If Norton had clearly expressed his intention to spar, Annie wouldn't have refused. However, Norton had barged in without a word, dragged her out, and started the duel abruptly. Even someone as good-tempered as Annie would be furious.
Norton remained silent, advancing with fierce slashes and strikes. Annie, now equally angry, engaged him blow for blow. Both were heated, their attacks becoming faster and more aggressive. The loud clashing of wooden swords was enough to make teeth chatter. A well-placed hit could easily lead to serious injury.
As a cherished daughter of the Aberlachin family, Annie had never been treated so harshly, especially not by her fiancé, to whom she had given much of her affection. She felt utterly wronged, battling Norton fiercely but struggling to hold back her tears, fearing the humiliation of crying in front of him.
After over a hundred exchanges, Norton, more skilled, landed a light but strategic blow on Annie's wrist. As she instinctively loosened her grip, he swiftly disarmed her, kicked her legs out from under her, and grabbed her ankle to hoist her up.
"You... you jerk!" Annie could hold it in no longer; her throat tightened, and she burst into tears.
"And you dare to cry?! You have the nerve to cry?!" Norton, his anger unabated, spanked her. "You think you're so capable?! Charging a squad of black knights into thousands of rebels?! Who do you think you are?! Emperor Sigmar or Necromancer Nagash?! Do you even know your limits?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
With the first strike, Annie jolted as if shocked. Then, losing all reason, she struggled fiercely, kicking at Norton's chest with her free leg.
But such frantic thrashing was no challenge for Norton. Holding her left leg with his left hand, he fended off her kicks with his right, continuing to spank her without missing a beat.
"You think you're tough! Tougher than all the knights, dwarves, greenskins, and chaos champions of the Old World combined, right?! Let's see your toughness! Show me how tough you are!"
After a few more strikes, Annie grasped Norton's message and felt remorse, her resistance waning. Through her tears, she cried, "I know I was wrong... please stop... I admit I was wrong!"
Yet Norton was not ready to let her off. His eyes reddened, and tears mixed with his angry words as he continued, "Did you ever think about what would happen if you died in battle?! Or got hurt?! What was I supposed to do?! You're my fiancée, my future wife; what would I do if you died?!"
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With those desperate questions, Norton finally couldn't hold back, releasing Annie and pulling her into a tight embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. Annie, in turn, hugged him back, crying and pounding his back with her fists. They held each other, crying until their eyes were swollen and no more tears would come, finally stopping to catch their breath.
Once they calmed, they looked at each other's tear-streaked, dirty faces, and couldn't help but laugh through their tears.
After this incident, Norton and Annie's relationship deepened. They spent as much time together as possible, their bond growing stronger. Annie devoted herself entirely to Norton, though he had many responsibilities that limited their time together.
For instance, during their studies, Annie focused on necromancy, martial arts, and strategy—essential skills for leading troops. Norton, meanwhile, had to learn additional magic and cultural knowledge, which included etiquette and the arts, often taking classes that Annie found dull.
Despite trying to accompany Norton, Annie struggled to stay awake during his lessons, nearly embarrassing herself by dozing off. Norton eventually advised her to focus on areas that would benefit her, emphasizing the importance of specializing while young.
Reluctantly, Annie agreed, following Norton's suggestion. After the "spanking" episode, she became much more compliant with Norton, doing whatever he asked. This unexpected obedience was a pleasant surprise for Norton, who had worried that Annie might run back to her family, prompting a long journey to win her back.
This episode was a minor storm compared to other issues. Another simple matter involved punishing the fool who disclosed the location and activation method of the unidirectional teleportation magic circle to Annie. Norton quickly deduced the culprit:
All the servants had died during the Nightfiends' sonic attack and wouldn't have known such secrets. The half-undead banshees, known for their cunning and cowardice, would never be reckless enough to share such sensitive information.
Once Norton identified the source, he chose not to pursue it further. Instead, he punished Maia with three days of kneeling without food. Naturally, this also meant Norton refrained from feeding on Maia’s blood out of embarrassment. For Maia, with her condition, the punishment was negligible. For Norton, at a growing age, missing three days of blood was more self-punishment than a penalty for Maia.
Thus, the Strigoi attack on the castle passed, and life returned to normal, as it should have.
"After all, my mother—Lady Windsor—only wants to hand over this county smoothly to me. Whether good or bad, anything chaotic is something she wishes to avoid," Norton complained to Annie in a conversation afterward. Annie wisely refrained from commenting on such matters, at least until she married Norton.
Over time, their relationship, while not yet a passionate whirlwind romance, had significantly improved. They were gradually settling into their roles as betrothed partners.
Occasionally, Norton mused that perhaps a quiet marriage and life together might not be such a bad choice. Though lacking excitement and tumult, which seemed mundane, this "mundane" aspect could be the most vital element for sustaining a marriage across the centuries of a vampire's life.