Lovers Quarrel

[Nimue Stormson]

"I thought....if you fought with me it's help." she tried to say. "I thought it ease some agression and....oh what's it matter." She turned away and shook her head at him saying she won or asking about who taught her. "It doesn't matter. You were right about me, [member="Asterion"] . I'm just a foolish woman who doesn't know any better." Tears were starting to build in her eyes. "I act all clever but where does it get me? I only hurt more people in the process. I'm....I'm an idiot." Her hands went over her face. She didn't want him to see her like this.​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

This wasn't going to happen. Not to him. He wasn't going to be reduced so a wreck because of mistakes made when choices had been presented - he had been dragged her via deception, and Nimue putting on the water works wasn't going to wash. Asterion kept pushing gently on the wound and he stayed still as she turned.

”You acting clever has got you an entire kingdom, lots of notches on your bedpost and a child. Sounds a good list to me.”

He sighed a looked up at the palace, waiting for something. Best thing was to get her to think on the here and now, and not about striving for words of sympathy, because right now the Minotaur didn't have any.

”When's your kid getting here. I've got business to take care of, and I'm doing no-one any good hanging around physically and verbally sparring with you.”

Glancing down at her cross-guarded hilt on the floor, it was starting to be buried in the light snow.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

He had no real sympathy it seemed. She looked back to him obviously upset. He had the right to be, and as much as she wanted to say something she knew she had no right to. She beat hi fair and square. The only way anything would be accomplished now is by letting things be as they were. She stood and answered "Soon." before seeing where her blade was. She summoned it via the Force to her hand before putting it on her bealt. She then reached a hand down to help him up but hesitated in order to speak with him. "You don't have to like it, but at least talk to her. Please." Given her tone it was hard to say if it was a plea or a demand.​

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[member="Asterion"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Rolling over and standing, keeping the hilt in his hand and lowering it to give the wound some air, Asterion nodded.

”And then that’s it.”

And as the last word left his mouth, his blade sprang to life – a crimson glow to catch her off guard.

Twirling the blade once in a circular motion, he started to swipe diagonally down before her with one hand, as if trying to catch her in a chopping motion of dangerous energy coming towards.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Oh! So that was how he was playing it then. Nimue was susprised at him. To think [member="Asterion"] would stoop to that, and when she was trying to be sincere with him as well. Once his blade came to life she withdrew and brought her's foward. They caught in mid-air before she struggled with him. "I thought you said I already won!" she half-shouted to hi while trying to push him back. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

”Seems when I left you forget everything I taught you!”

He swung out with his right foot to take out her legs from under her, and shoulder pushed her back hard in a unflattering fall. Without slowing down, he placed the blade on the snowy ground and started to drag it beside him, towards her, threatening to simply carve her pretty frame in two.

”Emotion makes you weak and distracts you, as it has done to me, remember.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

She fell and then was pushed back by his movements before skidding against the ground. She stood only to see him coming towards her. When he called emotions a distraction and weakness, however, she seemed to tense with anger before saying "Is that what you think this is? Are you calling what we feel for each other a weakness?" She sounded offended by it, not doing anything exepct bracing herself to block his on-coming attack. ​

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[member="Asterion"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

So it started…he could feel it in her. He held the blade back, as if ready to bring it up sharp to intercept a strike or simply lunge at her.

”Well look at you – a bastard for a child, and no idea where you’re coming or going. Not to count your boyfriends waiting in the wings.”

He stalked around her, the colours of their blades otherwise pretty against the white snow in a tense and dangerous atmosphere.

”I’d call that weak for an Empress, wouldn’t you?”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

She sneered at him. Knowing he was doing this just to prove a point. But no one called her child a bastard. "How dare you!" she said before unleashing the Force on him. With only one hand she sent a powerful blast towards [member="Asterion"] , taking both snow and earth along with it as a large line from where she stood to where he was formed. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Returning a satisfied smirk, he turned and pushed back against her Force push, turning his head from the whirlwind of snow and shards of grass ripped from under them. He snapped his head across, and saw her face contorted with anger.

”Truth hurts, doesn’t it. Don’t worry; it’s all one big embarrassing mistake.”

Asterion wanted to retaliate, but this was far more satisfying – twisting the knife where it hurt.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue was through with it all. She withdrew her blade and held out both hands. Using her newest ability she reached out, focusing on the snow and ice. Her eyes opened, revealing a pale light coming from them. The snow and ice began to form and take shape, eventually turning into a construct that was large and massive. A snow giant sentinel was formed and looked to [member="Asterion"] with deep black eyes that glowed the same inhuman color. It roared at him as Nimue stood there controlling it. The first instanct was to have it crush him but instead it just stood there, Nimue demonstrating how far she was going to go if he didn't stop. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Asterion stood back and looked over at the forming snow and ice, and coming to fruition in the guise of one Snow Giant the two knew so well.

”Here we go, come on.”

Discarding his hilt to the side, he turned and grinned at Nimue, her eyes sparkling with passion and the monster beside her acting as a controlled beast. Asterion walked forward and looked directly at her, ignoring the Giant.

”Let’s get this over with – come on – do it. Try your best. I took one down before, I’ll do it again.”

His chest heaved with adrenalin, and his senses sparked, embracing the cold and threat of death from the woman edging close to betrayal, just what the Minotaur was used to in life.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue stood there, looking ready to unleash the giant on him. Yet she still hesitated. Why? He was angering her to no avail so why did she not keep fighting him. Her whole point of doing this was so that they could see if the tension between the would be kindled, but instead it was only strengthed, She rasied her fist, the giant raising it's own, before she stopped. She closed her eyes and turned away, the giant collapsing into snow and ice. She was crying again, but now it was for different reasons.​

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"We can't do this, [member="Asterion"] . We can keep doing this to each...." ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Glancing from her to the Giant in an attacking position, Asterion was ready to move, but he didn’t have to. The Giant disintegrated before his eyes and fell back down in a mound, fragments carried away by the breeze and blending in with the snowflakes falling. Nimue hesitated again and caved in.

To be fair, this was a pointless show of emotion. Neither were getting anywhere, and no-one cared about what Asterion did or said except her. He loved her, and he hated himself for it, but he felt alive because of it. There was no other, regardless of her betrayal.

He could turn away and leave back to nothing, with nothing. He could unleash his Force Rage finally and take her life, and leave with nothing and fail to claim her throne as he would be laughed out or executed.

There was no other way.

Looking at her, Asterion walked forward, leaving his hilt buried in the snow and turned her around to face him. Her pretty face was streaked with tears; the faint make-up under her eye was running.

”Is there anything else I should know? Any other little secrets or lies you are keeping?”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

When he turned her around Nimue avoided looking at him at first. She hated when she cried in front of him, as she knew he didn't want to see her like this. When he asked she had to look him in the eye now. She had to let him know what she was saying was the truth. "No. And I promise you that is all. Morgana was my greatest secret, and now only the right people know. Including you. I just....I don't want her to see us like this. I want us to be a family, [member="Asterion"] . The kind of always dreamed of having. Something my own family would never have allowed. I just... I just wanted you to understand."​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Avoiding becoming too sentimental, he moved to stand beside her, wincing as he twisted the flesh on his hip, and held her arm with his hand and led her through the once peaceful arena. Now the snow and earth was visibly disrupted from their confrontation. He called the hilt, cold and damp, to his palm with the Force.

”A family works on trust – you broke that trust when you took my DNA. I can’t promise you anything about being a perfect family. I’m only just getting used to having you as a lover, let alone now having a child I didn’t know about with three other fathers.”

He walked slow with her, not rushing.

”Just give me some time tonight alone to clear my head and patch up. Contact your kid and, and then we’ll take it slowly but I’m not promising anything.”

Asterion glanced over to her; she was looking solemn.

”Thanks for not crushing me with the snowman.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

As they walked she nodded to his words. It was true, at this point nothing was certian. She only hoped that [member="Asterion"] would at least be reasonable when meeting with Morgana. The time was coming soon, and they needed to be ready. The last thing a child would want to see when meeting for the first time is how argumentative the two parents could be. She walked with him, hearing what he said, before leaning onto his shoulder and saying "Thanks for listening." ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

With a gentle squeeze, he looped his arm around the Empress.

”Thanks for nearly killing me. Three times. So you going to tell me what, or who, trained you? Seems like I am more rusty than I thought.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

"A few people, actually." she said as they kept walking. "One of which was a creature by the name of Kezeroth. Other then him the others were minor warriors and the like. Nothing too special." She waved her hand a little, given that Kezeroth was the only one to leave any impression as a teacher; aside from [member="Asterion"] himself of course. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

The name didn’t ring a bell, but it meant something to Nimue; that was obvious and Asterion decided to leave it in the past.

”Good.”

Starting up the steps from the arena, his skin bristling in the cold air, he blew out a breath and looked up to the palace.

”So tell me about your kid. How old is she? What’s she like?”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]