They had walked in silence for hours, barely looking at one another. Ashe occasionally walked far ahead or behind, with his hand on resting on the hilt of his sword. Every half hour or so he would leave the trail for a while, scouting he said, when Marie finally asked. Lostherrin looked no less wary, but focused on leading the pack-horse through the wooded trail. Luckily, there had been less snow than usual, making the trails not too hard to walk.
    Lee and Marie walked alongside Lostherrin, and eventually Lee decided to make the most of the time. "So what's it like? Naifalla, I mean. That's where we're headed, so I'd like to know a bit about it before we get there."
    Lostherrin smiled, "It is the most beautiful place. The Marshes themselves are full of wonderful and dangerous plants and animals, but the city... Naifalla is built on the south-east edge of the Marshes, where they meet a large lake and a large range of mountains. Most of the homes are in the sides of the large mountain that the city itself is named after. You see, Naifalla, in our tongue, means Mountain Song. The name is derived from the sounds of the waterfalls and the wind rushing down the mountain to the lake. It is a peaceful place, for the most part, but with the Marshes to the north and west, and the mountains to the south, there are many very dangerous animals, which is why we are all trained in combat. We even train the half-elves, until they are 14, just so they can live to leave the city."
    "Why train them at all? I mean, don't you hate them as much as us humans do?" Lee asked.
    "Yes, but we follow the sacred precepts. Killing of anything that is not a threat is prohibited, and having them leave without training is too close to murder. It will probably take my skills and Ashe's to get us all to the city alive. We do not blame them for being born, but we cannot tolerate such an abomination in our homes. Plus, it is very rare. We have only sent out five of them in the past 20 years."
    "What about your sword? Are you all trained with them?"
    Lostherrin hesitated and looked Lee directly in the eye for a moment before answering, "No, swords are not common. Most of us are trained in unarmed combat and in shooting with bow and arrow." He looked around, his violet eyes searching for Ashe, who had once again left the trail, "This sword was given to me not by my kind, but by a stranger who came to live with us many years ago."
    "A stranger?" Lee's curiosity overcame her.
    Lostherrin nodded, "His name is Raiden, after a heathen god of thunder, I believe. If he has another he has never spoken of it. He came one day from over the mountains, something that has never been done before. He is not human, at least as far as we can tell, for he is at least a head taller than I am, with light brown skin and black eyes and hair. We had never seen his like, but there he was. He gave our blacksmiths orders to make swords like mine, and offered to teach us what he called the Way of the Sword in return for food and lodging. The Oracle said we must accept, and so we did. Since then, he has only taught ten of us, saying most were not suited for his teachings. It was an honour, when he chose me as a student on my tenth birthday. Since then, I have worked very hard to deserve the privilege."
    "You've been training with the sword since you were ten?"
    "Yes. Raiden says that my training will never truly be complete, that even he must continue daily to strive to improve, or there is no use in training at all. He says that this is why he teaches so few. He claims our heads have swollen, and most of us have too much pride and arrogance to ever believe we can never attain perfection," Lostherrin let out a small laugh. "Perhaps he is right. I am often told I am too humble for my own good, but that is why he chose me. He is a very honest man, Raiden."
    "What of the Oracle?" Marie stepped in. "What should I expect when I meet her?"
    Lostherrin was silent for a time, considering his answer, "She is hard to describe. The things she knows, she knows them beyond room for doubt. When she speaks of these things it is with great certainty in her voice, as though no other answer is possible. At other times, however, she seems woefully ignorant. She knew of you, Marie, but not of your sister or Ashe, or how to cure herself." Lostherrin paused again, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, "It is strange, but she spoke of sending someone out to find you before she was ill. The illness came after the Elders questioned her about bringing a human to Naifalla, when she refused to give them any reason. I believe that your coming to Naifalla is the reason for the illness, not the other way around."
    Marie stared at him in surprise, but he refused to meet her gaze. They walked in silence for some time before Ashe returned, saying he had found a suitable place to camp for the night.
   
                                                            • • •

    By the time they had fed and watered the horse, ate a small supper of bread, dried meat and cheese, and set up the camp for the night darkness was beginning to descend. Ashe was making a clear point of sharpening his sword by the fire, not speaking to any of them. Marie occasionally glanced at him, unsure of how to breach the odd distance that had seemed to settle between them.
    Lostherrin observed him for a while as well before speaking, "Would you like to practice against a real opponent? I'm certain I could put up a fair fight."
    Ashe grinned, not in a particularly pleasant way from Marie's view, and nodded before moving to the side of the clearing they were using for a camp. Lostherrin calmly drew his sword from his scabbard before joining him.
    "So what are the stakes?" Ashe asked, grinning again. "The first to draw blood wins the fair maidens?"
    Lostherrin laughed, "I think they would draw more blood than the winner if those were the stakes. They are not the type of women to be won in such a manner, I think. How about the one who loses cooks and does the dishes tomorrow? Slightly less insulting to the women, yes?"
    Ashe laughed as well, finally showing a genuine smile, "True enough. I agree to your proposal, good sir elf."
    "Please don't kill each other over something as trivial as dishes," Marie said. "I'd hate for one of you to die and the other be so wounded that he can't fight off the animals that come running at the smell of blood."
    Ashe smiled at Marie and bowed mockingly, "Don't worry, beautiful maiden, I would not dare to offend your sensibilities with the sight of a dead elf."
    Lostherrin glanced at both Lee, who was sitting and watching with an almost eager light to her eyes, and Marie, who was not quite glaring at Ashe, before looking at the man himself, "Shall we begin?"
    At Ashe's nod the duel began. It was slow at first, both walking in a slow circle, occasionally meeting swords as though both were looking for any weakness the other might betray early. Suddenly the both seemingly sprang into action, flowing like a dance, the clash of swords ringing through the clearing. To Marie's untrained eye they seemed evenly matched, neither giving or gaining much ground, each easily dodging or parrying the other's advances. Quickly the pace increased, swords and arms becoming a blur as they each moved faster through the motions. Both began to sweat from the exertion, but the pace didn't lax as each searched for any opening the other might provide. Marie did not see what happened, each had appeared to step to the side as the other lashed out with the sword, but they stopped and stared at one another, both breathing heavily.
    "I suppose," Ashe said between deep breaths, "this means we will have to share the cooking and washing duties."
    It was then that Marie saw the matching cuts on their arms, each just below the shoulder and shallow enough that the blood was already clotting.
    Lostherrin smiled, "I'm very impressed. It's not often one sees someone of so much skill. Whatever were you doing in a fishing village?"
    Ashe grunted and walked over to the fire, where he had left his scabbard, and sheathed his sword, "It's a long story."
    They all fell silent again, and Marie saw to the cuts, putting on a poultice to ward off infection. She saw to Ashe second, quietly muttering under her breath, "You had no idea how skilled he was, and you haven't used your sword in years. What were you thinking? And what was the point in that exercise? You know, you've been acting like a... well, like a jerk, to be honest, ever since Lostherrin came to the village. He's worried and all you're doing is making it worse."
    Ashe grabbed her hand and looked her directly in the eye, "I'm sorry if I scared you, Marie, but I needed to know I could still fight. I would be of no use to you if I didn't know I could protect you from any danger we might come across."
    Marie stared into his eyes for a moment, breathless, before she could find any words, "Well just be more careful next time. If something happened to you...." The words were left unspoken, and they both headed to attempt to sleep. Both lay awake, staring at the stars.