Standing in a wide opening in the ice was the "general". Square jawed with a brown short tight beard with grey eyes held up by crows feet well beyond the years the rest of his body showed. wearing a spartan helmet. A gold bear face sculpture was on the chest of his black plated armor. He held a spear with a small gladius on his waist. "Well we are in quite the bind here aren't we" the general said. "He attacked me unprovoked" I exclaimed like a child caught fighting by an adult, rage and despair in my eyes.

The mounted soldiers followed their leader through the gap in the ice wall forming a circle around me with plenty of space between us but still cutting off any escape. "Is this true?" the general turned to the man boy who was massaging his swollen black and blue possibly broken wrist. Standing at attention after hearing the directed question the soldier proclaimed. "NO GENERAL. There is a human female being held against her will in the tree line". "Hm... well let's try asking her what's going on, miss?" the general sitting down cross legged in the middle of the road letting the spear lean onto his shoulder. "No I am not being held against my will. The moron over there just attempted to murder my-" Zarlessa was cut off by the general raising his hand asking for silence from her.

"Unfortunately you did still injure a guard of the royal army's second brigade..." tapping his index finger on his spear the General stood up from his seated position. "you. Drukon, duel me. If you win we let you go with as many horses and as much gold as you desire. If I win you do me a favor... and you become my personal body guard. What do you say?" I looked at him still in my readied stance, if we win then we can get enough horses alone to create an army from selling off any excess horses. If we lose though... I know nothing about this "general" except that he has unruly undisciplined troops who would attack first and ask questions later... "Firstly, my name is Jayce. Secondly, I will accept so long as IF you win I can personally deny any order I don't agree with. I hope your a man of your word even when disgraced." I said half smirking and openly arrogant.

With a hearty laugh the general dropped his spear and pulled out his gladius. Walking slowly towards me he said, "that's a nice stance you have there, where did you learn it?" cracking his neck side to side. With a look of confusion I answered honestly, "just some overly violent meat head with too little attention span for anything but violence". Laughing louder then before while walking withing jumping distance he planted his weapon into the dirt and held out his hand. "Before we begin I should warn you, while I have yet to best her in a duel, my wife was the first Valkyrie."

a deep coldness washed over his eyes for a split second before the jovial nature returned. Slowly getting out of my ready stance I grabbed his hand and shook it, while he clearly didn't intend to intimidate me, his grip was iron. "Good luck to you" he said walking back, then pulling out the planted sword. Doing a self check before starting the fight I noticed my elbow was fully healed... Did he do that during the handshake?

Taking a breath I read his stance, his sword hand was behind him while he leaned slightly forwards. Deciding it must be an aggressive style based on his posturing I took the initiative, about three steps distance separated us, taking two long strides I cast for the first time. From my second step ice burst out in a ten meter diameter around us. Still unmoving he looked around with an impressed look on his face, continuing my attack I went for an overhand swing using the staff side as the impact point. He simply raised his weaponless hand and with ease caught the staff. Wind blew over his face from the weight of the full stopped attack moving his gelled hair slightly causing a long strand to get out of place. with a look of annoyance and scowling, "oh fuck my lif-"

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before I could finish my verbal self flagellation. He stomped hard on the ground breaking the ice, rotating on the balls of his feet he threw the staff along with me into the ruins of the ice wall laid around us. Cheers and "ooooh" were released by the biased onlookers of the army.

"You okay in there? We both know if your meat head was a true Valkyrie your first day of sparring was much worse then that" he stated while not moving an inch out of his perfect formed stance. Pushing off the ground I spat blood into the dirt and stood up. "Excuse me for thinking all of the kings army would be as well trained as the pre prepubescent forty year old over there" pointing the staff to the man boy. Causing withheld laughter from within the armies ranks.

The general advanced at high speed covering ten meters in under two seconds. Spinning while raising his weapon hand I readied to meet his attack, raising his weapon high above his head I moved the staff to catch an over hand strike. Suddenly the sword just dropped onto my staff with no weight behind it, inspecting further there was no hand behind it either.

Flurries of fists came raining down all over my body from head to waist, each one with the power of a cannon ball, ending with a front kick square in my chest breaking the ice wall with my now broken and bruised body. Groaning and trying to get up the General walked over and sat on my back. "Well that settles that, anyone want some food before we arrive in town?" He asked aloud to his troops from his new throne. Roars of hundred of men in agreement met his proposal.

The General helped me up and fully healed my wounds minutes after the battle, with Zarlessa watching untrusting like a hawk. "If you can use healing magic, please, help my friend, she's... I can't do this without her." I said pleading in my eyes. He motioned for me to show me where Agatha was and bringing her wheeled out on the CCC he had a solemn expression. "I can save her life certainly, but I cant regrow her limbs, or... fix her spine." looking towards the dirt the general was clearly displeased even having to give me this response. "Do it, please she's the only family I have..." Hearing this visibly wounded him much more then I could have in combat. Walking to Agatha he laid a hand on her head, the rot of her leg slowly receded with each cut and wound closing up in visible time. No longer bleeding and breathing much easier the general turned back towards Zarlessa and me. "Minutes away from death, but... While her body is healed as much as it can be... she refuses to wake up just yet. Give it time and I promise to you we will keep her safe once we reach Rixford."

Spending the remaining two hours to eat like rabid dogs we pillaged their food stores, starving from not eating for two days now. We marched with the army past the forest clearing to reveal the most industrious town I could have imagined. Rixford the militant city of magic.