200 Double K.O.

Qara's eyes narrowed. "As if I'd miss you!"

She grabbed a handful of Laki's sun-bleached blond hair and gave it a hard yank. As he winced in pain, she pulled back her other hand and a solid punch hit him squarely in the gut.

"Ooph."

The attack was as strong as he remembered. If she wanted to fight, he refused to be a punching bag. His hand reached up and grabbed her wrist.

Slamming her down onto a table, his fist firmly struck her between her shoulder blades. There was no way he could hold back against his ex. He knew that would be courting death.

The strike hurt, and she rolled onto her back, brought her legs up, and wrapped them around Laki's neck. They flexed, and she slammed his handsome face into the table.

"Ya still hit like a girl," she spat.

The hit to his head stunned him for a moment. The world spun and the loud noises of music and shouting disorientated him. In his confusion, he barely dodged a small fist that flew at his face.

Qara's mention of his punches being like a girl pissed him off. Back when they were going out she had been stronger than him. It had been something he always felt self-conscious about.

Laki reached for a mug of ale that rested on the table and threw it at her.

The alcohol splashed across her face, causing her to close her eyes for a moment. While her eyes were closed, her body tilted as she was lifted into the air and tossed into the bar.

CRASH

Her body bounced off the bar and slid into the bottles on the shelves behind the counter. Glasses shattered around her and her back hurt from hitting the shelf.

"Dirty ass trick," she growled.

As she got up off the ground, she saw a few darts that had fallen onto the ground next to her. She picked them up and threw them at Laki as she ran towards him.

The black and gold darts flew at him faster than he was able to block. He turned to the side to make himself less of a target, but three of them still stuck deep into his arm.

He exhaled from the pain, "Ahh, damn it Qara!"

Her petite body came at him and he shifted his raised arm to block her small fist. Laki forgot that the darts were still lodged in his arm, so while he blocked her attack, she grabbed one of the darts.

In a fury, she repeatedly stabbed it into his leg. Blinded by her rage, she did not see his fist when he hit her across her cheek. Her body went flying and she knocked over a table.

Rolling to recover, she shook off the pain that was taking over her body. Her right eye started to swell, but it was fine. She could still see out of it.

Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed a bar stool. Laki stared at her and rolled his shoulders as he snatched a bottle off a nearby table.

"Why are we even fighting?" he shouted over the music.

He had a dream about her a few days ago, which brought up all the pleasant memories they had made together. The years had been good to her and she still looked as vibrant and beautiful as he remembered.

His idiotic question elicited a wave of rage in her that caused her to scream, "Arrrghhh…" She ran towards him with the stool lifted over her head.

The chair shattered into pieces when she hit him across the face. His body staggered and she jumped in the air to punch him in the face again.

The world spun and Laki grabbed Qara's fist. His deep blue irises stared into her fiery amber eyes, searching her soul for a way to quell her rage. Not letting her go, he smashed the bottle down on her head before he blacked out.

Both of them slumped to the ground, knocked out.

When Laki woke up he found himself in a jail cell. Qara eyed him from across the hall. His skull felt as if it were splitting in two and he tried to sit up. His body was heavy and the world spun, so he decided to lay back down. He covered his face with his hand, rubbing it across his eyes.

"Fuuuuck," he wined.

Things were already rocky with his nephew and this would not make it any better.

****

A messenger came into Tyr's office and handed Macha a letter. She used a letter opener to casually open the envelope. After ripping it open, she set it on the side and unfolded the contents. Her brown eyes moved back and forth as she read the contents. Suddenly her eyebrows lifted and her hand covered her mouth as she gasped.

This was not the sort of news Laki should have for them after his first night in the city. Her brown eyes slid over to see what Tyr was doing. As always, she saw him watching her.

"What?" he asked dryly.

Whatever it was probably would make him unhappy by the look on Macha's face. He tapped his fingertips together and leaned back in his chair.

She looked at him guiltily and took small steps as she crossed the room.

"Well...," she tried to find a way to explain the letter's contents without making it sound bad.

"Impossible," she thought. With resignation, she handed him the letter and hung her head in shame. There was nothing to say that could excuse his uncle's behavior. Now she berated herself for giving the man so much money last night. She had only given him that much so he could do some shopping and have a few good drinks.

He glanced at it and his green eyes immediately went to the bottom. He read the words 'detained' and 'Laki Montfort'.

Giving a short snorted his cold green eyes pierced her through her heart. "I told you he was trouble," he said pointedly as he shot up out of his chair. "Get your coat. You're going to deal with the paperwork."

On the way there, Macha thought about how Laki might need a more supportive network if he planned to put his pirating ways behind him. While what he did was wrong, at least it was only a bar fight. Tyr himself was guilty of fighting with Freyr that one time.

Now she worried that Tyr would be overly furious at his uncle because of his prejudice. She turned to give him a hug.

"You're so kind letting your uncle come to Marseille and try to start a new life. I'm sure it is difficult for him to re-adjust after being a pirate for so long."

The hug warmed his cold heart. Today they had been busy with paperwork because they just came back from a trip, so he did not get to enjoy her company very much. Despite his anger being quelled, he still kept a straight face.

"He's useless. We should let him rot in that cell."

Although she knew she stretched reality to an ungodly extent, she said delicately, "Everyone can be redeemed. I can tell he's just a free spirit. Maybe he was drunk and ended up in prison by accident."

Laki's personality was agreeable, and he did not seem like the type of person to do malicious things on purpose. From her conversation with him, he seemed to act without thinking of the consequences. He did have a conscience that bothered him, as seen with his regret from the war.

Tyr stared at Macha. Her face held no conviction and he refused to let her comment go.

"You don't end up in jail by accident," he pointed out.

Her hopeful expression became crestfallen with his comment. She let go of his shoulders and bit her lip. Even she realized her comment was weak. She still had faith in Laki and chose to remain hopeful. She refused to cast judgment until she heard the details.

When Macha let go of him, Tyr coughed.

He did not look at her when he mentioned, "Keep holding me. It helps to pacify my disappointment with my uncle."

She glanced at him and narrowed her eyes. "Really… How convenient," she thought.

Giving him a tender kiss on the cheek, she asked, "Does a kiss make it so you won't yell at him?" She then brushed her short lashes against his cheek.

A roguish smile spread across Tyr's face. His long lashes lowered as he peeked at her flirtatious face, "That depends on how good the kiss is."

Ever since he started using the family carriage, he got to enjoy more moments like this with Macha. It was enough to make carriage rides addicting, and he rarely had them take their mounts nowadays. He especially enjoyed the rides during winter where she snuggled up close to him.