NaNoWriMo, part 5

[bookish_dragon]

They stood watching each other, waiting for the other to act first. Olgyu was grinning. Bjernu looked more tense. He was trying to put his weight on his other uninjured foot. He lifted his short sword, gripping the pommel more tightly. He did not want to be here. He shuffled his feet. Olgyu stepped towards him. Bjernu stepped back. She brought down her axe in a sweeping arc. He partially blocked it with his sword and by stepping aside. The force with which the axe came down rang down his arms. Continuing his step aside he spun and aimed to strike at Olgyu's back. She stuck out her leg to sweep him off his feet again. He saw and jumped over it, foregoing thesword blow. Olgyu moved away from him. They cirlced each other again. Olgyu's grin had faded. Blows were aimed, only to get parried or just to miss completely.The sounds of metal hitting metal rang out through the gardens. They had no spectators. No blow had struck flesh yet. Bjernu felt strangely elated. He was limping some and he knew he would have extensive bruising tomorrow, but he felt great. This was the longest he had ever managed against the blonde warrior. Olgyu bit the inside of her cheek. Her leg had started hurting again. The herbal mixture Sister Emmar had given her did work in dampening the pain, but it was still distracting her, even if not enough to cause her to prematurely end the sparring. She did not like to lose. She waited for Bjernu to swing at her again. Instead of blocking it when he did so, she stepped inside the blow. "Hello." She grinned again, and brought her head towards his face, putting some force behind it. She could feel his nose give way under herf forehead. Bjernu screamed and clutched his nose, dropping his sword in the process. "You broke it!" There was blood on his hand as he withdrew it from his face.
"I did not hit you that hard. Go see the healer."
"This is unfair."
"We said 'first blood'. We did not say how it it had to be reached." Olgyu wiped her forehead, and sheathed her axe. She picked up Bjernu's sword. "Let's get you to the healer's. I doubt her room is too far out of the way." She reached out and put her hnad on Bjernu's arm.
He pulled away from her, and grabbed his sword out of her hand. "I do not need your help. Damn it, I asked you not to break anything." Bjernu stalked off towards the monastery. Olgyu leisurely followed. She felt good after this sparring.

Ameena entered the map room to see that there was already someone there. It was the elf she had seen the day before. He stood with his back to the door, looking at a big map on the wall. It depicted the whole country. The region they were in was a small part to the west. Ameena coughed, once, to let him know she was there. He turned around. As before her eyes were drawn to the symbol with its compass like distribution of spears and javelins. She had to force herself to stop staring and look him in the face. He was looking very serious. She found herself redden. "Good day sir. I am Sister Ameena. I have been sent here to help you." She bowed.
He bowed back. "Good day, Sister Ameena. I am Marnka Rilyuua. I thank you for your help." This was her. 'Take your time', the abbot had said, but he did try to force them into taking her along. Marnak straightened up. He would not be manipulated like this. He glared at her.
"Thank you, sir, but I have mot done anything yet. What do you want to look at first?" She looked straight ahead, past Marnak's face. His gaze disconcerted her.
"One of the areas directly surrounding this monastery, please, Sister Ameena." He folded his hands behind his back.
"Yes sir." She flet his eyes following her as she walked over to the cabinet where some of the smaller maps were kept. Se took out those that gave the most details, and laid them out on the table in the middle of the room. Marnak walked closer to look at them.
"Where are we?"
"Here, sir." Ameena pointed at a black square at the edge of the map.