Saving Ellie

Zara V.S. Asena

15:00

I woke up groggily to the rays of sun shining through the glass windows.

I looked over to my left to see the beautiful girl sleeping peacefully.

She had short white hair and pale skin. Her ears were long and pointy just like any other elf and had the most prepossessing grey eyes.

Unlike most of the warriors I have trained, Asena and Ellie were one of my top five companions. They rank top two and my other three were Athena, Lila and Aroura.

Athena, Lila and Aroura were on a quest and weren't expected to arrive to the Fortress in many weeks.

My top warriors wore dark blue and silver armor, similar to mine. They each carried different weapons which were a symbol of their fighting mechanisms. Their weapons made them who they were.

The rest of the warriors were ordered to wear violet and silver armor and guarded the fortress all hours of the day.

I felt something cold against my skin and flinched but I came to the realization that it was just Ellie's armor. She had wrapped her arms around me.

I smiled and began to stroke her hair.

"I can hardly wait for this duel!" exclaimed Asena.

I tried to contain my laughter inside. "Whatever will help you sleep at night my darling. I warn you however, don't act surprise."

"When have I ever been surprised?" she inquired and I laughed boisterously. She frowned.

"Do you not remember the countless, effortless times I have beaten you in our duels?" I reminded her.

"Whenever you challenge me to a duel, who wins? Who gets upset because they lost?"

Asena blushed madly and stood up. She put her hands on her hips. "That is not the point!" she yelled defensively.

"Silence!" I half laughed and half whispered, then pointed to Ellie who began to mumble.

Asena quieted down and Ellie returned to her normal sleeping state. "No Asena, the point is that whenever we fight I win. I will always win. You get upset because I never hold back on you."

"I challenge you to a duel," she huffed confidently. "Two?" I asked questioningly, cocking one of my eyebrows.

A malevolent smile spread across her face. "Yes another one, and I can almost guarantee that I'll win."

"The duel starts at 19:30, an hour after dinner in the village. I want everyone see us."

She rolled her eyes and resumed the previous position of sitting. I suddenly felt the small frame begin to move. "Mm.." Ellie mumbled. She sat up groggily and yawned.

She flashed us both a smile.

"Well, can you tell me what happened while you were gone?" Ellie questioned.

"Yes I would like to know as well," Asena added.

My face turned cold. It made me angry even thinking about it. I cleared my throat. "Well, I was going to do a quest for another village. On my way there I was fighting off an enemy and just remember feeling pain on the back of my head. I don't know much of what happened after. I lost all consciousness and I woke up chained in a dungeon."

The both of them sat there in disbelief as I continued.

"I tried to break free but it was no use. Whoever brought me there locked me in a cage too and I couldn't use my weapons in that state."

"I saw a tall figure walking towards me and it was this cursed creature. He says that I have something he desires." My face began to burn with rage and I clenched the bed sheets.

Ellie sat next to me again. "Zara what did he say?" she asked concerned. "He said he wants to take Ellie for himself.

Ellie looked confused at me.

"What?" Asena shouted in disbelief.

"But why would he want me?" Ellie questioned.

"Ellie you have the power to heal pandemic diseases and he says you can heal him," I mentioned.

"He called two of his knights in to execute me. Halfway there I managed to break from their grasp and murder them both," I say evilly proud of my skillful killing.

The both of them smiled slightly. "I figured. We saw your swords and armor in the other room when Maria was cleaning them," informed Asena.

"Anyways," I continued. "I broke a window and hopped onto a tree. Climbed it and I got lost and walked for hours until it was dawn and I could see the area better. I saw the pond and ran uphill until I lost all consciousness."

"Zara," Ellie says amazed.

"Don't worry about that "thing" coming anywhere near this fortress. I am going to start more training for everyone else. That includes you both as well. I am not letting anything happen to you."

"However, that can wait until tomorrow," I note. I thought about the upcoming battle with Asena. "Now I will be back shortly. I am going to change into my armor for the duel between Asena and I."

I come out of bed without pain and make my way to the upper floors.
------------------------------------------------------------
19:30AM

It was time for the duel. The adrenaline was soaring throughout my body. I could feel it in every inch of me.

Ellie and the others cheered us in the crowd. I stepped out in front of the village.

I was confronted with the little wizard children. The witches cackled wickedly as they awaited our battle.

The small children of cyclopes and monsters were laughing and running around the village square while their parents were trying to keep them still.

The werewolves and vampires were nearly going to attack each other until they heard the sound of trumpets playing, indicating the duel has begun.

The boisterous audience were whistling and clapping and rooting for Asena and I. Asena and I kept our heads low, looking at the cobblestone ground.

Then the crowd came to a silence as I unsheathed my sword, still keeping my head lowered. I heard the chains of Asena's morning star flail rattling and the instant I lift my head to look at her I dash forward and slashed her side, knocking her back.

The crowd began to cheer once more as Asena jumped back up. She aimed the spiked club towards my left leg but fortunately missed.

From then it was only a series of my long sword colliding with her club. She took one swing but I grabbed the chain and yanked it from her hand. I swung it in a circle next to my hip before she got a blow to the face, knocking her helmet off.

She stood looking like a frightened mutt. I snickered as I ran up to her once more, slashing her once on the right side and then on the leg. The friction of armor could be heard by everyone and I could tell she was exhausted from my constant speed.

She rested for about three seconds to catch some air before attempting to ram me to the floor. She ran as fast as she could and put her arms out to push me.

Instead, I simply shifted to the right and let her fall face down.

She groaned as I took my helmet off and I put my foot on her back, then raised my sword in the air. I took in the amount of noise being made for me. The clapping, the whistling chants, cheers, laughter and words of encouragement and smiled with satisfaction.

I took my foot off of her and helped my fellow comrade get back on her feet. She looked disappointed. I smiled, "Better luck next time! But don't feel bad, I didn't make you one of my top warriors for no good reason."

I nudged her in the arm and a slight smile spread across her face.

"Now, let us return home." I put my sword back in its sheathe and me and my small troop were on our way back to the fortress.