'You're on mister!!!!' I yelled back at the man who just insulted the wrong girl.

'You little girl go back to you tent and play with your dolls, I wont waist my talent on you!' He said calmly back to back to me, as if I wasn't even there.

I drew my sword out so fast that he didn't have time to react. 'You want see what kind of warrior I am? Then fight me!' I whispered with all the rage in my voice, with my sword to his neck.

'Fine I will fight you but only because you won't stop pestering me, not because I'm afraid of you.'

'Oh you'll learn to be afraid.' I growled, but then I felt my brothers' hand on my shoulder.

'You really need to work on your leadership skills' he said looking at the other man but was talking to me.

I gave him a half hearted smile, my mind was busy figuring out the type of attacks that I would use ton the pompous wind bag that I was going to fight at sundown.
'So what did you do this time?' We were back in my tent and were sitting on the makeshift bed.
'What do you mean, 'what did you do this time?' I didn't do anything!!!'
'I mean you seem to always get in these fights.' HE replied with a melancholy look on his face.
'What are you thinking?'
'Trying to figure out why the head mistress appointed you the general of this group?'
'Ha Ha, very funny, but seriously how am I supposed to keep control of my men when they have no faith in, that is why I must fight him.
'So it's not just because he said you were girly?' He looked at me with sincere eyes but you could tell that his mouth was twitching while he was trying not to laugh.
'Only you can think up something as stupid as that for a reason to fight a man. Although''.'I turned to look at him sitting on the couch with his legs and arms crossed the way he did when he was enjoying himself in a conversation. 'He did say I liked to play with dolls maybe he found your old Doll house that u and'.' I started with a smile and ended with a blank expression. We had never really talked about our parents, every one in the tribe new that we were adopted by Max, one of the best sword fighters in our tribe, but no one not even my brother and I new what happened to our father.
I grabbed my cloak and prepared my self for the battle, not wanting to continue the conversation.
'I miss her to, and you know I wasn't your fault that she died' he said, with his hand on my shoulder.
'You know John sometimes I wonder why he didn't at least make sheer we had water to make it through the dessert but instead, HE DROPED US IN THE MIDDEL OF NO WERE AND LEFT US TO DIE!!'I yelled as loud as I could with out disturbing the rest of the men.
'Yea I know...' He didn't finish he was trying to be strong in front of his sister but he couldn't help but one tear fall from his stormy blue eyes. He quickly wiped it away. I was glad that I was wearing the hood of the cloak over my eyes so that he couldn't see that the same thing happened to me.
'Well I shouldn't keep the janitor waiting.' I whispered we each put our right hands on the other left shoulder (it's a way of saying good luck)
'Wasn't it the main solider, who the janitor?'
'Yea it was, Janitors the guys who are going to clean up after I'm done with this jerk.'
'Agh, well see you out there'.
I opened the tent flaps and half the bratalia was there listening with there ears cupped to hear what was said in side. I cleared my throut 'May I help you men or were you all looking for something in your ears?' They all looked at me with terror on there faces.
'No miss just looking for my ladle and got these men to help me look for it, then we herd you yelling and was curious to why.' The cook said standing up; he had an honest face and an honest soul.
'You never heard anything said to night right?' I leaned forward to make my point clear.
'YES MAM.' The all hastily stood up and ran toward the center of the camp
John just stood there with a goofy grin on his face, one that he rarely showed in public, he always tried to maintain the seriousness of him self in front of the men.
'That was handled well for once' I gave him a dirty look, to bad he couldn't see it.


'All right shall we go over the rules of this duel or are both competitors aware of them?'
'You may want to repeat them for the stuck pig over there.' I said to the cook, who was playing referee for the duel since my brother was not allowed to be since we can't have a relative by blood referring to make it fair.
Kevin growled he was a man of substance with a long beard made into a braid to keep it out of the way, for the duel; he had a silver hilted double handed sword. He wasn't really the best of the soldiers that's just what he says to make himself feel skinner.
'I don't need the rules repeated; I know them just as well as the girly over there does.'
Well then you should be well aware that we are allowed only one weapon not three.'
'Can you not count I see one and that's the sword in my hand' He smiled in satisfaction.
'Oh I can count, but apparently you can't, I see three because there is your sword, you knife up you sleeve, and the maze you have hidden under the folds of you belly' I grinned ruefully, he was scared out of his skin, no one knew that he had that knife of course I was kidding about the maze but I thought I'd make id interesting.
'Well do you have the accused weapons sir?' The cook asked
'Of course I don't!' There was a cold sweat on his brow, he was lying.
'I demand a search, though something tells me that you won't want to look under those flaps you might find more than just a maze, maybe last nights dinner bowl.' I pointed towards his belly; the men were trying so hard not to burst out laughing, then the cook stepped down from one of the dinner tables to grab a few men and search Kevin.
They did find the knife up his sleeve but they didn't bother looking through the folds of his stomach, you could plainly tell that they were afraid of even touching it.
'Kevin is disqualified for bringing more than one weapon and saying other wise, the winner by fault is Stephaney.' He walked over to me and held my hand in the air.
'Paul, don't raise my hand like a victor of a battle, I didn't fight so I can not be a winner, we shale call it a draw and hold it off till Kevin can learn to follow rules.' I turned towards my brother while removing my hood, and saw the faint smile on his face. 'Until then he has two weeks of stable duty.' His smile got bigger as I got closer. We join arms and turned around together to the rest of the crowd of men.
'Go on eat you dinner be merry for the day after tomorrow we join in battle with the rest of our people!' John said with his booming voice, he could really get the men's hopes up when needed.
'Well so much for keeping it a secret till the day before.' I whispered in his ear.
'I couldn't resist leaving it off any more as you can tell the men are glade to know that they will soon be reunited with there brothers and finally be able to use there gifts of war.' John definitely knew what to say and how to say it right.

That night we all drank till we couldn't see two feet in front of us, then we all headed towards our own huts, even then they merriment didn't seem to die down; some men would bring the ale with them to there tents.


'Rest well my friends for tomorrow we pack and get ready for the travel home.' I paused 'Home, thought it would never sound so sweet' I said under my breath.