22 Daggers

My mother put her big, strong hands on my shoulder.

"Sit and calm down a bit, Arn."

Her calm and soothing voice would enter my ear. Suddenly I noticed my ragged breathing and the pain from Engildes fists did hurt even more as the Adrenaline rush calmed down. I plopped onto the tree that served as chairs next to mother. Closing my eyes I concentrated on my breathing. Breath deep in and slowly breathed out until my breathing returned to normal.

What just happened? I never felt like I am a person that would go into a rage. In my former life, I would describe my emotional status as either stoic or disinterested maybe just cowardly. A good story would sometimes drive me to tears, but that's it. I got threatened a few times, but it never escalated and the only real fights I got into was with my brothers. One of my elder brothers actually tried to hit me with a small wooden chair. I pushed him away before anything happened and it seemed like he calmed down after... I always wondered if he actually would have done it or not...

Anyway in those situations, I never got angry at the other party and I remained calm even though my shivering legs would have told you otherwise. Okay perhaps less stoic and just fearful.

I never got into a rage! Although I never was in a real fight...

I mean just look at Engilde. Her nose was bloodied and slightly deformed as Elder Irvin was at her side and ran water over the injury. Some of the blood had actually splattered across the dirt and a look at my feet told me that my leather shoes had a few red bloodstains on them.

A shock ran through my body and hot shivers sent my hairs stranding as the world seemed to turn and twist at that sight. I tried to balance myself as the whole world shifted under me. I heard my mother talking to me, but it seemed like her voice came through water and I only heard dull mumbling and a few pats here and there.

I did that!

Never in a million years would I have thought I would be able to do something like that!

My training in self-defense was meant to be for defense only! Just thinking how my trainers would look at me now... Never would I have imagined that I would do something like this. I would have gotten banned from my club. That´s not me! As a child, I did it because my mother wanted me to and when I got older I continued in order to help others if the need should arise I would be prepared. But... I never wanted to torment those weaker than me!

... Am I actually stronger than Engilde?

... What about Zawit?

Elder Irvin stood up and with him Engilde. Her face was no longer bloody and her node as straight as before the fight. He turned and came towards me.

"Hurting anywhere?"

His deep voice penetrated even the layers of water between me and reality. He bend down and began searching for injuries.

"Nothing serious, a few cracked ribs, but that should heal in time. Just get a few days' rests and you should be fine."

He stood up and searched eye contact with me.

"That´s a nice coincidence. Since I didn´t want you to continue this tournament either way. First, get your act together with a few days' rest and we will see what will happen next time."

He turned and mumbled something while walking away. But even though he did not wish for me to hear I got the gist of what he mumbled. Seemingly someone named Drochat asked Elder Irvin to let him train me, but I am sure nobody except mother is allowed to train me except for the traditional training together with all the kids. I looked at my mother and her dark and foreboding face told me that she heard him, too. I can ask later no need to pour oil onto the fire.

"Arn will not be allowed to fight again today! Who will challenge next?"

I looked at my fellow children and most seemed disinterested in my expulsion from the tournament. Zawit was just shaking his head for a bit but did not seem to linger longer on this feeling he had as he was sure excited for the next fight. Only Athala was glaring daggers at me from a distance.

Again... What was her problem with me? I don´t remember...

She pointed at me then her eyes and then her upper body.

What?

She stood up.

You know you can´t challenge me...

"I challenge Zawit!"

Are you sure Athala? Didn´t he always beat you in sparring? Why would you suddenly challenge him without much chance of winning?

"I accept the challenge!"

Zawit was grinning from ear to ear sure of his imminent victory. If this was a novel I would have surely bet that he is going to lose, but this is reality after all...

They moved onto the sparring area and waited for Elder Irvin´s signal.

"Fight!"

His voice boomed across the village and I am suddenly glad that we do not have any glass windows because some might have shattered for sure.

Athala took a stance.

Her left foot and hand were slightly forward and her arms are in fists before her face. That looked quite similar to my stance... But I would have my arms closer to my body almost touching it. Similar to a shield in front of me. Because I am weaker than my peers I need to deflect the punches as close to my body as possible. The closer your arms are to your body the more strength you can muster.

Actually, in my former life, I preferred a stance with my right hand almost stretched out. I preferred to have some distance from my sparring partner, that´s why I put the right arms forward. Even though I am right-handed... Normally one wouldn´t put the dominant side in front because the hand further back has more power to its punches. But in my case, I loved this stance because it would irritate my training partners. We often only trained with our strong side and when I noticed that I would often also train my bad side, but others did not and so they were sometimes a bit distracted with how to attack and my responses also differed slightly from others, because of the change in my stance... Not that it would matter now...

Anyway...

Athala took a stance and threw a small dagger-filled glance in my direction.

What? I didn´t do anything! For sure this time!

...right?