As you came upon the land of Rivendell, you began to feel nervous and you knew that putting on a false sense of confidence would only betray you in the future. Still, you were raised by your adopted father to finish all that you started so you thanked the giant eagle as he gently dropped you from a safe distance and flew off.
"And so, my journey begins." you said to yourself.
Then, the sounds of battle reached your ears, with the cry of a young woman. You immediately ran to the woman's aid, ready to draw your sword, to find a young female elf engaged in mock hand to hand combat. She was pitted against a male elf, wielding a long blade dagger. The cry you had heard was the young elf girl laughing at the male elf's efforts to score a hit. "Maybe you need a bigger target, Slade." teased the elf girl. "Perhaps a sleeping mountain troll."
"I will make you eat those words with a taste of my dagger, Murder." replied Slade, noticing you watching their practice combat session. "I have only been toying with you thus far."
Murder let out another short laugh before kicking dagger out of Slade's hand and expertly threw him to the floor. "Do not boast until you have something to boast about, Slade." she said, seriously. "You have much to learn if you are to truly follow in Elrond's footsteps and become the next leader of Rivendell."
Slade got up, struggling not to blush in front of you, a human visitor, and left, claiming his dagger as he went. Before he left, Murder added, "You are making fine progress, Slade, do not lose heart."
Slade nodded then gave you a look before leaving. "Um... sorry if I distracted him." you said, feeling a little guilty.
"Young Slade must be able to block out such distractions if he is to be an effective fighter, and leader." replied Murder, lightly, taking up a towel. "Do not fear, though, he has a good heart, he will not hold a grudge against you."
You watched Murder dabbed the sweat from her brow and found your heart racing, looking at her beauty. "I have never seen an elf up close like this before." you thought. "Her beauty is beyond compare." then, realizing what you were thinking, you asked. "Why did you face him without a weapon?"
Murder laughed, it was the most pure and melodious laugh you had ever heard. "I don't need a weapon." she said, smiling. "Were you not paying attention to the lesson I served Slade?" she then placed the towel aside and faced you directly. "So, what brings a young human such as you to Rivendell?"
"I am Cire, son of Bard, King of Lonely Valley." you answered. "I have come to join the fellowship in their quest to destroy the evil ring before it falls into the hands of destruction."
Murder looked at you, a small grin of amusement on her face. "You look rather young to be joining such a quest." she said. "Are you certain you can handle the perils that will surely await us?"
You grinned. "Perhaps I can answer that question with a friendly unarmed match up." you suggested. "Of course, you will need to rest up, first. It would not be fair of me to challenge you now."
Murder smiled at your comment. Although you lack of knowledge regarding elves was obvious, she found it noble of you not to want to take what you clearly saw as an advantage over her. "You have never faced and elven warrior before, have you, prince Cire?" she asked.
"No, I have not." you replied, honestly. "However, I have proven myself against the strongest humans in my kingdom." you then blushed. "Also, about price Cire, please drop the prince part. Here, I wish to be treated as the others, no better, no worse."
Now, Murder was slightly impressed. "He is not like other humans of royalty." she thought. "This one actually has a touch of modesty to spite his arrogance." then she said, "A true warrior must be able to fight at his or her best, regardless of how tired they feel, until the battle has ended."
"You then accept my challenge now?" you asked, slightly surprised. "I will not hold back, I fight to win."
"I would be insulted if you did hold back, young Cire." said Murder, seriously. "You may place your weapons an armor on the table to your right. Before you enter further, please remove your shoes as well."
You nodded and proceeded to disarm yourself. Unknown to you, Murder was watching your every move, looking for a limp, a wince when you move a certain muscle, anything she could use to her advantage. she was not doing this to gain any advantage, it was a skill she had learned and it became automatic. As you finished, a few minutes later, Murder was pleased to see you were quite strong for her age, which meant she did not have to go soft on you to avoid breaking your bones.
"The boy does not realize how much stronger elves are to humans." she thought. "But, then again, I learned the hard way myself never to underestimate a human." she inwardly giggled. "They are always full of surprises."
Soon, you were ready and you entered the dojo type building with your shoes off to face her. "What are the conditions of this match up?" you asked. "What determines a victory?"
Murder pointed to a large painted circle on the floor. "The victor will be the one to throw their opponent to the floor, outside this ring, three times without being thrown by the other." she replied. "The rules are simple, no weapons other than your hands and feet, no touching of 'forbidden' parts of the body, and finally..." she smiled. "No crying when 'you' lose to me."
You smiled at that. "I expect you to follow that same third rule, should I be victorious." you countered.
"Of course, young Cire." replied Murder, amused. "Though I doubt that will happen."
With that said, the contest began...
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