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Rich wage war and the poor die (Felixia & Askeladd)

Michael was on the edge of the river away from everyone else, his shoes were off and he only were his pants for now, the metallic black blade of his sword shined in the light as he held it in front of himself. The ground was wet and slippery due to the water but it did not seem to hinder him as he swung the blade swiftly, the sound rang through the air as it seemed cut down the invisible enemies all around him left, right, up, down everywhere the blade was striking now. His eyes were half closed as he seemed to dance with a swarm of enemies, he spun narrowly avoiding the blade of an imagined foe, the blade came whistling through the air to lop his head off and he smiled a bit. Each movement could have been considered graceful on their own, but as they came together it was like a flowing dance, a dance of death for those who encountered it.
 
She smiled and watched as he practiced, standing there and still humming. She started to sing an old folk song of her people that matched the tempo of his attacks and parries. She kept a smile in her voice, and pitched her voice when he went faster, and slowed down when he slowed. She didn't think much of it, meaning just finding a way to entertain herself. She waiting till he finished to walk forward to greet him. "Nice sword-work there, both beautiful and terrifying at the same time." She smiled warmly and spun around, the light catching the gem and sending blue sparkles everywhere.
 
Michael had not noticed her until he was actually done with his sword work, the way he practiced was more than just repeating the same moves over and over, it was constantly evolving as he imagined new enemies to fight and it require every ounce of his concentration. People, sound, food, nothing else mattered in the time that he spent doing the dance of death which was something passed down to him from his sword master, as Janice spoke to him about his sword work he smiled at her warmly in return "well thank you Janice but I still have a ways to go, a knife caught me in the right shoulder" he said calmly as he sheathed the sword.
 
She frowned then looked at his shoulder, not really seeing any wound. "If you say so..." She shrugged then moved on, "Why did you want us to meet by the river? The packing is done and the tent is up, so we are all set to travel. I don't know where Maria is though." She looked out over the river and walked down to in, pulling her robe up to slide her legs into the water. "Mmmmmm, this is probably the last time I will be able to do this in awhile." She leaned back a little and sighed contently.
 
Michael looked at her with a knowing smile, she was a lot like Maria when she had first met Michael, even though she was a hybrid she had a lot of the same reactions. "The river is a good place to relax bathe one last time if you want to because it will be at least five days before we stop by another river" he said calmly "so anything that can hold water should be taken to the river" he held up his hand in case she went to move. "There is no need for you to do that this time Maria is probably up river filling the bottles and waterskins herself just remember it the next time we are about to leave a camp" he said softly while giving her a warm smile.
 
Blushing in embarrassment, she giggled nervously. "Sorry...seems like I need to just remember how to be a servant again. And to get used to my new duties...." She sighed though sadly,"To think I was so close to being free....then this happens..." She pulled the dagger out and held the gem up again, starring into the gem with the water reflecting light into it, making it shimmer and swirl. "The flow of events screwed me....No offense. One year from now, and I would of been my own woman, making my own destiny." She trailed off and kept starring for several minutes. Sighing again, she slammed the dagger back into its holder and stood up, "But...it appears the Gods want me to stay as a servant for yet a longer sentence." She stooped down and picked up a rock, turning it over in her hand. "Damn the gods...." She tossed the stone out into the water, skipping it a little.
 
Michael said nothing as she said that she was sorry as he was not upset with her, after all she hadn't even had a full day of being his servant yet. "It is not a problem Janice these things happen after all, even the best of us can only do so much" he said calmly, he frowned as he listened to her complain about being a servant and then he cocked his head to the said as she said damn the gods for her problems. "The gods had nothing to do with this, it was all men" he said firmly, unlike her he did not even believe in the gods but he never said that aloud because he would be branded a heretic, "you are not a slave Janice you are free to come and go as you please I will never make you work for me" he said in that gentle tone of his.
 
"You offered me a job, and I can't refuse if I want to live...." She sighed heavily then sat back down on the grass. "But I am grateful, you saved my life and I owe you. It may of been men, but the gods try to control us. Or luck. I was unlucky to be chained. I was unlucky to be caught in the open. I was unlucky when they caught me...." She shuddered and stopped for awhile, starring into the river. "Though...I am lucky for getting to nice owners. I was lucky when you arrived....and I was lucky you gave me a new home." She smiled and looked at Michael. "So, thank you for everything so far. You caused all the problems in the village, but you fixed it the way you could. Those men are dead, and I have a new life ahead of me....though free isn't the term I would use." She stood up and held out her hand to her new master. "I still will be your servant, and I hope I will be worthy of the title."
 
Michael felt ill when she said that he had caused all the problems so far for her, she was thankful to him but she also blamed him at the same time, she seemed to think that he had wanted to come there and that he wanted to fight with those men. He could not have controlled them all even if he had wanted to which he did, they were not his men who came in and did those things but she did not see it that way. He nodded as he reached forward to grasp her hand gently in his "Janice if you want I will give you the amount those people owed you and release you, you can keep the dagger and you can leave if you wish I will not have you stay with me or under my rule unless you wish to be here" he said with a firm conviction now. All she had to do was tell him what she was owed and he would give it, there was no way he would try and keep her from happiness even if it meant that she did not wish to stay with him.
 
She laughed at the suggestion and pulled Michael up, surprising him with lithe strength. "No, I will stay, I already made a commitment to you and I keep my promises." She shrugged and started to walk back towards camp with him, heading to the middle of the packed up camp. " I gave my word and I will see it though. Maybe when I get tired of working and want to settle down, I can just retire and go to a quiet village to start a family..." She blushed a little and scratched her hair, never really of given a thought to what to do after she gained her freedom. "I don't know...that's just the base plan."
 
Michael came towards her without a fight as she pulled him up, she told him that she would stay and that gave him a little warmth to his heart as he expected she would have jumped at the chance to stop being his servant. He walked with her slowly and then said that she could just settle down when she felt like it, "People want to settle down it is in their nature, people are drawn to each other as they are social creatures" he said softly. "I am honestly glad to hear you will stay Janice but always remember this you may leave at any time you wish" he said sincerely before patting her on the shoulder lightly, his hand drew back right away as he walked towards the tent and he never made a move towards her. She was a beautiful young hybrid he knew that much but he was not some barbarian who would try to make her his through force, and after what she experienced he would not be surprised if she harbored a secret hate for men now.
 
She shrugged and smiled faintly, heading over to Maria and helping her finish the packing. After a few minutes everything was stored and they sat around waiting for everything to start moving. "Looks like I will stay and make the best of things. Hopefully I will save enough money to buy a house somewhere, someday. Find a man....having cubs...." She blushed hard and held her cheeks, smiling as she drifted into a fantasy. After a minute she shook her head, flaming hair bouncing around, and came back to reality. "When are we going to get moving?"
 
Michael went to one of the chest and pulled out a shirt and a hard leather vest, the only time he wore his armor was when he was certain that he was going into battle. The hard leather might not stop a stab but it could weaken a slash quite easily and it left him agile enough to dodge when needed, "you can always ask for the money you are owed after all it is rightfully yours, you could still work and earn the money until you are of age and then I can give it to you along with the wages you have earned under my employment" he said softly. "We move out when my men are ready" he said as he turned to face the whole camp now, "WOLVES! DELTA" he roared out, in mere seconds one hundred men were in rank packed and ready to go "which is now" he said to Janice jokingly.
 
"Heh, impressive." She replied, yawning a little to deaden the feeling that he impressed her. She was impressed, but it couldn't hurt to make him feel like he needed to try harder. All this talk of money was good, but it was still a long term agreement. She hopped up into the wagon next to Maria and feel into line with the rest of the column as they started heading home. She sighed and knew this would be the long part of the journey, and the most boring. She leaned back in the seat and started to whistle aimlessly.
 
Michael in all honesty did not care if she was impressed or not as the show had not been for her, the formation's quick reaction and preciseness was what he wanted to see they had been trained by him exclusively, each one of his men were said to be able to take down at least five men before they were killed. Now the marching came and it went by slowly, Michael rarely rode on his horse as it would have made him soft, he carried his sword and own rations on his back and marched like the rest of them, he continuously checked the lines to make sure none were straying away.
 
She sighed and leaned forward, watching as Michael directed the army. He seemed to be a caring leader, and obviously the men loved him. "So what do you normally do when on the march? Just learn back and enjoy the ride? Read?" She asked Maria, enjoying the ride through the forest as they traveled. It was a fair day, with only a few clouds in the sky. However, there was a large amount of clouds coming from the East...maybe rain in the next day or two.
 
They had been marching for a little while now and he could see that the men were getting a bit tired due to the fact that they were marching through mud instead of on dirt. They would have march at least another hour before he let them get some rest, Maria nodded at Janice and then held up her hands which showed a small piece of cloth with needle and thread within it, "usually I read or sew today it is sewing" she said calmly. Against the whiteness of the cloth the name Andrew was stitched in baby blue across it slowly, "it helps pass the time seeing as the men either sing very badly or have contests to see who can carry the most stuff on their backs which is quite boring".
 
"Who's Andrew?" She asked, leaning over a little to see her sewing. She was just asking questions to keep up some form of conversation, not thinking she could handle the dullness of the march. The men were trying to sing, but it was tired and often interrupted by a curse from a soldier who's foot was stuck in the mud. She smirked a few times at soldiers who tripped and dropped their loads, but it was getting old fast.
 
Maria let loose a little blush as she asked who Andrew was "Andrew is the left hand man of knight Michael" she said in a gentle tone before going back to sewing. That was when Michael appeared behind the wagon and smiled at the two of them "he is a captain actually but he is one of my best friends under my command at the same time" he said cheerfully "also we are taking a break from the march possibly make camp as it looks like it is gonna rain". He turned away from them and then addressed the men "SLOW OUT BREAK TIME!" he roared out in a powerful tone that was heard by everyone at once now, he then turned back to them as the men stopped slowly "Andrew had no idea Maria liked him for a while it was actually cute how thick headed he is sometimes" he said playfully while Maria blushed a deep red now.
 
Giggling loudly, but trying to stifle it with a hand across her mouth, Janice smiled at her friend. "So you have a lover? Are you two just seeing each other, or have you married?" She smiled and dropped from the cart with normal feline skill, helping Maria down once she walked over to the other side. She got to work setting up the tent with Maria, still wondering about her man. "What is he like? Does he like you too? Have you guys....uhhh....rolled around in the hay?" Her last question was a brief whisper, so that only they heard they question.
 
Maria was still blushing deeply as she shook her head at the first question, then nodded at the second question, the third question made her shake her head vigorously as she couldn't imagine being married to Andrew quite yet. Michael laughed softly as he walked over to Janice, he gently touched her shoulder and then pointed out Andrew, the man was huge at six foot four and near two hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle. "That is Andrew" he said into her ear softly, the man possessed a rugged handsomeness that few could find attractive but Maria enjoyed his look, now Michael went off to make sure everyone else was okay, Maria smiled "he is very kind but has a short temper when it comes to honor and people talking about me" she said softly. Then with the second question she nodded happily "he is courting me right now" she said in a cheerful tone at the second question she went silent and a very dark red in the cheeks, she was silent for a few seconds "almost once but then we got interrupted and the mood was gone".
 
"I'm sorry to hear that....hmmm, maybe we could set you two up when the army settles down for the night? I'm sure I can sleep somewhere else so you two have a room to yourselves." She eyed Andrew again and smiled at his sheer masculinity, he would probably sire all sons if everything was proportional. She turned back to Maria and finished setting up the tent, laying out the cots and table with some help from nearby soldiers. Wiping sweat from her brow, she leaned back against the table and sighed. Just then a crack of thunder and a fork of lightning shot across the sky, starting the rain. It poured heavily and fully, quickly turning the mud into a syrup of dark liquid. "Good thing we got out early, huh Maria?" SHe turned to face the front flap and smiled, "Heh, hi, Michael." She waved at Michael who came in soaking wet in his clothing.
 
Maria was becoming so red her face seemed ready to explode with embarrassment as Janice said that she could sleep somewhere else to give them room for themselves. Michael was not all that happy as he was soaked and then he kicked his boots off, a little bit of blood on his cheek now "stupid people" he said to himself while reaching up to pull his shirt off, soon the soaking fabric was on the floor of the tent and he was drying himself off with a towel. "I would go to the ends of the earth with these men because they fight better than any out there, but a little rain and they forget how to set a tent, pole snapped caught someone right in the leg probably an artery the way it was bleeding but he should be okay by tomorrow" he said as he wiped the blood from his cheek now and shivered from the cold the wetness was causing him.
 
She frowned and went over to a chest, picking out a blanket and taking it over to him. She threw it over his shoulders and smiled again. "Well, now it is time for you to rest and warm up, Michael." She led him to his cot and sat him down, "Want anything to eat or drink, sir?" She sat down on her knees in the way she was taught when her old master was waiting on her. She did get up though and went to his chest, pulling out a new set of clothes and laying them out. She averted her eyes when he dropped his wet pants and looked at the grass, a little blood rushing to her cheeks.
 
Michael liked rain he truly did and he would occasionally go for a walk in the rain if he could, but when it rained on the march he absolutely hated it, he was wearing heavy clothing on a march soaking him harshly. When she brought him the blanket he smiled at her thankfully, when she asked him if he wanted to eat or drink anything and then added a sir he frowned a bit "Michael Janice call me Michael he said casually, and yes some soup would be wonderful" he said as he changed into his clothing quickly. He could see that she was blushing a bit even through the fur on her face, she was a beautiful and cute little hybrid he thought to himself but quickly averted the thoughts when he remembered what happened to her.
 
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