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The whole story in a nutshell: I was right. King Glem sided with me, Qal'la was very angry, etc.

She challenged me... As I knew she would. However, I had plans.

I sent the dark elf messengers, along with the dark elves that left with them (three or four hundred, I think, but I don't remember) to meet with two clans of moon elves that agreed to get them safely to the dark elf village.

Just for the purpose of explanation, moon elves are not commonly known because they're nomads and experts of espionage. They cannot be found easily if they have reason to hide. However... when they are found, they're hopeless. Their average fighter is not dissimilar to the average human, which, for an elf, is terrible. If it came to a fight, the dark elves under their protection would be their only hope for survival.

While they were on their way... I accepted Qal'la's challenge. I... I don't remember most of it, but I remember it hurt. I'm tough, determined, strong with magic and quick with blades, but she's cunning with her ladder ball blades and expertise in telekinesis, and combined with her rage, she proved to be a powerful enemy.

On that note... I should probably explain challenges in my village.

The first rule that all must know is that if you kill your opponent, there is no honor in your name, and no one will respect the position you gained. And trust me, elves only obey those they respect... so basically, if you challenge someone for a position, or are challenged, but you kill your opponent, your position is invalid.

Challenges never take place for greed. (By magical means, it's usually not hard to tell someone's intentions.) You challenge someone in authority if you believe their orders are wrong and you wish to take matters into your own hands. Refusing a challenge is admitting that you cannot face the challenger, and so they will undermine your authority. So unless you're intentionally giving control to the challenger and practically stepping down from your position, you must accept the challenge.

The victor of the challenge takes the position challenged for. Ah! Did that surprise you? I'll make it clear: our crown is not necessarily passed down through herritage. In peaceful times, things are different, but if there's a challenge for the throne, the victor gets it. Even if a common citizen who knows nothing of kingship decides to challenge the king, all he must do is win a fight. I do not completely agree with this system... but it makes sense. It's harsh, but I understand why it was designed this way. The king's duty is to serve his people in any way possible. This includes war. Better for a weak king to step down and give way to someone more powerful than to fall in combat and leave an army in confusion and distress.

So now you have a bit more understanding of my situation... when Qal'la challenged me, she was attempting to claim my position as Guardian. And it's important for the Guardian to be strong... but I had to fight for what I believed was right. If she had succeeded, I would have taken up her mantle as adhmira. It's still a very high position, but Qal'la would have then been my commander.

As the fight dragged on, she wore me down more and more, not daring to do more than defend herself until she watched my arms tire and slow. When she saw that the time was right... she struck. She sent a telekinetic blast at me that would've killed most people. It struck me in the chest, and passed straight through... It would've killed a human. However, she didn't strike anything vital. (As an elf, I have a larger body, but smaller organs. This is probably a side-effect of being nearly as much plant as animal.) There was a hole in my chest about five inches in diameter... and it hurt. I tried to heal it magically, but she just widened it before I could finish. I realized that I didn't have the energy to heal while she was attacking me.

So then...

I got back up and swung my blades at her. In my weakened state, she easily avoided them, but even all of her years of conditioning for battle and politics, she could not hide her shock and horror that I was still fighting. After mere seconds of that, she held both of her hands out to tell me to stop. She said she refused to fight me while I was in that state, and that anyone who kept fighting after a wound like that deserved glory and praise from his opponent.

That was her reason for surrendering the fight, but I got the sense that she did it out of shock more than honor. Nevertheless, her intentions aren't what matter in this. She surrendered the fight, leaving me free to transport the dark elves back to their home... although about a hundred of them remained with us.

CONTINUED