by Billy Wong
"Thank you for telling me your name, but don't worry. I don't plan to die today!"
"You are arrogant. Fate will decide if you live or die, but I intend to teach you a good lesson either way."
Barbarians moved to prepare the stage of battle, some dragging their dead and wounded out of the way, others measuring and marking a large circle on the ground. Then everyone backed up, leaving Ann and Ulf alone in the ring.
"The one who leaves the circle first loses," Kyle explained. "The other wins."
Despite Ann's strength, Ulf dwarfed her. An unsettling image flashed through Mark's mind of him breaking her neck with one punch and tossing her limp carcass over the line.
The two warriors advanced slowly from the edges of the circle, Ulf with an glower on his face, Ann smiling. They came within two strides of one another and Ulf rushed, grabbing out with those huge hands. Ann darted forward and ducked under his outstretched arms, allowing him to run on a few steps before turning to face her. She grinned and motioned with her index finger, welcoming him to try again.
Ulf obliged, reaching lower to keep Ann from ducking his grasp. Yet she foiled him in almost the same manner, this time sliding nimbly beneath his hands. He turned to find her shaking her head at him, grinning again, and scowled with anger.
Once more Ulf stomped towards Ann like an incensed bull, nostrils flaring. She sidestepped his wild charge and spun to kick him on the butt. He staggered and almost fell, righted himself and glared at Ann. But this time he closed more slowly, fists raised.
He tested her with a jab, which she slipped, then threw a second jab that hit forehead and snapped her head back. A right hook followed, but Ann ducked and retaliated with a hard punch to Ulf's ribs, then an uppercut to his chin. He blocked another punch at his face and kicked her in the stomach, knocking her down. She rolled away and up easily, and they began to circle.
For a time they continued to box, meeting in brief flurries of punches and the occasional kick before breaking off again. Cuts and bruises appeared on both fighters' faces, but even while she bled Ann kept smiling. Ulf fought more aggressively the longer the bout went on, each attack fiercer than the last. But Ann met him without fear and gave as good as she got.
Blocking several fast body blows from Ann, Ulf landed a massive haymaker to her temple that sent her sprawling. Before she could rise he ran and kicked into her stomach, rolling her towards the circle's edge. He continued to pursue, bent on driving her out of the ring, but she rolled into his legs and tripped him up. Before he could recover, she hopped over him to grab him by the wrists and start dragging him towards the edge.
Ulf rose to his knees and drew his arms back, pulling Ann close with his great strength. She released him and tried to back away, too late as he lunged up and caught her in a bearhug. With a triumphant smile, Ulf lifted the struggling girl and carried her towards the edge. Suddenly he screamed and fell to one knee, releasing the bearhug to claw at his face. Ann was biting him! He hammered a fist into her cheek, knocking her loose. But she recovered quick and stepped in again, putting him in a headlock.
With a great heave, Ulf pushed himself to his feet and lifted, raising Ann's feet off the ground. She kicked frantically as he strode toward the circle's edge, but apparently struggled in vain; Ulf's arms were locked tightly around her waist. He was going to throw her out like a human javelin.
Changing tactics, Ann released the headlock, only keeping her right arm around Ulf's neck to maintain her balance while she blasted his head and face with left-handed punches. Almost at the perimeter, Ulf stumbled and fell stunned to his knees. But his fall jolted Ann's precarious grip free, and she went flying out of the circle. She raised herself to a crouch, staring despairingly at the victorious Ulf.
The big Moonfang shook his head clear and looked up, smiling with new admiration at Ann. "You fought well, girl. I never thought I'd see the day a woman knocked down Ulf the Rock! But you still lost. Now we take the boy."
Ann looked past Ulf at Mark, who stood petrified. Damn, what were they going to do? Ann surely wouldn't want to give up that easily—she would probably fight the Moonfangs to the death. But then she would die; Ulf alone had been her match, and she must be tired now. Kyle would defend her with his life, but for all the knight's devotion he too was wounded, and Mark doubted the value of his own aid. He prepared to talk Ann down. Whether or not they fought, Mark was finished, and he didn't want to doom her and Kyle with him...
"Wait," Kyle said, walking near the kneeling Ulf. "Have you noticed where your knees are?"
The giant looked down. His knees, Mark realized, rested past the line in the dirt. "I see what you are saying."
"Yes. You fell out here before you threw Ann, and your knees hit earth first. She won."
Ulf nodded slowly, and Mark and Ann stared in disbelief. "So she did. Girl, I give you your friend's life."
An enormous smile stretched across Ann's face. "I won, Mark, I won! See, I told you just because he's a big lug, don't mean much to me."
Mark ran to her side and hugged her. "Thank you so much." He looked at her face, noticing now the full extent of her injuries. Both eyes were black and swollen, and a nasty cut adorned her brow. Her left cheek was badly bruised, and scratches crisscrossed her bloodied face. "Never thought I'd have a princess get all beat up for me."
"Don't you worry, I would have fought him with nothing on the line. It was fun!"
Ulf glanced at him, then turned his gaze back on Ann. "You're all free to go. But I would like to invite you to stay for dinner."
"But we k-killed your men," Mark sputtered in shock. "You'd still welcome us as guests?"
"It was in honorable combat, and we will hold no grudge now that the matter is resolved. Besides, your friend intrigues me."
Mark wanted to decline politely and leave right away. He was frightened by these strange people, and besides he needed to find his mother. Plus, the fact he was actually guilty of the crime of which he had been acquitted bothered him.
Before he could reply, Ann said, in an ecstatic voice that left no room for argument, "I'd love to eat with you! I've always wondered what barbarian dinners were like."
Chapter 8
The Moonfangs escorted the trio to an open camp, comprised of numerous hide tents which each presumably housed a family. After some brief introductions, Ulf took Ann away for a private talk, leaving the men to eat with the tribe.
"This food is hell on teeth," Kyle grumbled before biting a chunk from his piece of roasted bison beef with difficulty. Sitting with him surrounded by gossiping, barechested men and women, Mark felt only slightly less jumpy after a half hour of not being killed. Their hosts were loud and animate, and never bothered trying to hide their stares. While unable to understand their speech, Mark knew his party to be their favored subject and bore their attention awkwardly, gaze downcast.
Though he knew they must endure considerable hardships in their primitive lifestyle, these people seemed to carry themselves in a more relaxed fashion than civilized folk. Ongoing struggle to survive aside, perhaps they simply had fewer things to worry about.
Kyle swallowed his mouthful of beef and licked his lips. "But I suppose it has its appeal." Mark too had appreciated the meat's bold savory taste, though his jaws were not up to chewing down more than a few mouthfuls of it.
Considering the contemptuous way she had spoken of the plains dwellers before, Mark would not have expected Ann to be so eager to join them at feast. Then again, her carefree personality did seem suited to such curiosity. "I wonder if Ann's being treated to something special by Ulf?"
"Better food, maybe. Lovemaking, probably."
Mark found himself blushing. "You didn't try to go with her to see him. Aren't you worried something might happen?"
"These people may be crude, but they possess a certain kind of nobility. We can trust them."
"You should trust her more. She really can take care of herself."
"Who, Ann? I know she has her strength, a
nd is not a bad girl. She has fought for me while half dead herself. But can't you see how immature she is?"
Mark shrugged. "Is she immature? Maybe this is just who she is. I think it might really be subjective."
"Are you that naive? To me, a complete disregard for consequences and lack of foresight seem clear signs of immaturity."
"Not necessarily, right? Maybe not if she's aware of them and just doesn't want to change?"
"And would you consider that mature?" Kyle fixed suspicious eyes upon him. "Tell me, if Ulf was bedding Ann now, would you mind?"
For some reason, Mark hesitated. "No. Why would I? Isn't that normal for her?"
"Yes, but that might not matter to someone who disapproves."
"I wouldn't try to change her. I doubt I'm up to the task, in any case." He put down his mostly empty bowl of soup and stood. "I'm finished eating."
"Where are you going?"
He finished taking his first step and looked back. "Just to check on Ann. I know she's probably okay, but I want to make sure."
"I'm not concerned about her safety, and you are?" Kyle paused. "Try not to get too jealous."
Ignoring the obvious innuendo, Mark walked on. Though not unopen to the idea he might be interested in Ann, he hardly considered it Kyle's business if he was.
#
Sitting in Ulf's lap on the fur rug, Ann threw back another gulp of mead and burped. The chief had one of the most distinctive manly scents she could remember smelling, which put her at ease. Men who smelled tended to treat her with more of the honest unrestraint she liked.
"So you're getting driven north by the Ironhoofs?" she asked in a voice thick with feigned drunkenness. Better to appear intoxicated, in case something she said might be offensive. "How's that?" She reached back and stroked his huge bicep. "I thought you all were proud, strong warriors?"
"We are," Ulf said edgily, "but not suicidal. They outnumber us and are better ranged fighters. We could not stand against them."
"Better range? In what way?"
"They are horse archers, trained from youth to wield the bow mounted. On the plains, their fighting style is unmatched."
"Mounted archers? Don't see them used much where I'm from." Ann grinned. "But couldn't you just shoot their horses out from under them?"
"With their maneuvering skills, and the comparative resilience of a horse to a man? You would have better luck trying to kill the rider first—but that is not easy, either."
"If only you had better defenses. Then it wouldn't be so easy for them to bully you."
Ulf sighed. "They have never invaded our lands before, so why would we have prepared? Would you have a god build us great walls overnight?" He looked past her to the tent door, his eyes flustered. "Are you the knight or the boy? Either way, you can come in now." His voice was anything but welcoming.
Ann had heard the visitor arrive outside, but not wanting to involve Kyle held her tongue. She could handle conversation with an uncultured man better than he, and now expected him to spoil their meeting. To her surprise, it was Mark who peeked inside and saw her in the chief's arms.
"I'm just l-listening. I don't think I overheard anything private."
Seeing the contemptuous look Ulf leveled at Mark and how the latter cowered under it, Ann said, "It's been good drinking with you, Ulf, but I should go. Shall we?"
"Don't let me g-get in your way. You don't have to go if you're not done."
She flashed Ulf a helpless look, to which he responded with a shake of the head, and dragged Mark outside. "What were you doing in there?" he asked when they were a safe distance away.
"Talking. Mostly, trying to get information to help find your mother."
"In his lap?"
"It was more convenient for me to do it from there. Come on, why are you looking at me like that for? Do you already think you have a right to be jealous?"
"I'm not jealous. I was just worried about you."
His concern, if misplaced, did warm her heart a bit. "What for? It's not like he could have done anything I didn't want, or I would have minded whatever he did want." She had after all slept with cruder men before, if not barbarian chiefs.
Mark looked down. "I know you're really strong, and think you're different from other girls. But how can you be so careless with your body around men?"
"I'm no more careless than men are with women. I guess you finally believe that I'm a slut, huh? You better not mind."
"I don't. Why wouldn't I still be your friend?" But there was an unease with which he said it. That he disapproved of her behavior displeased Ann. Why couldn't he just accept her for who she was?
"Anyway, I found out some more about where your mom went. The people who live south of here are called the Ironhoof tribe, and they're the ones who've been driving the rest north. No doubt she's gone to visit them. They're apparently feared for their skills in horse archery, although I don't see what's so scary about that." Annoying, yes. Ann had no love for arrows.
"So Ulf and his men fear them?" Mark asked, sounding rather intimidated. "I suppose I'll have to be more careful not to get on their bad side, then."
"Well, hopefully you'll be less likely to kill a horse by accident than a wolf. We should get a good night's sleep to maintain our alertness."
He agreed, and they returned to the tents Ulf had given them for the night. After seeing that Mark was well asleep with Kyle, Ann snuck away and back to Ulf's tent. She had a talk to finish, not to mention anything else she decided she wanted.
#
Mark awakened the next day morning satisfied that he had prevented Ann from doing something that might not be in her best interests. Even if she was used to sleeping around with civilized folk, he figured a barbarian might be more inclined to become possessive of her following such relations. Ulf probably wouldn't care much about his woman's status as a princess.
Kyle had already left, Mark assumed to find Ann. He went outside to find the knight bent over half in, half out of her tent. "Kyle? What's going on?"
"She's not in there."
"What? But we came back here together last night!"
"I know. I saw." Kyle backed out of the tent and straightened. "I would guess she returned to Ulf while we slept."
Mark's face fell. Why was Ann so set on being a reckless girl?
"I'm back!" her voice boomed before she came into view. "Did you get yourself a good night's rest?"
"Yes."
"Good, we're ready to get going then. And since I gave our host a proper goodbye, he rewarded me with a farewell gift!" She reached behind herself and produced a thin wooden tube.
"What's that, a flute?" Mark asked.
"Yep. It was this or a knife, but we have plenty of weaponry. Now we'll also have some music to entertain us while we walk!"
They left the Moonfang camp and continued south, Ann playing with Ulf's flute for some minutes before growing bored and tucking it back into her pants. It did not, Mark thought, make much of a compensation for what she had done for it.
Her father and brother had told Mark Ann was interested in him, but he didn't see it. If she was, why had the promiscuous princess not made any efforts to seduce him? She had, after all, very readily offered Ulf her body. Could Leo and Saul merely have mistaken friendship on Ann's part for something else?
As for Mark, he did not know what he thought of Ann. She was attractive and made a fun friend, but how would she cope in a long-term romance? Ann herself probably could not answer that.
"I wonder what Mom will think when she finally meets me," he said one time. "I sure don't fight like the son of a legend."
Ann smiled. "Oh, stop being so hard on yourself. You've improved a lot since I started training you."
Mark felt like breaking into a large, stupid grin. "I have? Clint's been saying I never improve for years now."
"Ha! You just weren't motivated then. With me around, what man wouldn't feel the need to do his best?"
He stared at her a moment and started
to laugh. "And I did also just find out my real mother is a great heroine."
"Well, yeah, that too."
"So you think Brianna will be proud of me?"
"Not particularly."
"Hey, I thought you just said I've made a lot of progress."
"Yeah, and you have." Ann winked. "But you're still a wimp."
"Huh?"
"Technically speaking, you're pretty sound. But you're still too cautious. When you're on defense you're too focused on it, you don't look for openings to take advantage of enough. And when you're on the attack, you don't commit yourself enough.
"In other words, you don't fight to win—you fight to survive. Now, that can be fine sometimes, like when I'm around to save you. But if you're alone and your enemy's determined to kill you, you can't just try to hold him off until he drops of exhaustion. That doesn't happen often—more likely, you'll make a mistake and he'll kill you. You've got to kill him first.
"What makes it worse is that you already seem this scared to take a hit, in practice! Me and the others aren't trying to kill you, or even hurt you, and you still fight like a chicken! What are you going to do in a battle to the death?"
Mark frowned. "I know it's practice, but it's still scary to me. You folks use live blades! Why do you do that? It's dangerous, even if you try to pull your blows. We use blunted weapons back home."
"We Perfians aren't wimps. A little bit of danger fires the spirit and makes you work harder. Besides, we ain't afraid of a few little scratches now and then."
"Little scratches. Does anybody ever get killed like this?"
"It happens, but very rarely. At least in the castle, nobody's gotten killed for five years."
"What happened five years ago?" Mark asked, his eyes fixed on Ann's.
She saw the way he was looking at her and shook her head vigorously. "Oh, it wasn't me! A soldier tried to jump back from a cut at his head and it caught him in the neck instead, that's all. The guy who did it was a rookie—felt terrible about it, and quit a few days later.
"Though, I have caused some fairly serious injuries in my time."
