together but things go a little too far.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 8, day 12 of Turn 7

Zathris

Barenziah

Barenziah was glad that she had showed Zathris to her favorite,
secluded spot away from the Hold. Now when they sparred they didn't
have to worry about others seeing, or about someone finding out that
the "young lad" the Lord Holder was sparring with was actually a
lady-in-waiting.

Since they had privacy, Barenziah's fiery red hair was loose and
flowing down her back, kept out of her face by a flimsy strip of
leather. They had practiced before with wooden swords and staves, but
today they worked on hand-to-hand, which was most practical for
Barenziah as she wasn't allowed to carry a real weapon around the
Hold.

"Are you sure you want to have your hair like that?" Zathris eyed the
tumbling locks. She looked nice with her hair down like that - nice
enough to wish she'd leave it like that more often. "It's pulled
back, but it could be a disadvantage. Of course, even short hair can
be a disadvantage." Zathris kept his own long for a man's, but he
didn't like it too much past his shoulders. Currently, he had his
pulled back in a tail like Barenziah did.

"Well, I don't always have it up when I am at the Hold so I guess I
would need to be prepared to defend myself even like this." Barenziah
pointed out, although there was a hint of a mischievous grin on her
face. She held her hands up and wiggled her fingers at him, "Come on.
Quit stalling. No one is here to see me kick your butt."

"You kick my butt? I don't think so, little girl." Zathris threw
back the friendly insult. It was nice to be able to tease someone
like this. While he had friends, there were very few people he could
relax so readily around. Barenziah had become one of them. "Ready
when you are."

Barenziah rolled her eyes to show just how afraid of the Lord Holder
she was, "Quite ready." She replied back, bending her knees a little
and settling with her feet shoulder width apart.

Zathris eyed her stance and nodded. "Good. All right. Here we go."
He attacked, since she'd be the one who needed to defend. Slowly,
mainly because if one tried to learn something quickly, one didn't
necessarily_really_ learn it. Start slow, practise, then one could
go faster. There was also a matter of safety. When one went fast, it
was more likely that someone could get hurt. Control was an integral
part - especially during a real attack.

The redhead knew the Lord Holder outweighed her easily, so she planted
her foot, grabbed the front of his tunic and tried to use her hip to
pivot and toss him over her shoulder (as her brother had taught her.)
Only, Barenziah didn't quite snap in time and Zathris was larger than
Rynthian, and she ended up mostly just wedging her hip against his
waist, "Didn't go quite as planned." She grunted.

"You tried to go too early." Zathris stepped back an then inched
forward. "Watch my feet. See how they move?"

Barenziah nodded, although truth be told her brain wasn't really
wanting to listen, in fact, it was wanting to point out how
deliciously solid Zathris's body had felt. **Think good thoughts,
think good thoughts.** She chanted to herself. This was her Lord
Holder, after all, and she didn't want to do anything that might
jeopardize her position at Amber Hills. Amber Hills was her home.

"Got it." She confirmed.

"Now, see how when I'm stepping here, I'm actually off balance a
little right in the middle of my stride?" Zathris rocked back and
forth so she could see the point at which he had to shift from one
foot to another, effectively causing him to lean a little. "You have
to time it, get me at that point before you try to throw me. Once my
foot's planted, you've lost your window."

The redhead watched him as he moved, "Okay, I understand." She assured
him.

"Let's try it again, more slowly. Feel the rhythm. Catch me in the
silence between beats." Zathris took a couple of steps back, then
slowly moved toward and reached for Barenziah, as if he were going to
grab her.

Barenziah's eyes flicked down to his feet, and the moment he had one
lifted she darted in as he had instructed, then using the same
technique as before, she whirled and would have tossed him over,
except she pulled out at the last moment. There was no point in
actually tossing the Lord Holder over onto the ground.

"Like that?" She asked, her eyes shining.

"Yes, but you didn't follow through. These are throws, not 'fit
in's'." Zathris clicked his tongue at the woman. "But your form was
much better. Let's try it again and I want you to follow through this
time. Get me on the ground - if you can."

Barenziah's uncertainty showed on her face, "You really want me to
throw you down on the ground?"

"Well, yes. That's kind of the point." Zathris chuckled at the
expression, noting the way her mouth twisted with hesitation. "Isn't
it?"

"And how would we explain things if you wind up accidentally pull a
shoulder or something?" Barenziah said this with a facial expression
that clearly said 'see?'

"I was sparring, I pulled a muscle. I don't have to say_who_ I was
sparring with." Zathris shook his head. "Now, are you going to throw
me or not?"

Barenziah crossed her arms over her chest, "No."

So she wasn't going to toss him, huh? The woman would have to get over
the idea that she couldn't throw the Lord Holder. When they were
sparring, rank shouldn't come into it and while simply doing fit ins were
useful, it wouldn't do much good if she didn't practise full out throws as
well. "Throw me." One hand pushed at her shoulder, not hard, but just
enough to rock her slightly.

Barenziah chuckled and shook her head, "No sir."

His other hand joined in and pushed on her other shoulder even as he
advanced, forcing her back. "Throw me."

The woman's irritation began to grow as she took another step back and
held up her hands, "No."

"Throw me." He shoved again, harder that time. As she backed away, he
continued to advance, alternating between her shoulders as he continued to
push. "Throw me. Throw me. Throw me. I'm a man. I'm an evil man. I am
very attracted to you but you don't care for me. That doesn't bother me
because I can take you whenever I want and I want you. So if you don't
throw me, you're going to find yourself in a situation you aren't going to
like." He pushed. Again. Another step forward, then another, then both
hands reached out as if he were going to grab her.

In a flash of temper Barenziah moved in one fluid motion- step
forward, hooked arm, thrust hip and WHAM!

For a moment, Zathris lay there, the breath knocked out of him. He'd
curled his head as an automatic reaction, but the sudden motion still had
taken him by surprise. After a moment, he grinned. "Very good. Now."
Without warning, he hooked his foot behind her leg and cut it from beneath
her. He was on top of her before she had the chance to react, his hands
pinning her wrists to the ground behind her, while his body pushed hers
into the soft moss. "Think you can get out of this?"

**Why would I want to?** Her brain automatically quipped.

Barenziah and Rynthian had never worked on holds before so this was
completely new for her. She bucked her hips up against his and tried to
free her legs. Any attempts to free her arms merely resulted in her
breasts becoming more securely lodged against his chest.

"You've got me." She said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

The way her body writhed against him was far from unpleasant and when
she stopped, Zathris found himself wishing that she wouldn't. "Yes."
He agreed, his voice soft as his head lowered and his face hovered
just above hers. "Want to get out?"

**No.**

"Is this the part where you tell me I have to say please?" Barenziah
grinned up at him.

"Say please."

Barenziah couldn't contain her smile and rolled her eyes as she looked
away from him. Finally she brought her blue eyes back to his,
"Please."

His eyes held hers and his head lowered a little more, a bare breath
between them as he whispered, "Say it again."

"If I didn't know better I would think you were enjoying this."
Barenziah said, her eyes dancing.

"Please." She whispered again.

He didn't release her, but rather lowered his mouth to hers, lips
warm, gentle, almost tenuous in the first real intimate touch they had
shared since their meeting.

She was surprised but pleased. The man's lips stirred a fire in her
that she had never experienced with a man before. Barenziah pressed
her lips back against his.

Her response encouraged him to deepen the kisses as his hips arched
forward to press more into her. Shards, that felt good. The taste of
a woman, curves beneath him, the softness of her against his chest, it
all aroused that need that had been so prevalent in recent days, to
taste, to touch, to_feel_.

Barenziah hooked her legs around his, cradling his hips between her
thighs. His kisses were like velvet and she found herself wishing they
would never stop.

He almost lost himself right then and there. His hands hand started
to pull down, to wander over her sides. Suddenly, he pressed them
against the chilly ground and forced himself to his feet. "Shaffit.
Shaffit!" He spun away from her and kicked at a poor, unsuspecting
tree.

Barenziah lay on the ground panting, her eyes studying the clouds
wandering by overhead. The kiss was wrong, she knew, because Zathris
was a married man but she still wished he hadn't stopped. Did that
make her a horrible person? Pushing to her elbows, Barenziah watched
as the poor tree got the raw end of the deal.

"Well, you did say you were an evil man who was attracted to me." She
teased, hoping to ease the tension out of the situation.

Unfortunately, it didn't. All it did do was spike the guilt that had
already assaulted him. Zathris pressed his arm against the tree and
rest his forehead upon it. His eyes closed and he swallowed, then
took a deep breath before straightening. His tone was cordial, but it
no longer rippled with the warmth that it had earlier. "We need to
get back."

Barenziah pushed to her feet, watching Zathris. She hated the awkward
distance that was between them now. She trudged toward her runner and
then turned to look at him, "Please don't let that ruin the day. You
deserve to be able to laugh and have fun just like everyone else. We
got a little carried away but it won't happen again. Okay?"

Zathris honestly didn't trust himself to speak, so he merely nodded as
he mounted his runner. He waited until she had settled into her
saddle, then urged his forward. No, it wouldn't happen again.
Zathris honestly wasn't sure if he would be sparring with her again.

Last updated on the August 7th 2014

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"Crossing the Line"